2020 & 2021 Michigan Football schedules announced: B1G schedule still not fixed

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Ugh

https://twitter.com/umichfootball/status/907680743484280832

2020

Date Opponent
9/5 at Washington
9/12 vs Ball State
9/19 vs Virginia Tech
9/26 vs Wisconsin**
10/3 vs Penn State*
10/10 at Michigan State*
10/17 at Minnesota**
10/24 vs Purdue**
10/31 Bye Week
11/7 vs Maryland*
11/14 at Rutgers*
11/21 vs Indiana*
11/28 at Ohio State
B1G Championship  (Indianapolis, IN)^
12/5 TBD
College Football Playoff^
1/1 Rose Bowl OR Sugar Bowl
1/11 National Championship

 

2021

Date Opponent
9/4 OPEN DATE
9/11 at Virginia Tech
9/18 vs Washington
9/25 vs Rutgers*
10/2 at Wisconsin**
10/9 at Indiana*
10/16 vs Michigan State*
10/23 Bye Week
10/30 at Nebraska**
11/6 vs Northwestern**
11/13 at Penn State*
11/20 at Maryland*
11/27 vs Ohio State*
B1G Championship  (Indianapolis, IN)^
12/4 TBD
College Football Playoff^
12/31 Orange Bowl OR Bowl TBA
1/10 National Championship

 

Keep in mind, the word is that Warde is looking to cancel the Washington series. 

MGoBoard

mfan_in_ohio

September 12th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^

We used to have OSU home in odd years and both MSU and PSU home in even years, which is the best possible situation both for ticket sales and for balancing of game difficulty.  It was taken away for no real apparent reason, other than the rest of the B1G wanting to screw Brandon over (ok, 1 good reason).  The addition of ND on the schedule just exacerbates the situation.

Joined: 01/26/2009

MGoPoints: 18186

Mr. Yost

September 12th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^

That's what happens when you have Gene Smith on one side and Dave Brandon on the other.

Gene Smith is a powerful, yes...even respected AD. Dave Brandon is a pizza and kids toys salesman.

I don't think it goes down like this if Warde was in charge. He doesn't have the juice of Gene Smith or Mark Hollis or Jim Phillips, but it's not a route. In the athletics administration world, Manuel, Alvarez, Kevin Anderson and Sandy Barbour are right there behind those 3. In fact now that I think about it...the B1G may have the most powerful group of ADs in the country next to the SEC.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

Mr. Yost

September 12th, 2017 at 6:29 PM ^

Maybe not much left...but 85% of the ADs in the country would be fired or on the hottest of hot seats.

I'll give you another name. Ross Bjork at Ole Miss. Powerful, I don't know if respected is the right word, but was considered one of the best the business.

Look at what he's facing and no one is really calling for his job. JUICE.

Gene Smith went through all of the stuff at OSU and came out just fine.

There are probably 20-25 ADs in the country with some serious, we run athletics, type pull. All 3 of those men are on that list.

Smith is sliding now because he's closest to retirement. But there was a time where he was right there in the mix with everything. Even with all the stuff taking place at OSU which seemed to get an incredible amount of media attention at the time. Much more than MSU has gotten. I'd say more than Ole Miss has gotten as well to be honest.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

ijohnb

September 12th, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^

to ask, but what is "not fixed" about them?  That they didn't give us back to back home games against MSU?  Did you really think that was going to happen?

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

M-Dog

September 13th, 2017 at 8:43 AM ^

In all honesty, it would make some sense to have MSU move to the West and replace them with Purdue in the East.  It helps with balance without messing up geography too much.
 
It gives the West a little more of an upgrade, and it's something MSU actually wants.
 
Let them have it if they want it.
 
Oh, but don't expect any kind of "protected rivalry" treatment.  We'll play MSU twice every eight years like we did Wisconsin.
 
See ya.  Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
 

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 256943

bronxblue

September 12th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^

It would require MSU to hand over another home game to Michigan, and that will never happen ever.  

From a financial perspective, you'd think they'd just suck it up and deal with the split.  Michigan Stadium largely sells out regardless of the opponent; Spartan Stadium had seats available even during the best years.  Put Michigan and OSU on alternating schedules along with PSU, and you are going to have a much more consistent home slate that you can sell to season ticket holders.  

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171013

WorldwideTJRob

September 12th, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^

I get that but fans would much rather watch us play VT and Washington, than CMU or Akron. Harbaugh is a competitor, and I think if Warde asked him he would welcome the challenge. Now if we could space them out that would be ideal. FSU will play Bama and Florida this year, Clemson played Auburn and finishes with So. Carolina. USC plays Texas and ND, Pitt plays PSU and Ok St. There are teams playing 2 power 5 opponents but most outside of Pitt are not doing it in back to back weeks. That is the key, if we could somehow move those games around so where one is played early and the other is in the middle of the year would be ideal. But I have no problem with us scheduling 2 power five teams in the same year.

Joined: 07/05/2010

MGoPoints: 31051

MichiganTeacher

September 12th, 2017 at 8:30 PM ^

Have to agree with SQ and WD here. Absolutely horrible downside to that schedule, very little upside.

That's the type of schedule that if things go wrong, then you could be so blemished that even if you win your P5 conference, you're sitting out come playoff time.

 

Joined: 10/06/2011

MGoPoints: 9263

EGD

September 12th, 2017 at 9:29 PM ^

I'm not so sure the net effect on CFP chances is negative.  If you lose a tough non-conference game on the road, that probably doesn't keep you out of the playoff if you win your conference. But if you play that killer nonconference schedule and actually win those games, maybe you get into the CFP without winning your conference (ala OSU last season)?

Either way, it's moe fun playing in the big games against the high-profile opponents.  It's a worthwhile trade-off even if it does mildly hurt our CFP chances.

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

vablue

September 12th, 2017 at 5:28 PM ^

This is a serious over reaction. First, there is no way Brandon knew what the Big Ten schedule would look like when he scheduled that. Second, when he scheduled it, Washington was a power five team but a real tough one like they are now. Third, at the time he scheduled it he was getting crushed for not getting enough good out of conference games. The guy did a lot of bad things, his was nowhere near one of them.

Joined: 11/28/2011

MGoPoints: 6131

COLBlue

September 12th, 2017 at 6:10 PM ^

Even cancelling Washington would still result in at least six road games in 2021, unless VT was amenable to a swap.  I know the new AD wanted 7 home games minimum per year.

(P.S. I said 7 straight years of Wisconsin in a prior post; that should say 6)

Joined: 11/28/2010

MGoPoints: 1496

J.

September 12th, 2017 at 6:10 PM ^

Michigan should play all comers.  The tougher the schedule, the better.  I'm not the least bit interested in trying to take the easy way to a playoff appearance.  Let lesser schools (like Washington last year) do that.

Michigan doesn't need gimmicks.  Michigan's out-of-conference schedule in 1997 was Colorado, Baylor, and Notre Dame.  Sounds good to me.

Bring 'em on, line 'em up, and knock 'em down.  I don't want to hear anybody whine about schedule strength when Michigan wins the title.

Joined: 03/11/2012

MGoPoints: 13057

Rabbit21

September 12th, 2017 at 8:01 PM ^

YEah, watching a Michigan game in Husky stadium would just be brutal.  Watching an entertaining game against an interesting opponent....awful.  This is likely to put Notre Dame on the schedule and....uh...fuck that, I'm tired of losing interesting non-conference games to the greater glory of a school that thinks nothing of screwing over Michigan every chance it gets.

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

J.

September 12th, 2017 at 6:17 PM ^

How long have you been a Michigan fan?

...
1988: @ND, Miami (FL), Wake Forest
1989: ND, @UCLA, Maryland
1990: @ND, UCLA, Maryland
1991: @BC, ND, Florida State
1992: @Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Houston (SWC)
1993: WSU, @ND, Houston (SWC)
1994: BC, @ND, Colorado
1995: UVa, Memphis, @BC, Miami (OH)
1996: @Colorado, BC, UCLA
1997: Colorado, Baylor, @ND

This used to be the norm (1995 excepted).  Cupcake scheduling started under Moeller and accelerated under Carr.

Joined: 03/11/2012

MGoPoints: 13057

Wolverine Devotee

September 12th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^

2019 we head to Champaign for the first time in what will be 9 seasons.

The freshmen on that team were 10 the last time we played there. If you don't remember much from that game, I don't blame you because I don't either.

 

Joined: 06/29/2009

MGoPoints: 31528

oriental andrew

September 12th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^

I didn't even realize that the 2010 game - which I attended with my wife, 2 brothers-in-law, wife's cousin, and wife's friend and husband, all of whom attended U of I - was the last time Michigan played in Champaign. 

That was a miserably cold day, but the right outcome (and copious amounts of watered down hot chocoloate) kept me warm. 

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 55938