UTL III in 2014
Detroit News article on Under The Lights III in 2014. The opponent is TBA.
Brandon said it (obviously) won't be a November game or even a late October game. But it will be a B1G conference team that is a "big brand" and a sexy matchup.
2014 home schedule-
8/30 | vs Appalachian State |
9/13 | vs Miami University |
9/20 | vs Utah |
9/27 | vs Minnesota |
10/11 | vs Penn State |
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Not too many choices.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
Penn State, I s'pose.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:39 PM ^
at worst, PSU @ U-M generates a "good" TV rating.
For better or worse, U-M needs "buy-in" from the TV people for this too, I think they'd be less enthusiastic about the other options.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:53 PM ^
Absolutely agree that it will be PSU, especially considering we are playing in University Park at night this year (6:00 start).
September 9th, 2013 at 9:11 PM ^
Hell, EVERY damn time we visit PSU, it is at night.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
It has to be a rivalry game. Little Brown Jug it is!
September 9th, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
They should hold of a year; no one on that list deserves it.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:42 PM ^
I think they may feel pressure to have a night game to make up for the terrible schedule. They've got a lot of season tickets to sell.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
My gut says PSU, but I could see a late September game against Utah getting it to draw the crowd.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^
Still wouldn't make up for that schedule.
September 9th, 2013 at 6:33 PM ^
next season it's going to be really easy to get tix, this is true
September 9th, 2013 at 3:30 PM ^
It will be PSU, book it.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:31 PM ^
unless Brandon has persuaded Beyonce to dance naked on the 50 at halftime.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
The only WOW on next years home schedule is "WOW, that's an awful home schedule".
September 9th, 2013 at 3:31 PM ^
is obvious. It would be kinda cool to continue the Under The Lights series on a regular basis with Penn State.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:50 PM ^
Following up the last two epic night games against Notre Dame with a night game against a depleted Penn State team....yea...I can't wait.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:54 PM ^
Obviously it's a downgrade from Notre Dame... but what other options are there? Nebraska will rotate off the schedule too much with realignment, and unless the two ADs totally backtrack, Michigan State is unlikely to happen. I highly doubt that Penn State is going to completely fade into oblivion like many people seem to believe, and with the divisional implications to come I think it will be at least a respectable compromise.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^
Penn State is a sleeping giant. Paterno had that program sleepwalking for the last two decades. The Michigan-Penn State game will be meaningful.
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September 9th, 2013 at 5:37 PM ^
By our 2nd home game against them, they'll be off their bowl ban.
September 9th, 2013 at 6:35 PM ^
they're the perfect replacement for ND.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
go all in and make it the App State game!!
September 9th, 2013 at 4:00 PM ^
It's gonna be Penn State, but personally I would love to see this. No good teams/games to choose from, so just go for broke with the redemption angle.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
How awful would that day be leading up to the game?
September 9th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^
No kidding. I want an 8 am start for that game.
September 9th, 2013 at 7:43 PM ^
I used to have a recurring nightmare that I would awaken from a coma to find out that I had missed the Michigan football season. I would yell at the nurses and doctors to leave me alone. Then, I would have a friend bring me all the games on tape so that I could watch them one at a time in sequential order. My worry now is that I awaken from a coma to find out the medical staff got me up just in time for the week preceding that game.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:52 PM ^
We will be ranked in the top 10 - maybe even at #5! So this gives us the rather extraordinary opportunity to just pretend we all fell asleep at 11:55 AM on a fateful September 1, 2007 and had a horrible dream. We can nap through the afternoon, wake up at 7:55 PM, watch Hoke and the boys give App State the trouncing we were supposed to give them the first time, and pretend the last 6 years never happened...just to make it more special, we can make it UTL III to attract a national audience to see REDEMPTION. Many will tune in, hoping to see The Horror, Volume 2. And the whole thing kicks off a season that ends with UM winning a National Championship! Complete reversal of the 2007 season! Dave Brandon is a scheduling GENIUS!
September 9th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
It doesn't have to be a huge matchup. The SEC has night games all of the time, regardless of the opponent. Michigan has lights in the stadium, so we should just use them.
IMO, I like noon games so I don't have to wait all damn day. The time difference between 3:30 and 8 is totally outweighed by the atmosphere, which may even be enhanced by the amount more I can drink in those 4-1/2 hours. So go for it.
September 9th, 2013 at 6:40 PM ^
The SEC has night games all the time because for the first two months of the season, it's too fucking hot to move during the day. We have the opposite problem, where for the last two months of the season, it's too fucking cold to sit outside at night.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:35 PM ^
Isn't it obvious its Nebraska ?
September 9th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
Given that they're not on the schedule, no I don't think that occurred to anyone.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
of taking over that night game swagger that PSU used to have before, well you know. Going to happy valley 4 (?) years ago at night was pretty awesome surrondings, despite the L.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
Given that we will be losing the Little Brown Jug game annually with our new division allignments, I would chose next year to honor the history of this great series. For wow factor, Penn State would probably be the best one on that schedule.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
Has to be Penn State. Everyone loves what O'Brien is doing there. Hackenberg is going to be a stud. Devin could be going for the Heisman. The media could eat that game up.
Remember last time Michigan and PSU played a "late" game at Michigan Stadium? Super Mario Manningham caught a TD pass to win the game with no time left on the clock.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
Penn State might be worse than Minnesota next season. This year's version is going to lose at least four Big 10 games. Syracuse is really bad this year and Penn State's early schedule is masking serious problems.
O'Brien might be a really good coach, but he's got less to work with than probably 7 other teams in the conference.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
But those sanctions are going to be going strong by next fall. Hackenberg can only do so much.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:02 PM ^
That's my thought too. They went down to 65 players really quickly. USC couldn't survive their milder sanctions. Penn State has less to start with, except for the coaching staff, and the lack of depth is going to kill them later in the season. If anyone gets hurt, things get bad quickly.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
USC couldn't survive Kiffin.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
I think doing a UTL for a sanctioned Penn State team would be really kind of awkward. I mean, Penn State not being completely awful is a nice little story but I don't think they should be counted on to be one half of a big festive "event" type of atmosphere. If they think they need to have a night game, and I certainly don't, but if they think they do, I would go with Minnesota or even Utah if it does not have to be a conference game. Penn State would be really forced and really weird.
September 9th, 2013 at 5:26 PM ^
But I think the 35-10 debacle in 2009 was a "late" game. (3:30 or later) That's the last time Penn State was in the Big House and played at 3:30. The 14-9 win in 2007 was also at 3:30.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:40 PM ^
The B1G and schedule makers of Michigan should all be embarrassed. Even with STAEE included.
That said, just hold off...it doesn't have to be an every year thing. It also shouldn't be ANY B1G team.
Wait a few years until you start getting the sexy non-conference games. No problem with playing VT or Texas or any non-B1G marquee team under the lights.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
That schedule is why it's worth two trips in a row to East Lansing. I had grad student tickets for last year's awful schedule, but 2014 has to be the worst schedule on paper in the school's modern history.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
It's worth having to go to EL two straight years because the rest of the home slate sucks? I don't follow you. If anything, I think this is one of the absolute worst years to have MSU unexpectedly drop off the home slate.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
Crap, my bad. For some reason I was thinking it would make future schedules more bearable.
I hate the four new kids on the block and their crappy divisions. I want the Big 12 round robin.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
If you think 2014 is bad, at least there's a decent power conference team in the non-conf....
2016-
9/3 | vs Hawaii |
9/10 | Bye Week |
9/17 | vs Colorado |
9/24 | vs Ball State |
10/1 | vs Wisconsin^ |
10/8 | at Rutgers* |
10/15 | vs Penn State* |
10/22 | vs Illinois^ |
10/29 | at State* |
11/5 | vs Maryland* |
11/12 | at Iowa^ |
11/19 | vs Indiana* |
11/26 | at Ohio* |
12/3 | B1G Championship Game |
September 9th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
We're going to have to agree to disagree. Wisconsin at home is better than any game on the 2014 home schedule.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:59 PM ^
And that one doesn't? What do you call Colorado? They're on par with Utah. And we get Wisconsin in addition to PSU in conference.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:48 PM ^
And start off in 2015 next year.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:38 PM ^
That home schedule. Lulz.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:40 PM ^
Wow. We really got unlucky having a team primed for a championship run that has literally every game away from home with a difficulty level greater than 5 out 10.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
This post ruined my day. I had forgotten that Appalachian State is on the schedule next year.