Michigan Conference non-plays

Submitted by stopthewnba on
Michigan misses Illinois and Purdue this year on the schedule, two winless conference teams.
 
That got me thinking - doesn't this seem to happen alot?   The years we "miss" opponents, they're way down.
 
I didn't go as far to look at typically bad teams that have "up" years when we do finally play them (example:  we played 6-2 Illinois in 2007.  We didn't play them in 2006 or 2005, and they went a combined 1-15 in league play).
 
Anyway, here's what I found (all records are league games only).  
 
  • The overall record of league opponents we don't play over the past 8+ seasons is 62-91 (.405)
  • Since 2005, the BEST combined records of opponents we've missed on the schedule is .500 (2012 / 2011 / 2009)
  • We didn't/won't play the worst team in the league in 2005 (0-8 Illinois), 2006 (1-7 Illinois), 2008 1-7 Indiana), 2011 (0-8 Indiana), and 2013 (0-2 Illinois [lost past 16 conf games) + 0-3 Purdue

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-1PX2xzKJe7bkRHWlFsUklMWFE/edit?usp=s…

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LSAClassOf2000

October 26th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^

Working from memory here (so I could be wrong), but we miss Illinois and Purdue for the next two years, and then when we go to the 9-game conference schedule, we initially get Illinois back, but again miss Purdue as well as Northwestern, Minnesota and Nebraska that year. It seems like by the time 2016 comes, we'll be missing teams in just one division on a rotational basis. 

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mgobleu

October 26th, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^

Allow me to blow your mind: Does anyone really know what the "D.B." of D.B. Cooper really stands for? I think I do. And I think our athletic director does too. Oh, and by the way, the renovations to the stadium and Crisler...I'm not saying, (but I'm just saying,) don't think it's any coincidence that you can't get a tour of Fort Knox anymore. But it's not the military barring the doors; oh, no no no. It's the treasury department that won't let you in there. What don't they want you to see, hmm? Or maybe NOT see, HMMMMMMM???

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MGoStrength

October 26th, 2013 at 7:05 PM ^

Haven't we had the most difficult schedule in the B1G for the last 20 years?  For the last 20 years give or take a few years here and there OSU has been the best team in the conference and we are the only team that plays them every single year.  We also play ND a lot.  And, our other major guranteed opponent, MSU, is typically in the top half of the conference.  And in general when we get addtions to the conference, like Nebraska, they want them to play UM.  We probably always play more traditional powers because we are a traditional power.  That's what drives fans to watch games....makes sense to me.  OSU has lucked out by our down years recently, and not playing in Nebraska's division, but otherwise they would be in the same boat.  They probably played PSU more in the late 2000's than we did when PSU was good.  Only difference is they continue to beat everyone while we are still transitioning from a second coaching change.

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