Michigan Will Have a Night Game in 2013
According to Nick Baumgardner and others on Twitter, Dave Brandon has announced that there will 100% be a night game in 2013 at Michigan Stadium.
Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardner
Brandon says UM will host a night game in 2013
Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardner
No ifs and or buts there -- UTL will return to Michigan Stadium against someone next season.
Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardner
Brandon -- night game No. 2 has to be special with special opponent.
Great news after the success of the first UTL. Commence speculation on who the opponent will be.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:24 PM ^
Ohio State or Nebraska seem like the easy choices?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^
You want to hold a night game in Ann Arbor in late November? They'd better rig the benches with those heaters from the Big Chill.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:15 PM ^
So your rebut to a "weak argument" from the B1G regarding bad weather is to reference one data point?
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:29 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 2:45 PM ^
His point is that the ohio game my freshman year was 20 degrees and sleeting. Just because it was warmish last year doesn't mean it won't be really, really cold this year.
August 22nd, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 4:06 PM ^
Global warming right?? Since last year was warmish this year should also be warmish if not warm!
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:26 PM ^
No night games in November per B1G rules...at least no OUTDOOR night games.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
Brandon has stated that we will not have any night games between us and Ohio St. Plus, the Big Ten does not allow night games that late in the season.
August 22nd, 2012 at 2:24 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 5:29 PM ^
You want those scarlet and gray screaming idiots running around here, AT NIGHT?
It's bad enough when they come and are around during the day.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:27 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:28 PM ^
Big Ten does not have night games in November so Ohio and NU are out. That leaves ND and Minnesota.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:28 PM ^
...Detroit Economic Club. Hopefully an MGoUser is present and can provide a summary. In the meantime, besides UTL in 2013, DAB also stated that Michigan is inviting Cooper Barton and his family to a game this season and plans to show him on the big screens. He also bought Cooper another Michigan shirt that when turned inside out, still shows a Michigan logo.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:31 PM ^
I hope that on the front, it says "Go Blue" and on the inside, it says "That's right, Bitch!"
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^
Advantage, Brandon.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
Given a quick glance at the schedule, there's pretty much only one "special" opponent that fits the Big Ten's night game constraints (no night games in November).
Our home schedule in September and October is Central, ND, Akron, Minny and Indiana. Either Minny or Indiana is likely to be homecoming, as they seem to like to do that in October, so that's out, and neither really meets the "special" criteria, unless Brandon really wants to hype up the Little Brown Jug.
The answer is obvious.
Akron.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:32 PM ^
I was thinking the same thing.
AKRON OR BUST.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:30 PM ^
Terry Bowdoin must pay.
August 22nd, 2012 at 2:16 PM ^
He already paid for the naming right of Bowdoin College, apparently.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:00 PM ^
Minnesota is homecoming game next year, so it is very doubtful they will make that the 8pm game.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:19 PM ^
Fear the Roo!
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^
YES!!! We need to publicly humiliate them in Prime Time for hiring Tressel... as "Vice President of Strategic Engagment"(don't worry, I had to google his title)!!
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
If we play at night against Ohio State, I'll eat my hat. And I really like my hat.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^
If you really like it, why wait for an excuse?
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^
Because he wants to have his hat, and eat it too! But he's wise enough to know these are mutally exclusive!
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
Every year, people ask about the timing of the OSU game, which is bizarre because every year since at least the 1970s, it's been at noon, other than 2006. So unless OSU and Michigan are 1-2, the game will be at noon.
August 22nd, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
But the 2005 game was at 1pm.
But I agree with your post. It'll for sure be at noon unless OSU and Michigan are at 1-2.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^
8/31: CMU
9/07: ND
9/14: Akron
9/21: @ UConn
9/28: Bye
10/5: Minnesota
10/12: PSU
10/19: IU
10/26: Bye
11/2: MSU
11/9: Nebraska
11/16: @Northwestern
11/23: @Iowa
11/30: Ohio
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
Added the @'s at the end and apparently got distracted.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:37 PM ^
PSU and MSU are both road games.
Call me whatever you want, but I really wish we had that schedule this season (in Denard's senior year). I'd be thinking 11-1 - or maybe even better - rather than the 8-4 or 9-3 that seems more likely this year.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:21 PM ^
Do you prefer, "whatever you want" or "Mr. whatever you want"?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^
Ok, everyone beat me to the corrections.
It's too bad we'll be breaking in a new QB and likely 3/5 of the offensive line (if Lewan leaves) because that's about as easy as our schedule gets.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:17 PM ^
Bellomy will be a 3rd year guy at that point throwing to experienced receivers
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
MSU comes here two years in a row?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:45 PM ^
It seems like it has to be ND again.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:22 PM ^
We play in South Bend @ 7:30pm this year too. If ND ends up being the night game in 2013 then it could be the start of something we see every time we match up.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
...according to Mike Rothstein and Angelique Chengelis:
- Rothstein: "Brandon calls college football playoff a 'slippery slope'... Says players at end of season are 'beat up'. Michigan would have been in 'deep trouble' [depth-wise] if [they] had to play a game after [the] Sugar Bowl."
- Rothstein: "Brandon brings up Appalachian state game. Said he hears a lot about it -- 'everyone has an opinion about that game.' That's why he liked it."
- Chengelis: "Brandon on UCONN game: 'We would prefer to play the game in another place.' Michigan has made proposals to move game. With [Conn] state $$ [used] to improve stadium, politics are in play. Says would need waiver from state legislature. 'My attitude - let's go to state legislature to move game.' Realizes this is gonna be tough to accomplish."
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:45 PM ^
Thanks for posting this. Here are my two (six?) cents...
On the slippery slope thing:
That's after a month of rest. If anything, wouldn't you expect guys to be more beaten up at the end of the regular season / conference championship game?
On the Appy State game:
My impression of Brandon's scheduling philosophy is that he'll do whatever he can to generate a little extra interest, especially for those cupcake-looking games. In some cases, that will probably be cool (e.g., a game against a service academy and, who knows, maybe one of those HBCUs with a bad-ass band). In this case, it's just annoying and gimmicky.
On UConn:
I'm sure that I'm in the minority on this, but I really like that game. It'll give next year's team a taste of a road environment without, hopefully, presenting too much threat of an actual loss. From a competitive, non-$ standpoint, I think it's an almost ideal out-of-conference game.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
I just want to play them two more times. I won't die a happy man unless we have a winning record against Appalachian State.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
And a road game against a by then deteriorated PSU team doesn't accomplish the same thing?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:54 PM ^
Problem with moving the UConn game is that there's no better stadium option within Connecticut, so moving the game, would almost certainly entail taking the game to the Meadowlands or Foxboro. Getting that through the state legislature (loss of income to local business and sales/hotel/restaurant taxes to the state) would seem a non-starter.
I hope we just keep it there (and certainly hope we don't pull out of the game). It's a small stadium (40,000). We don't get the revenue anyway. Who cares.
It's going to be a tough ticket if it's there, though, given the alumni base in the Northeast. I just checked and this year's UConn season tix go for as low as $96 for the season. If they stay that low, might be worth just buying the whole season in 2013 rather than buy tix on the secondary market.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:59 PM ^
...tweet:
- Networks are fighting over who gets the App State game.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:11 PM ^
I am afraid of that game. I don't want to imagine the repercussions if Michigan loses. So much pressure just to beat an FCS team.....
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:17 PM ^
Ghosts will walk the field that day.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:37 PM ^
B10 rules prohibit night games in November. So, unless the nation suddenly craves a night game against Minny, Indiana, CMU or Akron, the choice has to be ND again. Which is all well and good, but can't we mix it up a little? Nobody wants predictable.
Might it be possible to get a one-time waiver for Nebraska? I doubt OSU would go for the switch -- unless they could be allowed to do the same the following year. But once the league starts making exceptions, everyone will want one.
So. Could it be that Brandon is trying to wriggle out of the UConn game?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:38 PM ^
I'll be upset if they play Ohio st at night.
edit - no night games in November, thank you!