Michigan-Alabama In Dallas In 2012 Comment Count

Brian

michigan-alabama-2000You probably dismissed the idea of Michigan playing a huge nonconference game against Alabama in two years in Jerryworld as crackpot rumor-mongering of the sort the internet specializes in. Michigan's on the road against ND, leaving a maximum of six home games, it's transparently silly to play a college football game thousands of miles from either college, and Michigan hasn't played a neutral-site OOC game basically ever. It seemed instantly implausible.

But apparently it is happening. The contract is being signed Monday. Which is tomorrow.

The following details are unconfirmed but of interest since they come from an established source:

  • Game is happening because a desperate Jerry Jones "overpaid."
  • Michigan will be the nominal home team (important mostly for TV rights) and receive more money.
  • There's no additional game scheduled and there may not be.
  • Jones might be well-positioned to provide some advice on HD scoreboards.

This comes with a set of crazy conflicting emotions. Hurray awesome nonconference game, boo that it's in fricking Dallas in a corporate death star of an NFL stadium and not a home-and-home in Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa. I guess that's what it takes for a lot of actual nonconference games to get done these days, but awesomeness of trip to Dallas to see M play 'Bama <<<<<< awesomeness of M-Bama home-and-home. On the other hand, awesomeness of M-Bama Dallas >>>>>>> awesomeness of M-BGSU anywhere.

[Note on sourcing: in this case I am going with one source, but he is a very established one.]

Comments

KBLOW

August 8th, 2010 at 1:35 PM ^

A one time neutral site game against another big program? I'll take it.  And more if offered. No reason Michigan couldn't do this every couple of years if the money was right.  Though I'd love to see a game like this the NYC/Philly/Boston area.

Irish

August 8th, 2010 at 1:36 PM ^

wow, happy this turned out to be true, or looking that way at the very least.  The original source on that radio station was beyond shaky, happy to see it turn out good.

mgofan

August 8th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^

It is difficult for me to imagine this happening without serious conversations between the head coach and the AD.  If this actually gets scheduled, it shows a tremendous amount of confidence by the AD in his head coach, and a tremendous amount of confidence of the head coach in his future teams.

funkywolve

August 8th, 2010 at 2:09 PM ^

I don't think Brandon schedules this game without at least letting RR know what is going on and whether he likes the idea or not.  I don't know if RR had veto power but I'd like to think Brandon would want to make sure RR is in support of the idea.

BigBamaFan

August 8th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^

I just don't see Bama taking less money than Michigan.Alabama has already played a few of these neutral site games and its always a 50/50 split.Also Bama has been rumored to have a opponent for 2012 in Dallas ,the rumor has been texas Tech  untill this latest rumor.I feel pretty comfortable in saying Bama will be playing someone in Dallas in 2012.I hope its you guys but the reality is Bama isnt going to take less money to play anyone right now.

BigBamaFan

August 8th, 2010 at 2:18 PM ^

My understanding Bama and ND were tring to set up a neutral site game.As far as the Home and Home to my understanding its not dead just the years they can make it happen.Coach Saban has been pushing a Home and Home with Notre Dame so I dont think the admin wouldnt turn in it down unless it was a conflict with a current future opponent.

ShockFX

August 8th, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^

Bama's probably not getting less than they were expecting - Jerry probably had to pony up a bit more to get Michigan than Texas Tech.  Besides, the reason MICH might get more is as the home team it'll be a ESPN/ABC game then and not a CBS game (SEC first game rights are CBS aren't they?)  I'm sure any cash difference is like $100k, not multiple millions.

BlockM

August 8th, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^

This should also help recruiting in the area. We've gotten some kids from Texas in the last few years, and getting some extra exposure around there is always a good thing.

Thanks David Brandon, the Don Draper of college football.

funkywolve

August 8th, 2010 at 2:05 PM ^

I wonder how they will do tickets for the game.  Will they give x amount of tickets to both schools to offer to their season ticket holders and then put the rest on sale to the public?

wildbackdunesman

August 8th, 2010 at 2:35 PM ^

We don't know what the BigTen schedule will be in 2012 with Nebraska's entry.  However, we could end up playing Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin...we might have a top 10 strength of schedule in 2012.

It will be Tate and Denard's senior year...the offense should be firing on all cylinders.

wallaby

August 8th, 2010 at 2:43 PM ^

I guess I better dust off my old Nick Saban voodoo dolls.

Or, perhaps more likely, I have 2 years to swap Brutus out for an elephant in this image:

And hey, the world probably needed a picture of a wolverine devouring an elephant anyway... y'know, just to drive home the points that 1.) Nothing is safe, and 2.) You are alive when they begin to eat you.

WolverineHistorian

August 8th, 2010 at 2:49 PM ^

Sounds nice.  But the program better be back to it's winning form by then.  Hopefully much, much sooner. 

I think this may be the first neutral site (out of state) non-bowl game for a Big Ten team since the Buckeyes got crushed by Miami in 1999. 

I just hope our fans aren't outnumbered to an insane degree like most of the bowl games we played in this past decade. 

Nonnair

August 8th, 2010 at 2:53 PM ^

Plus vs Navy in Dublin (TBC)

Miami just added in the past couple weeks.

Might UM and ND mutually agree to unplug for two games earlier than later? I believe Brandon in announcing the ND night game at Big House next year said there would be a two-year break in the M-ND series, I believe in '18-19.

But last I looked a few months ago, almost every traditional major power topping fans' polls is locked up in one or both years: 

2018 pairings: Tenn-OSU; Ark-TA&M, Okla-LSU, USC-Tex.

2019 pairings: Tenn-OSU; Ark-TA&M, Okla-LSU. (USC-Tex first game of HAH in '17)

(BTW: Neither Fla nor FSU is in the market to add yet another dfficult non-conf game, I believe I read somewhere, so don't suggest either of them.)

Is it too much of a coincidence that both M and ND are adding another likely difficult opponent to their respective '12 schedules, weeks apart? And why would Brandon load up the '12 schedule just a few weeks before finding out how difficult the '12 conference slate might be? Who knows if M will be playing OSU, Neb, PSU, Wisc, Iowa that year?

Maybe the M-ND break is coming earlier than anyone knows. Because this latest M-ND uninterrupted streak of games began at ND Stadium in 2002, one would think the next break would come after a game in Ann Arbor ('11).

Or not. Either way, interesting......

MVictors

August 8th, 2010 at 3:51 PM ^

I think the whole contract is up in the air at this point.  I definitely want to hear Brandon comment on this, hopefully he'll be at the media event Monday.  Last I heard Brandon said as much, but I figure it was just a matter of sorting out the changes.  We'll see in light of the Big Ten division talks/9 conference game schedule.

Alton

August 8th, 2010 at 4:52 PM ^

This is an excellent point about Michigan-Notre Dame, especially if the Big Ten goes to a 9-game schedule.  If there is a 9-game conference schedule, Michigan could have 5 road games in-conference in 2012, in addition to a road game with Notre Dame and this neutral-site game against Alabama.  That leaves only 5 home games--something Michigan hasn't done since the 1960s.  I don't see that happening again, ever.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Nonnair is right, and the Michigan-Notre Dame series takes a break in 2012.

Nick

August 8th, 2010 at 6:41 PM ^

I wouldn't be surprised to see M petition the big ten to allow them to have their 5 home-game year when they play ND on the road, so then they can try and keep  7 home games in those years.

 Not sure how much influence they would have, but if Michigan is going to be scheduling ND every year and big games like this on occcasion, they need to find a way to make their home-road #'s consistent.

M with less than 6 home games in 2012 would be so weird.

03 Blue 07

August 8th, 2010 at 3:01 PM ^

Regardless of all of the details....this game, on its face, is just awesome. I think we're going to have to descend on Dallas with our hard-consonant talking, pasty skin, and dorky Midwestern charm en masse, Michigan Brethren. And hopefully open a can on 'Bama.

No matter what, though, how about that for a roadtrip/destination game? Bama, in Texas?  Decent, I say. Decent.

bluesouth

August 8th, 2010 at 3:13 PM ^

thread.  I will most certainly be at that game just got off the phone with family in Austin we already got plans for rooms and transportation all we need is tickets

MaizeAndBlueManGroup

August 8th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^

but I don't know of any school that can go through what we have the last 2 seasons and still get these kinds of offers for marquee games.

RR 's offense will be a machine by then and the defense will (finally) have some experienced depth.

Im so pumped