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

WorldwideTJRob

September 12th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^

I think television is the driving force, they want to put on marquee matchups for the network partners. Secondly, I think they just broke it down according to historical prestige: OSU/Nebraska, UM/UW, & PSU/Iowa. All 6 of those teams are probably the most prestigious programs in the B1G, or for sure the top 3 in their respective divisions. All could be potential games of the week nationally given the right circumstances, thus giving more attention to the conference.

Joined: 07/05/2010

MGoPoints: 31025

NittanyFan

September 12th, 2017 at 6:07 PM ^

by their 2012 B1G conference record and pair them off that way: you get the 3 match-ups that we've seen in the first 6-year cycle.

(U-M and PSU were actually both 6-2 in 2012, so they were tied.  But place U-M higher given PSU was heading into some sanctions years)

It was probably something as simple as that.  In theory, it will all equal out in the long-run (18 year cycle).  Assuming Delany doesn't invite 100 more teams to the conference prior to the 18-year cycle ending, of course.

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 42808

Sione For Prez

September 12th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^

Sucks to not have one rival at home each year. But Warde has made it clear that "fixing" the MSU game isn't going to happen at this point.

Plus having Wisconsin/PSU at home in years MSU/OSU are away sets up pretty nicely. 

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10556

COLBlue

September 12th, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^

Michigan plays Western Division WIsconsin again both years?!  That'll be SEVEN years in a row!  How is that balanced?

Also was really hoping the MSU/OSU imbalance would have been fixed.

Joined: 11/28/2010

MGoPoints: 1472

Wolverine Devotee

September 12th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^

This is what we get for making jokes about not playing Wisconsin from 2011-2015.

Wanna hear something depressing?

Michigan plays at Nebraska for the second time ever in 2021. Nebraska will have been in the B1G for a decade.

When Michigan hosts Northwestern in 2021, it will have been 6 years since the last time that happened.

The Little Brown Jug will be up for grabs (in the regular season..) just once from the years 2018-2021. 

Meanwhile, Michigan will have played Rutgers and Maryland every single season for 8 years straight.

That just makes me sad. Hope you're happy, Dim Jelany.

Joined: 06/29/2009

MGoPoints: 31528

ak47

September 12th, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^

Nebraska isn't a traditional member of the big ten so conference expansion is the only reason we would play them.  Im not entirely sure why playing northwestern is more interesting than playing md.  

Conference expansion sucks for a lot of reasons but people act like they get excited for playing purdue or northwestern or illinois when the ticket market has those games selling for $20 bucks on the secondary market.  People only care about like 5 teams in the big ten and we play 3 of them in psu, osu, and msu every year.

Joined: 05/05/2011

MGoPoints: 33614

Wolverine Devotee

September 12th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^

Would rather do it against a charter B1G member than Rutgers or Maryland who I have 3 years of memories playing.

Also my first road game will probably be somewhere like Northwestern so I'd rather drive there than fly to DC or freaking Jersey

Joined: 06/29/2009

MGoPoints: 31528

ak47

September 12th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^

There are about 50 schools that would be a more interesting game than Northwestern.  Tradition is great, its what makes playing osu so compellling.  But just playing a lot of times doesn't make something great or worth preserving.  The brown jug has history and is great, I like that.  Playing Purdue in football is meaningless to me, I feel the same way about it that I do about playing cincy or air force.  The fact that its happened a whole bunch of times before doesn't make it more meaningful. 

Joined: 05/05/2011

MGoPoints: 33614

EGD

September 12th, 2017 at 9:42 PM ^

Exactly.  If it were up to me, Michigan would play at Northwestern every year.  It has nothing to do with tradition and everything to do with the fact that Evanston is adjacent to Chicago.  

Although we no longer have our trip to Northwestern every other year, however, now we have either @ Rutgers or @ Maryland every year, plus the occasional @ Northwestern.  So that's cool with me.  Now we just need to eliminate these annoying road games against good teams at faraway places that are difficult or impossible to reach by car (Madison, Minneapolis, Lincoln, Iowa, etc.).

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

Maizen

September 12th, 2017 at 3:28 PM ^

14 team conferences remain one of the worst things about college football.

And whose genius idea was it to schedule Washington and Va Tech on top of an already murderous conference schedule? 

Joined: 08/15/2015

MGoPoints: -99993347

Maizen

September 12th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^

I'll believe the CFP committee will put a two loss team in the playoff when I see it. It's pretty clear the rankings are just a reordering of the teams with the fewest number of losses. This schedule makes no sense and has no upside.

Joined: 08/15/2015

MGoPoints: -99993347

corundum

September 12th, 2017 at 3:49 PM ^

The Big Ten should be the best conference in the P5 by then. No way the winner of the best conference is left out of the CFP. Alabama could have lost to FSU this year, dropped one more along the way, and definitely would have been in if they ended up winning the SEC championship game.

Joined: 05/10/2012

MGoPoints: 47323

corundum

September 12th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^

That doesn't mean it can't happen. There has only been 3 playoffs, so the sample size is small to begin with. Whoever wins the strongest conference will automatically go to the playoffs as long as they have 2 losses or less. Also, quit up-voting yourself.

Joined: 05/10/2012

MGoPoints: 47323

corundum

September 12th, 2017 at 5:08 PM ^

The ACC was better than the Big Ten last year. Penn State didn't lose to a Washington or Virginia Tech, they lost to unranked Pitt, then got blown out 49-10 against Michigan. They probably would have overcame the poll inertia if they lost to a better team than Pitt or at least kept the Michigan game competitive. 

Joined: 05/10/2012

MGoPoints: 47323

lhglrkwg

September 12th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^

Imagine 5 years ago someone saying that the Big Ten East is clearly the best division in college football, or that the SEC rapidly devolved from easily the best conference in football to Alabama and a bunch of mediocrity.

Having a horrible schedule like that is asking for an elite Michigan team to get left out of the playoff because we went 10-2. It's smart to schedule a strong OOC game because that can be your chip for getting in as a 1-loss 4-seed. Scheduling two tough non-conference games and ending as a 2-loss team sees you playing a NY6 bowl, wishing you'd just scheduled Western instead of Washington

Joined: 07/03/2008

MGoPoints: 87692

Wolverine Devotee

September 12th, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^

The same genius who decided that ND wasn't an important rivalry, the scheduled a Thursday night season opener two years ago, that scheduled a neutral site game this year so we only have 6 home games.

etc. etc.

Joined: 06/29/2009

MGoPoints: 31528

OwenGoBlue

September 12th, 2017 at 3:40 PM ^

I'd rather watch great matchups than easy cupcake wins.

I know it ups the degree of difficulty, but that would be a difference maker with the committee when looking at teams with the same record (I know, I know, undefeated is still best). Less tangibly, playing good teams makes your team better than playing bad teams.

If they make noise it will certainly be well-deserved and a year to remember. 

Joined: 04/03/2016

MGoPoints: 31535

Maizen

September 12th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^

Great, and the best way to ensure you don't lose two games is to not play half the top 10 in one season. This isn't hard to understand. It's funny how the same people who bitch about not winning a B1G title since 2004 are the same ones who want to schedule all these ridiculous OOC games. The B1G is tough enough, play your one big OOC game and schedule two cupcakes like everyone else. 

Joined: 08/15/2015

MGoPoints: -99993347

Maizen

September 12th, 2017 at 4:49 PM ^

Yep, I'm totally a dick because I had the audacity to respond to a few posters in this thread and then call someone stupid when he characterized it as "another meltdown."

You got me.

PS- I couldn't give two shits what the anonymous snowflakes here think of me, so bombs away.

Joined: 08/15/2015

MGoPoints: -99993347

OwenGoBlue

September 12th, 2017 at 7:25 PM ^

Obviously hard schedules are hard. Let's say they win those OOC games, lose one in conference and don't play for the B1G title. Does it help then? Or it could be a weird year where multiple two loss teams are vying for the 4th spot. Or they could just win them all anyway and we would remember the best season ever. Mostly I'm just looking forward to watching Michigan play Washington and watching Michigan play Virginia Tech.

Joined: 04/03/2016

MGoPoints: 31535