Your Nine Game Conference Schedules Are Here
A BRAVE NEW WORLD in which Michigan… wait for it… plays Wisconsin.
![Camp-Randall1[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Your-Nine-Game-Conference-Schedules-Are-_9EFC/Camp-Randall11.jpg "Camp-Randall1[1]")
You're sure you're in the Big Ten again?
Via Kyle Meinke:
| 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | @ Purdue |
| @ Rutgers | MSU |
| Penn State | @ Indiana |
| Illinois | @ Penn State |
| @ MSU | Rutgers |
| Maryland | Minnesota |
| @ Iowa | @ Maryland |
| Indiana | @ Wisconsin |
| @ OSU | OSU |
Items!
Crossover opponents are Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois in year one and Purdue, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in year two. Odd that they're switching up two of those but not the third.
That 2016 schedule has a couple of tentpole-ish games against Wisconsin and maybe Penn State depending on how quickly they climb out from under the rubble, but overall it is a very, very gross home schedule again. Nonconference opponents are Hawaii, Colorado, and Ball State. Those two tentpole-ish games are the whole season.
They may have to start selling tickets in two-year chunks. That's a joke, Dave Brandon. It is not a real thing.
The 2017 game at Wisconsin will be the first time Michigan has gone to Madison since 2009(!). Hello vaguely spliced together not-conference.
Meinke also notes that the 2017 Purdue game is on September 23rd, but that is the fourth week of the season so… uh… yeah, conference games are going to be going on then.
None of this will actually transpire because Michigan will spend the 2016 season on the moon once the Sea of Tranquility is added to the conference.
It looks like everyone got one home and home and two random on and offs. Kind of a cool set up as it seems to have been done based on parity.
Matchups...
Michigan - Wisconsin
Ohio State - Nebraska
Michigan State - Northwestern
Penn State - Iowa
Indiana - Purdue (protected)
Rutgers - Illinois
Maryland - Minnesota
So I'd guess in '18 - '19 it would be
Michigan - Nebraska
Ohio State - Wisconsin
Michigan State - Iowa
Penn State - Northwestern
Rutgers - Minnesota
Maryland - Illinois
Indiana - Purdue (protected)
given that Indiana-Purdue is protected, it's probably easier to keep seven matchups the same across those two years and then do the same moving forward.
Someone should create a Hello: Wisconsin post.
I know less about them than I do DaShawn Hand.
when the old point system is reinstated, I'm going to remember this comment and insist we reward you appropriately.
This is why (before) we stopped having MSU and OSU be home and away on the same years. Because the years when they're both away suck.
Seriously, ticket sales will be like a bell curve year to year.
like scheduling 2 major-BCS teams on those years because those schedules aren't going to get any better with ND being off the schedule. Your best home games in even years, as it is now, is basically the 3rd or 4th best Big Ten team and that's IF Wisconsin and Penn State don't both get/stay bad
In the even years, UM has 5 (meh) home B1G games. Adding a home marquee BCS team in the even years will require a return away game, but UM can't "afford" another away game (and only have 6 home games total) on the odd years to make up for it.
just how much this +Rutgers +Maryland to the BIG10 royally sucks donkey.
Dialogue and Bargaining stage here.....because I still don't get why this happened....
And isn't Dave supposed to be making lemonade?
of my colon. Including the labels.
Ohio State's stunt double. When Michigan doesn't win the B1G and Ohio's bowl-ineligible, they're sort of a stand-in because sending STAEE would be too embarrassing.
I think they also make cheese. Some sort of work-study program, apparently.
Also looks like a long break from Nebraska, so just about the time I get used to playing Wisconsin, I have to go figure out what a Cornhusker is again.
I like this if they stick to it. The combination of Nebraska/Wisconsin and Penn State at home in even years is highly underrated.
on how good those teams are. PSU is getting ready to feel the affect of the sanctions. Wisky has a new coach - who knows whether he'll be able to keep Wisky where they are. The new coach isn't exactly a proven commodity.
That goes both ways though, and "unproven" can just as easily mean the guy's better than anyone thinks. The past few years have sucked* because the B1G has been wracked with scandal, league talent's been mediocre and Michigan's been crawling out of a recruiting Winter. But not only are most Michigan fans with a few gray hairs and wrinkles accustomed to Michigan annually contending for the title, there are usually at least two teams that play better than expected, to make up for two that don't. Wisconsin's traditionally been the fill-in, but in any given season I've been following Michigan football, STAEE and PSU each have a better than 50% chance of being good. I'd include Nebraska but I'm still getting used to Nebraska being a B1G team**. Once a decade Northwestern or Iowa (if not both) will punch two categories above their weight, and in that same decade a non-Michigan/Ohio/Wisky team will make a serious run for the title. Once a generation one of the wee lads (Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota, etc.) will find a Drew Brees or Randle El and do scary things with their shiny toy.
My point is, don't fret it -- this is 2016-17 FFS. Every year is sorta predictable, but no year is perfectly predictable. If it was, I wouldn't be following this sport anyway.
*I mean for the B1G in general. I wouldn't take back that Sugar Bowl for anything.
**shut up and get off my lawn.
rivalry (rivalries) with Maryland and/or Rutgers kicks in by then.
...sell the season tickets in 2 year packages? That actually seems reasonable to me because at least you'd get to lock-in before the inevitable price rise (and we know tickets never go down).
Hell, why not even an option for a lifetime membership? It'd probably be a steal once you contemplate what you'll be paying in another 30 years (assuming you live long enough). I guess that's gamble, kind of like a season ticket annuity.
The only way it would be beneficial to the AD is if the demand was smaller than the supply, which will likely never happen.
You suck. Go play in the AAC
FWIW - OSU plays @Wisconsin, @Penn State, NW, NE, @MD, @MSU, UM in consecutive weeks in '16. I think that makes up for the (lack of) schedule this year.
My guess is the AD won't sell in 2 year chunks, but they will bump prices every 2 years. The AD can keep per-ticket prices the same in 2016 (extra home game) then bump them in 2017 (marquee home games!) and make the same cash.
It seems to just be Purdue dipping into Week 4. Best guess is that was a request so they have more room to schedule Notre Dame, though since ND is dropping UM that shouldn't be as much of a concern.
A reason to go to Camp Randall (other than I'm drunk and want to run around the field at 12:30 in the morning)
Rutgers v Minnesota... guess they won't be selling a lot of visitor seats to those games.
both Penn St and Wisconsin on the schedule in the next few years
I guess that's gone. Also a game against Cincinnati in 2017, which doesn't appear on UM's site. Since we have no other non-conf games scheduled, uh...
With three non-conference games every year I anticipate a pattern of
MAC opponent home game,
Big-ish name opponent home-and-home (Arkansas 2018 & 2019, Virginia Tech 2020 & 2021), and
Middle of the road opponent, ideally a lower echolon ACQ team willing to play a single road game at Michigan or play two games at Michigan in return for a single visit, perhaps teams like North Carolina, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech.
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