Something different for non conference games
I'm not here demanding better non conference games because I know thats not going to happen,but I do wonder about playing some smaller teams away like we do at UConn in a few years. What if we play say Ohio University in Athens once in awhile? Or Rice in Texas? Maybe the cost would prevent it but I think it would be a great way to get even more kids seeing us in person. Rice may not have a big following but I still think a lot of Texas kids would go just to see Michigan.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
Michigan? Go to a MAC school? Fuck no. Will never happen.
We probably shouldn't be playing MAC schools, anyway.
College football is not about giving other athletes the chance to see big-time programs on their turf. College football is about money. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. This means that one of these MAC schools would have to pay us more money than we would otherwise make if they came to the Big House.
Do you think they could afford a tenth of that?
November 30th, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^
College football is not about giving other athletes the chance to see big-time programs on their turf.
I believe the OP was referring to younger kids seeing Michigan (i.e. the kids who will grow up and become touted recruits from Texas).
November 30th, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^
College football is all about money.
These games would provide no money for Michigan.
These games will never ever happen.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^
My ideal schedule (POST 9 CONF GAME SCHEDULING)
1 CUPCAKE
2 HOLY CRAP CAN WE REALLY WIN THIS?
3 HOLY CRAP CAN WE REALLY WIN THIS?
4 DIVISION
5 DIVISION
6 INTERDIVISION
7 INTERDIVISION
8 DIVISION
9 DIVISION
10 INTERDIVISION
11 DIVISION
12 OSU
Win your conference and split weeks 2 and 3 (1-1) and you're surefire for the BCS. And on one of those real nutty years, where you win both weeks 2 and 3 (Notre Dame and Alabama) you might get away with a tough conference loss and still sneak into the national championship.....
November 30th, 2011 at 4:22 PM ^
So, is Notre Dame the first "HOLY CRAP CAN WE REALLY WIN THIS?" or the second one?
November 30th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
CUPCAKE
November 30th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
You're on point about Notre Dame. I'd say they'd usually be one of the HOLY CRAP games. But if Kelly keeps pissing kids off, then i'd have to agree with the dude above me...
November 30th, 2011 at 5:44 PM ^
Including osu, you have Michigan playing 9 conference games. Replace one of the interdivision games (because osu is also interdivision) with "MIDDLING BCS CONFERENCE TEAM" (e.g., Vandy, Kentucky, Rutgers). And replace one "HOLY CRAP CAN WE REALLY WIN THIS?" (e.g., Alabama) with "GOOD GAME WE SHOULD WIN" (think Ga Tech, Utah, Cal, or notre dame).
November 30th, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^
He's talking about when the Big 10 goes to 9 conference games in 2017 or whenever.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
they wanted a quality opponent for the Stadium rededication game. And the best we could get under the circumstances, required a return game in Hartford.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:42 PM ^
@ wolverine devotee,
you should change your signature...not gonna happen.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
If kids want to see UM play then they can work hard and get a visit to UM..Its 2011 and we have these things that can actually fly in the air..you sit in them and they will have you there in no time
November 30th, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^
I never really have understood the theory that playing a road game someplace helps you recruit in that area. I'm sure that may have been true 20+ years ago, when there were only a few games on TV each week and they were mostly regional broadcasts. But nowadays thre is football on constantly, and practically every Michigan games istelevised everywhere in the USA. Maybe there is something I am missing, but it seems unlikely to me that the locations of Michigan's road games really has much of an effect on recruiting these days.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:20 PM ^
It is also likely more impressive to a recruit to watch Michigan play in the Big House and to observe that atmosphere than to see it play in a tiny MAC facility.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
who has seen a football game at Rice Stadium, I think it is safe to say that there are probably many Texas high schools who have a better football stadium than Rice.....
November 30th, 2011 at 4:38 PM ^
November 30th, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
The thing about non-conference scheduling is that there is a monetary agreement between the schools. So Michigan pays EMU (for example) $500,000 straight up to come play in the Big House. But if Michigan agreed to go to EMU - even if they did it as a charity case, Eastern would lose money because there's no way their profits from a home game would ever reach that much, even if they sold out with all Michigan fans.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:43 PM ^
No thank you. I would like to watch Michigan destroy MAC teams from the friendly confines of The Big House and my stadium seat cushion.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:44 PM ^
Going to play AT all the directional schools in the next few years.
<br>
<br>There is no reason to lose a home game for such things
November 30th, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^
Small correction: Ohio University plays in Columbus.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:52 PM ^
Ohio plays in columbus. ohio university plays in athens.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:23 PM ^
I'm wondering how you'd ever successfully pick up a chick after taking her back home to the rock you live under.
December 1st, 2011 at 8:37 AM ^
WIth gallons of alcohol
November 30th, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^
at Western I'm all for it! But other than that no, it really doesnt accomplish much. Sure Waldo Stadium would be sold out but I would guess they make more going to the Big House. All about the $$.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^
I don't think we need to resort to playing away at MAC schools or at Rice to get recruits to see us or notice us. In the words of Brady Hoke "Were Michigan." I think that sums it up.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:13 PM ^
" What if we play say Ohio University in Athens once in awhile? Or Rice in Texas?" - from the OP
Since their appearance in Ann Arbor means a payout for them when it happens, does the same hold true if we went there? Probably not. Their programs - their schools - pull in a fraction of what ours does, and they couldn't hope to afford a payout, and I doubt DB (or any athletic director) does such a thing for charity.
So, no.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:50 PM ^
a mac school can get an $800k to 1 mil payout to come to ann arbor. no way they can get those $ playing at home. and UM isnt going to give up a $10 mil gate to play at rice or mac school.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:36 PM ^
Personally, I think that seeing as we have invested so much into our stadium, I would like to see it used for as many games as possible.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:38 PM ^
The only way this is happening is if we play an away bball game at rice or ohio (NTO)
November 30th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^
Honestly, if we're going to go to Texas, why don't we just play Texas?? The level of recruit we're trying to score generally isn't visiting Rice.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:13 PM ^
I know it is a conference game but how many MAC quality directional school away games do we need in a year?
November 30th, 2011 at 6:52 PM ^
pretty sure that's what the matchup with Alabama is supposed to accomplish but more..playing the $EC, at a neutral site that pays both teams big money, in TEXAS to help expand recruiting channels...or at least I think that's what it's about by playing in Jerry's house...
November 30th, 2011 at 7:07 PM ^
All of our games should be home games.
November 30th, 2011 at 7:45 PM ^
replace with a home & home series with teams like Jowlgia or TX. Dreaming,I know...
December 1st, 2011 at 12:02 AM ^
Wisconsin went to Northern Illinois this year. That was their "big" non-conference game.
If such a thing ever happened with Michigan, it would be a 2 or 3 for 1. Like when Virginia Tech played Western in Kalamazoo several years back.
But I have a hard time ever imagining us going to a MAC school. I think the day may come where we finally play a Thursday night game, though.
December 1st, 2011 at 12:48 AM ^
Not really though. Wisconsin played a neutral site game against Northern Illinois where Northern Illinois was the "home" team, dispite Wisconsin fans dominating the stands. It was played at Soldier Field in Chicago because that holds nearly twice as many fans as the 31,000 Northern Illinois' stadium holds. Just like when Ohio played "at" Toledo a couple years ago when really it was played in Cleveland. DB already said he wants as many home games as possible because of all the money they bring in. He had said that he would prefer that we only play Notre Dame on the road (aside from Bama next season) and has even mentioned possibly removing them from the schedule once we start playing 9 conference games. So I don't think he is interested in playing in say Athens.
December 1st, 2011 at 12:10 AM ^
I remember seeing on the internet(either in the spring or summer) DB saying he was trying to move the location of the UCONN road game, either to have it at the Big House again, or at a neutral site out east near UCONN. He said UCONNs stadium wasn't big enough(only seats 40,000), and there isn't much of a reward to playing out there money wise. He also doesnt want to only have 6 home games like next season because of the money we miss out on. So in short, as long as DB is our AD, we will NEVER play a road game, in say Athens.