Question re ND game next year

Submitted by CLord on

Couldn't find this via Google so hoping for some insider info if any, but why did we agree to play AT ND next year instead of having it be a home game after they pulled that notice stunt a few years ago to guarantee themselves the last home game when the series last ended?  You'd think we'd be on deck to have the first one at home upon restart of the series.  Tired of getting the short end of every scheduling stick, just looking for clarification.

JHumich

November 27th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^

It will look that much better when we kill them.

We are operating under the assumption that all of the foundation that we are building is so solid that as the last (albeit urgently important: e.g. OL execution, QB) pieces fall into place, we will be an unstoppable force.

We don't schedule games because they will be easy. We schedule them so that when we win them, the CFP committee will see that our resume takes a dump on anyone else's.

Sleepy

November 27th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^

UM needs at least seven home games per season.

UM needs all three non-conference games to be home games in odd-numbered years--UM canceled the Arkansas series (2018 in Ann Arbor & 2019 in Fayetteville) for this exact reason.

UM needed a "marquee" non-conference opponent with an extremely flexible schedule to fit in a home-and-home, with the further stipulation that the 2019 game HAD to be in Ann Arbor.  Other than ND, there aren't too many programs in the country that could check all those boxes on short-ish notice.

Pepto Bismol

November 27th, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^

OSU is what? #8? And MSU is in the teens.

We also play Wisconsin next year, they're #3 or so. And Penn State is top 10 I believe. Those are home.

We have 4 difficult games, 2 home, 2 road. And it flips in 2019. Either way you have 3 difficult road games one year or the other. What does it matter?

In reply to by Pepto Bismol

The Mad Hatter

November 27th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^

Now that PSU is good again I'm fine with having OSU and MSU away in the years PSU plays in Ann Arbor.  Especially with Wisconsin at home.

Also, how sweet will it be to beat ND, MSU, and OSU in their own stadiums next year?  That might just be the best thing ever.

war-dawg69

November 27th, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^

Why?. They all have to come to Michigan the next year. Notre Dame is losing there whole offensive line and we should win every game next year if we have good QB play.  There are no excuses next year as this team will be loaded and ranked very high.

The defense will be better. That alone should instill confidence that we will play anyone anywhere anytime and win. Michigan will be way more solid next year and ND will not. Who cares where it is played.

mGrowOld

November 27th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^

I love the tuff-guy bravado on scheduling.  Hell, why stop at only four difficult road games if we want to impress the committee.  We should drop Western & SMU and see if Alabama and maybe Clemson wants to host us.  That'll really show everybody how tough we are.

Somebody needs to let Alabama, Clemson, Wisconsin, Miami, Georgia and everybody jousting for inclusion in the final four know what complete scheduling bad-asses Michigan is cause they're too busy getting ready to win the NC to notice.

And they're all sissy's cause they schedule NOBODY difficult and just take the wins.  Funny how that works out huh?

The Mad Hatter

November 27th, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^

I think we should take a page out of the SEC's book and schedule EMU or Bowling Green the week before The Game.  Any cupcake that will allow us to have an extra week of practice for OSU.

Late losses are much worse than early losses in the playoff era, so we should play ND, MSU, and PSU in September.

mGrowOld

November 27th, 2017 at 1:14 PM ^

We dont

These are facts.  Not opinions, not feelings, just facts

1. You win more games at home than you do on the road

2. It is easier to win games at home against historically crappy teams than it is historically good to excellent teams

3. The playoff committee cares first and foremost about WINS.  They care about SOS when the wins are even, when they arent even they dont give two shits about what a tough schedule you played

4. Teams that care about winning their conference, and hence, getting into the final four, manipulate their schedule such that they play the least amount of difficult games on the road and put easy games (like the fucking Citidel or Lousiana Lafayette) before difficult games.

This is not hard.  Why we choose to ignore these facts and punch ourselves in the face AND let the conference punch us over and over every year is beyond me.

APBlue

November 27th, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^

Been saying this for years - 4 Power conferences (bye Big 12), each with two divisions. 

That gives you 8 teams. 

Division winners go head-to-head for conference championships and what would essentially be the first round of the CFP. 

Second round of the CFP would be 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 4 (as ranked by IDGAF).  

Championship game.

Profit.  

L'Carpetron Do…

November 27th, 2017 at 3:22 PM ^

No. Last weekend was one of the most boring weekends of the college season because of these punk ass teams playing the Citadel and UL Monroe and freaking Florida A &M.  That's bullshit.  Stakes should be high at the end of the season- there shouldn't be any little vacations during conference play. 

1464

November 27th, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^

It sucks that ND snuck a couple home games in a row out of the deal, but (as a non-ticket holder) I actually like the setup of playing our big games all home or all away.

Hear me out...

In the tough years, we would get points for going on the road.  If we can split the tough away games at 2-2 (PSU, OSU, MSU, ND) and we can win the rest of the ones we should win, that's potentially good enough for a playoff birth.  If we can go 3-1, it is a virtual lock.  With a 'once-a-decade' type team, that should be a surmountable task.

In the easy years, we would have a much easier schedule and could Wisconsin our way into the B1G title game.  

I dunno... maybe I am the idiot.

ijohnb

November 27th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^

heard that Harbaugh called Pep Hamilton about this, and Pep was like "eh, whatever, it doesn't really matter, just play them at ND."  

Man, Pep has got to go.

In reply to by ijohnb

Eat Your Wheatlies

November 27th, 2017 at 3:59 PM ^

My bad. Went over my head. However, I find it hard to believe how many people exist that honestly believe some of the incredibly stupid things they pass along...counterstrike guy is a good example. Sorry for lumping you into that category.

Ty Butterfield

November 27th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^

I believe Harbaugh wanted them on the schedule. Probably didn’t put Warde in the best negotiating position. There were also some rumors on some of the ND message boards that NBC was not a fan of ND ending the series against Michigan because it always draws a big TV audience.

Tuebor

November 27th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^

The best reasoning I've heard is that it makes the 2018 and 2019 seasons have 7 home games each year which is better for Athletic department cash flow than having 8 home games in 2018 and 6 home games in 2019.

 

If I recall the home and home with Arkansas was scheduled before the announcement to go to 9 big ten games, so the athletic department thought they'd be able to get a 7th home game for 2019 when we were supposed to go to Arkansas, but the 9 game conference schedule screwed that up.

jmblue

November 27th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^

Because ND wants to alternate its home games with Michigan and SC.  They host SC in odd years and host us in even years.  This has always been the case when we've played them.  They probably refused to budge on this.

Alton

November 27th, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^

It doesn't matter who is home first.  It's not like an open-ended series where either team can cancel before a certain date.

Also...think like an Athletic Director.

2018:  5 Big Ten home games, 4 Big Ten road games

2019:  4 Big Ten home games, 5 Big Ten road games

Now assume 2 cupcake home games each in 2018 & 2019.  So...when do you want the home game against ND:  2018 or 2019?  I think the answer is pretty obviously 2019.

The Fan in Fargo

November 27th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^

Jim didn't care because it's the first game of the year and he has all spring and summer to prepare for the leprachauns. Going to open up the can on those three leaf clover loving freaks.

 

See the source image

Perkis-Size Me

November 27th, 2017 at 1:23 PM ^

Whatever man. This is the schedule we have, and nothing about it is changing. It sucks but move on. It's not like ND is some unbeatable force that we can't contend with.  They just got run over by Miami and Stanford. 

It's not like our home schedule next year is a total shitfest either way. Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska are all at home. Yes, I'd rather not have all rivals on the road and all at home in each year, but it's not like our best home game is Minnesota. Two top-10 teams coming to Ann Arbor and a potential upstart Nebraska team if Frost goes to Lincoln. 

danimal1968

November 27th, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^

its just a 2-game deal.

So come the end of 2019 each team will have had one more home game than it's had now.

The home dates fell the way they did because otherwise UM would have had only 6 home games in 2019 and Harbaugh said he didn't care if ND got the first home game in 2018.

markusr2007

November 27th, 2017 at 2:05 PM ^

His first two games as Stanford HC were 7 point losses only, which what he had to work with, that was pretty impressive.

His third year Stanford beat ND 45-38 in Palo Alto.

The 4th year the Cardinal mauled ND 37-14.



IMO Brian Kelly will have no answer for Don Brown's defense.

Kelly wants Winbush to throw the ball. He loves to throw even when RB Josh Adams is tearing it up. But Michigan will have a very deep and experienced defense and secondary.

I predict a good game regardless of where it is played.

Notre Dame returns QB Brandon Winbush, TB Josh Adams and possibly WR Equanimous St. Brown, who would be all seniors next year.  But I believe ND lose 4 of 5 starters along their OL except for their LT Tommy Kraemer.

Their defense will also feature a lot of new faces next year. Michigan not so much.

https://www.ndinsider.com/football/depthchart/

 

LSAClassOf2000

November 27th, 2017 at 2:17 PM ^

What is really weird to me is that the 2019 game, thanks to all this being thrown together at the last minute, is on October 26th of that year. That is going to feel strange on so many levels to have a non-conference one-off in the middle of the conference slate.