Potential 2018 Football open date opponent
Very strange that Michigan has an opening in the non-conference just one year away as schedules have been set recently as far as 7 years in advance.
September 8, 2018 still sits open.
Michigan was supposed to play Arkansas at home to open the season, but that series got cancelled in favor of opening the 2018 season at Notre Dame.
So 9/8/2018 will be Michigan's season opener. The opponent the following week will be SMU in the non-conference finale.
Here are the only teams left with an open date for 9/8/2018. Some interesting storylines....
Something has to be decided soon.
- Kentucky
- Ohio University
- Syracuse
- Toledo
- UNLV
- Western Michigan
2018 schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 9/1 | at Notre Dame |
| 9/8 | OPEN DATE |
| 9/15 | vs SMU |
| 9/22 | vs Nebraska** |
| 9/29 | at Northwestern** |
| 10/6 | vs Maryland* |
| 10/13 | vs Wisconsin** |
| 10/20 | at Michigan State* |
| 10/27 | Bye Week |
| 11/3 | vs Penn State* |
| 11/10 | at Rutgers* |
| 11/17 | vs Indiana* |
| 11/24 | at Ohio State* |
| B1G Championship (Indianapolis, IN)^ | |
| 12/1 | TBD |
| College Football Playoff^ | |
| 12/29 | Cotton Bowl OR Orange Bowl |
| 1/7 | National Championship (Santa Clara) |
Future future non-conference opponents-
- 2019: vs Army West Point, vs Notre Dame
- 2020: at Washington, vs Ball State, vs Virginia Tech
- 2021: at Virginia Tech, vs Washington
- 2022: vs UCLA
- 2023: at UCLA
- 2024: vs Texas
- 2025: at Oklahoma
- 2026: vs Oklahoma
- 2027: at Texas
I'll bet it will be WMU.
EDIT: Ugh. I forgot the shitty scheduling with all three rivals on the road. That's going to be rough.
Agreed, Rutgers should be much improved by 2018
2019 home schedule is gonna be insane.
Notre Dame, MSU and OSU in consecutive home games (we play ND in late October).
I hope so. I know, shocking.
It's been awhile since there's been a home night game where we weren't hating life. Last time we played ND at home.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:09 AM ^
has only been one since then, correct? The Penn State "showdown."
April 18th, 2017 at 12:18 PM ^
Some guy at work always makes that crack when I refer to Michigan as "we." Yes. I went to the University of Michigan. They are my football team. I refer to them as we. If you don't refer to Michigan with a personal pronoun you aren't really a fan. (Despite 57418 points. wow.)
When you start telling people whether or not they're real fans, you sound like Sparty.
I didn't attend Michigan. I've been a Michigan fan since elementary school; it probably would have been a little awkward for me to have attended college classes at age 6...
I chose to go to school in a place where I could get a good education and wear shorts, outside, in December, without enduring Hoke-ian levels of physical discomfort.
I do not use a personal pronoun to refer to any of Michigan's athlletic teams for the simple reason that I am neither a student, alumnus, nor administrator at the University of Michigan.
I don't consider myself less of a fan for it.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:17 PM ^
I've softened my position on this, more so because i've come to learn the football players look down on the rest of us, whether we go to UM or not. I never even met a player during my time there, never saw any of them in class. If i'm being honest, i have no more in common with them than a 6 year old fan.
However, i do believe ticket priority should go to students/alum/players/professors before others. It is our school, after all. And certainly "walmart wolverines" shouldn't have any say in how things are run here
TING!
April 18th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^
I like it. The more good games are put in the middle of the schedule, the better. I hope the unscheduled opponent ends up being Kentucky, though I highly doubt it will be anyone other than UNLV or Western based on the contracts.
they played a "buy game" at Missouri (?!?!?!) in 2012.
They already have 6 home games in 2018, and they played 6 home games before in all of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 (e.g., they don't necessarily need 7 home games).
If I were U-M's AD, Syracuse would be the first school I'd be talking to. They're a credible opponent and given that Missouri game, they are likely to at least consider an offer. If they don't bite, then schedule a MAC foe.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:21 PM ^
I don't see any indication Manuel is willing to schedule any P5 team other than ND...just like 3/4 of the last loudy ADs we had
April 18th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
At this rate, it's likely to be in the mid-60s in November by the time that game rolls around.
April 18th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
No. The Gore timeline states that they will be playing that game in rafts, as sea level will be at approximately the 44th row of the Big House by then. Also I'll offer you 25 cents on the dollar for your house right now.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^
the first thought that came to me was it will be WMU.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:53 AM ^
At this point, I'm really not concerned having MSU and OSU on the road in the same year because of MSU's fall-off. I don't think they'll get back to where they have been the last several years for a while with (1) Harbaugh at Michigan, (2) the recent allegations and suspensions, and (3) Harbaugh at Michigan. Harbaugh locks up the best players in Michigan, OSU takes almost whatever they want in Ohio, and PSU does well in the Northeast--all of which are the main recruiting grounds for MSU. Yes, we will be MSU's championship every year, but the talent discrepancy will be too large, and now we have the coaching to avoid those let-downs against inferior opponents, particularly in a rivalry game.
PSU and Wisconsin are going to be tougher than MSU and we will have both at home.
I want it to be Syracuse. By then, if their new coach has the ship headed in the right direction, they could be solid. My second choice is Kentucky.
Those two would certainly be the most interesting, but I don't know if they would do a one-off deal.
I suspect that if they would, it would have happened by now.
Yeah, I just like the idea of playing the best competition available. The Colorado game last year looked like a cupcake but ended up being one of UM's best wins. Toledo or Ohio could be that but it's trickier because they could be that good team from the MAC but if they aren't, it's just a win (hopefully) over a MAC team.
What if they leave that date open and try to schedule someone for the 10/27 bye week. What are their options that week? Otherwise i would like to see Kentucky.
A week two bye week is worthless. I don't think there's any way that happens.
Only reason we're playing an October non-conf game in 2019 is because we just have to play ND.
Agree with WD, having a bye in week two is pointless. Making your guys play 11 consecutive weeks without a breather seems suboptimal.
That's what MSU did in 2016.
They needed a week off to celebrate that 15 point win over Furman.
Week 1 bye is even more pointless, but we did it in 1997 and rattled off 12 in a row after.
April 18th, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
That's an old rivalry game from when Michigan left the B1G. Played Syracuse every year until we rejoined in 1917.
April 18th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^
No, I looked at every FBS team.
After all they're a defending champion....
Hopefully it'll be either Syracuse or Kentucky, and get us credit for another power 5 team
Considering that we have ND and Nebraska in the first 4 games, I could live with a MAC opponent.
In fact, it probably makes sense to only schedule a MAC opponent.
WMU is a no-brainer for both programs.
I'd love a PAC12 team, say a Stanford or an Arizona
Stanford is open that day but I didn't include them because it's very unlikely they agree to a single road game with no return.
Their series with Northwestern was a home and home. Only mediocre P5 teams agree to single road games.
"Only mediocre P5 teams agree to single road games."
I think you missed the joke I was making there. How about if we include tennessee in the list as well