2020 & 2021 Michigan Football schedules announced: B1G schedule still not fixed
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.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:49 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
Missing a game
September 12th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
At least we get our bye weeks in the back half of the schedules. Not really a fan of bye weeks earlier than week 6.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
We play them for at least 6 straight years: 2016-2021 and there are other teams that we play once or twice during the same stretch.
Just wondering if that is scheduled that way on purpose or some sort of odd coincidence.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:45 PM ^
Delany talked about this when the the conference moved to 14 teams and realigned the divisions. The best teams in the the divisions historically would play each other in inter-divisional matchups to start out. Michigan drew Wisconsin. Ohio State drew Nebraska. Penn State drew Iowa. My guess is these matchups will rotate for the following 6-year period.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
It seems that the best team in the East would face the best team in the West. Should be OSU/Wisconsin if they're going based on previous results.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
Historically Nebraska is better than Wisconsin. It wasn't based just on recent results. We drew the better of the 3 teams, but it's not like OSU drew Illinois.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:18 PM ^
What? Tom Osborne and Frank Solich haven't been there for quite a while now.
WISCONSIN last 7 years:
- 11-3 (#9)
- 10-3 (#21)
- 11-3 (#13)
- 9-4 (#19)
- 8-6 (went to Rose Bowl, beating Neb in B1G champ game)
- 11-3 (#10)
- 11-2 (#7)
NEBRASKA last 7 years:
- 9-4 (unranked)
- 6-7 (unranked)
- 9-4 (unranked)
- 9-4 (#25)
- 10-4 (#25)
- 9-4 (#24)
- 10-4 (#20)
It's not even close. Wisconsin has been a better program than Nebraska for the entire team Nebraska has been in the B1G, and even before then.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
It wasn't based just on recent history which is what you are looking at. They also looked at program history. Based on that, I think it is a minor quibble about drawing Wisconsin versus Nebraska.
And remember, these pairings were made after the 2012 season. Hard to tell at that time which program would be better in 2017. Bret Bielema had just left Wisconsin out-of-the-blue after 2012. And there is no guarantee Wisconsin will be better than Nebraska in 2020.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^
He said historically.
Wisconsin was a longtime shitshow prior to 1993.
September 12th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
Are we going to expect the B1G to schedule based on how Purdue was during the Bob Griese era? Illinois when Red Grange was there? Rutgers based on Greg Schiano?
Farther back then a decade--and even that is high--can not possibly be relevant to B1G scheduling.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^
I actually like playing Wisconsin every year. We pretty much owned them when Uncle Barry was coaching and Madison is one of the best road destinations in the Big Ten.
September 12th, 2017 at 9:34 PM ^
this season. Can't wait! And looks like I'll have that opportunity again....
September 12th, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
2020:
2021:
Michigan & Maryland are the only 2 B1G schools not to have one B1G opener during week 1 during this 2-year period. I wonder if this was something Manuel drew a line on like Friday football.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
I don't really understand why.
Playing a Rutgers or Illinois in week 1 gives you more flexibility for your bye week placement.
Michigan also opened the season with a B1G opener every year from 1971-1982.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:49 PM ^
Rutgers & Illinois avoided this as well. I missed that.
These matchups may not be layups. Penn State drew @Wisconsin in Week 1 in 2021. Ohio State has @Minnesota in 2021 as well. Hard to tell how these teams will be competitvely 4 years from now, but they both have stable coaching situations.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:40 PM ^
Regarding Michigan think again. As my grandfather, father, brother and sister all graduated from M I've been following the football team since I was a very small child. And since that time I have witnessed countless league decisions regarding Michigan and candidly I would be hard pressed to find even ONE that favored us over another school.
We seem to be regarded by the league as the good-looking rich kid who doesnt need anybody's help cause we've already got everything going for us while every other school is a disadvantadged orphan child with special needs who needs every possible break they can get. I could write a book right now about the amazing number of times we've gotten completely screwed over by the league starting before most of you were even born.
Havent fixed the schedule yet WD? To the league it already IS fixed, they dont need to change a thing.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
One of the weirder things on this board is the belief that there is some massive big conspiracy against Michigan. The Big ten wants to make money, Michigan makes the big ten the most money (at least tied with osu). Michigan played at msu twice because dave brandon is damn idiot, not because of some large conspiracy. When it comes to Michigan vs other schools every other school things Michigan is shown favoritism by the refs and the league. The only team that isn't true for is osu which is coincidentally the only other team that brings in as much money.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Ask almost anybody in my age group (50's) whose lived through league decisions since Bo arrived if they think my comment is "weird". My guess is that many younger members of the board, who havent lived it like we have, have a far different perspective simply based on the limited exposure they've had to the league regarding Michigan.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:37 PM ^
Dennis Franklin. If you know your history you know Michigan left the Big 10 once and I wouldn't blame the school if it did it again. It's starting to feel like we are Nebraska and OSU is Texas when they were in the Big 12 and we know how that turned out.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
M has been screwd over by the BIG in countess ways ove rlast 50yrs
September 12th, 2017 at 5:03 PM ^
I bet every school in the conference has a list of times they've been screwed. That's sort of how things work. Generally when decisions get made the teams on the other side feel screwed and you tend to remeber the times you got screwed, not the times it went in your favor.
September 12th, 2017 at 5:11 PM ^
Are you older or younger than 25? Be honest.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^
I would buy that book mGrowOld
September 12th, 2017 at 3:43 PM ^
That opening 2020 schedule (if Washington stays on) is terrifying. They could go 3-3 over that stretch and still be one of the top 10 teams in the country.
September 12th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
Who does Warde want instead? I was actually looking forward to going to Seattle for that game. Cool stadium on the water.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:18 PM ^
The problem isn't Washington. It's looking at the schedule as a whole. Having Washington and Virginia Tech in back-to-back weeks in pretty brutal in 2021. There should have at least been a cupcake in between those games. How many teams play two upper-level Power 5 teams in back-to-back weeks in their nonconference, especially with the 9-game conference schedule now? And the B1G office did us no favors in 2020 with how they started the conference schedule after the nonconference.
Add in the fact that Michigan will only have 13 home games in the 2020 (7 games) and 2021 (6 games) period, and you can see why Michigan would be looking to make a change from just a revenue standpoint.
My hope is that Michigan starts raining hellfire on teams the next 2 years, and maybe, Washington or VT will decide it may be in their best interest to back out.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
Looking at the cross-division scheduling, it looks like they're planning on 6-year cycles. I don't know how to embed a table, but I noticed that, during the 2016-2021 cycle:
1) We play Wisconsin each year, alternating home/away
2) We play each other team twice, alternating home/away
3) The home/away schedule is scheduled 3 years apart (Iowa 2016/2019, Purdue 2017/2020, etc.)
4) The cross-division teams are the same at 3 year intervals (2016/2019: Iowa/Illinois, 2017/2020: Purdue/Minnesota, 2018/2021: Nebraska/Northwestern)
There appears to be a method to the madness, and maybe they'll reconsider for the 2022-2027 schedules. Or maybe Wisconsin is our unofficial cross-division rival.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
It's not like we have the oldest trophy game in college football though with a West division team.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
Parity scheduling would make that tricky unless P.J. Fleck makes them a powerhouse by 2022. Stranger things have happened.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
That's why I said regular season.
We might see them in the B1G Championship someday and the Jug could be on the line, too.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:38 PM ^
I'm suggesting that, based on parity scheduling, Minnesota could be the 6-year rival for 2022-2027 if they get good enough. I'd be okay with that.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
And thus I believe one of them will be dumped.
It makes for better football than, playing EMU or Rice. That's for sure.
But if Michigan's goal is to make the playoff, no team with 2 losses has ever made it. Playing 2 top power 5 teams in the same year *and* then playing the murderous B1G East schedule is foolhardy.
Washington played absolutely nobody last year in the non-conf and made the playoff; Ohio State beat Oklahoma (along with Tulsa and Bowling Green) and made the playoff.
Of course we can just beat all these top teams. I like that plan and back it. But I'm also realistic.
As shown by OSU last week, when you go against the big boys, an "L" is more likely to happen, even at home. Just imagine if OSU, after losing at home to Oklahoma, now had to play at Washington? Their season would have a better than 50% chance of being over after game 3.
Instead they are playing Army and then UNLV -- which gives them time to work out their QB issues (hopefully they won't) and keeps them in the hunt.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
Washington home-and-home. I'd love to fly to Seattle. Don't care much for Blacksburg even though it's relatively drive-able.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
Plus, Michigan played Washington back-to-back in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. It was in the Rose Bowl, but there is some history between the two schools.
I'd much rather play them than Virginia Tech.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:43 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^
VT plays Penn State and @Michigan back-to-back in 2020. The ACC does only have 8 conference games, but that is a pretty tough nonconference.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
As a fan, I love them. We are going to see some good games in 2020 and 2021.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
even if they do cancel Washington. Front-loaded with VT-Wisconsin-PSU, then with OSU on the road. If we open in Seattle, geezus that's a tough start.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
Pencil in a Group of 5 opponent, most likely MAC or AAC. Michigan already only has 5 home games that year so that has to be a home game, and mostly likely a one-off.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
Just remember, you can easily fix the schedule with a simple flip-flop of games one year between Indiana, Michigan, and Michigan State.
Each of Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana then would have one home game a year to draw, Indiana would get Michigan even, Ohio State odd years at home. Michigan State would get Ohio State even, Michigan odd years at home. Michigan would get Michigan State even, Ohio State odd years at home (as it was, you know, forever.) Ohio State keeps Michigan even, Penn State odd years at home, and Penn State would get Ohio State even, Michigan odd years at home. It balances the schedule out for every team in the East nicely. Which is why they won't do it.
September 13th, 2017 at 6:32 AM ^
upvote and remind viewers that sometimes people are in charge of things for no reason.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
Keep in mind, the word is that Warde is looking to cancel the Washington series.
If I had to ditch one, I would rather it was Virginia Tech, but it would be fun to keep both. Granted, that would NOT do us any favors with the CFP potentially, if one game went south, but I like the idea of playing teams like that rather than Akron or Nobodygivesashit State.
September 12th, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
September 12th, 2017 at 6:04 PM ^
Playing Appy St can ruin a season, what's your point? Actually I know your point, play the easiest schedule possible and chalk up the wins. That's a popular position with many, I can easily understand it. I don't personally happen to agree with it, I'd rather see some damn fine football games throughout the season knowing our players and staff are up to it. And if they aren't, that too is worth knowing.
September 12th, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
Why? Look what happened to OSU. If they go undefeated the rest of the season, they could be left out of the playoff. That could be us, if we lose to a Va Tech or Washington early.