Brandon: Game times and Night Games
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/brandon/spec-rel/120211aaa.html
A blog by Brandon detailing who picks the game times, etc.
Here is the most important quote: (My underlning)
Though our media partners have all the power in determining our kickoff times, the schools are allowed some autonomy when it comes to night games and which days of the week the game is played. The conference office and/or the network would have to ask us for permission if they felt a game would be better suited for its needs to be played at night or on another day.
If asked, the answer will be that Michigan regular-season home football games will always be played on Saturday and a night game will only be scheduled if it is a "special game" with significant fan interest. We are not going to schedule a home night game just to play a night game.
In addition, we have no plans to move Michigan State or Ohio State to a night game in Michigan Stadium.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:43 AM ^
Is that the 'point where AA bends over to receive the giant rolled up wad of cash that is being inserted into it's coffers?
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^
The fight is usually over who signs the check and how much the check amounts to.
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:34 PM ^
Early season games in the SEC have the potential to be unbearable hot. A night game in the south is not the same as a night game in Michigan in November.
An early season night game is fun every once in a while but why not keep it special? Michigan is not scheduling a home-and-home until it is financially feasible which is to say - never, so you are stuck with Notre Dame every couple years or maybe Nebraska. I don't see the problem with that.
I find it interesting that so many people are complaining that Dave Brandon has taken the conservative...dare I say traditional tack. What if every OOC game was at night but on a Thursday? Boise, VaTech, ect. does it...
December 2nd, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
Ya lets just do a night game once every five years, because theyre so awesome, shit why would you want to do something awesome alot?
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:06 PM ^
You have displayed amazing intellect. You don't like my opinion so I'm an "idiot"? Clever.
Since we should do more of what is "awesome" let's just schedule Ohio and Notre Dame every other week. That would be awesome! Playing Indiana at night would be awesome! Or maybe it would just be playing Indiana at night...
/s off it wasn't clear enough...
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:03 AM ^
a lot to do with playing night games anywhere in the South.
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
Good thing they spent all that money to have 1 night game every other year.
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
If only we saved our ugly unis for once every two years.
<br>
<br>Night games are awesome. 1 each year plz.
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
and we'll get them at night without offering a home and home. that would be awesome (as long as we win).
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:29 PM ^
So it can't be Michigan State or Ohio State, and Notre Dame has been done. Let's see: rest of the Big Ten schedule not so enticing. Perhaps...could it be......IS HE GOING TO SCHEDULE A REAL HOME AND HOME AGAINST A REAL HONEST TO GOD BCS TEAM?
Pick a Pac 12 team from California: any one. UCLA come on down. USC, let's do something on a year you don't travel to Notre Dame. Hey Berkeley, meet us on the Diag and we'll protest whatever war we're in that year, have a football game, and afterwards we can all go out for Fleetwood. Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaanford.
Remember a night game in Ann Arbor is an afternoon game in California.
Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaanford....
P.S. Mr. Dave Brandon I swear if you make App State at night I'll....
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:58 PM ^
Oh, man. Stanford is such a good idea. Big UM alumni base in the Bay Area, good recruiting exposure.
Too bad it'll never happen.
[sigh]
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:23 PM ^
Cal or UCLA could work, but USC and Stanford wouldn't do it. Pac-12 teams play nine conference games, and USC and Stanford both have Notre Dame on the schedule. Adding Michigan would make for a tough OOC schedule and probably fewer home games than those schools would like.
<br>More generally, I still have bad memories of Michigan's recent trips west (Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Pasadena, etc.). I'd want SEC before PAC-12.
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:26 PM ^
Well USC won't but Stanford might be down for a two-year hiatus from the Domers to play their original Rose Bowl foes.
I think it would be great for both. Michigan has lots of fans in the Bay area, and more people out East these days think of Cal and don't consider Stanford as much.
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
Also love the idea of Stanford. Not only would our Night game be an afternoon start for them, when we travel there it would be a prime chance for ESPN night game (3pm west coast)
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:55 PM ^
You sure you got that West Coast time right? ESPN night games usually start at 7 or 8 PM ET.
December 2nd, 2011 at 3:43 PM ^
My normal reaction to a Brandon decision is to be annoyed and this is no exception. There should be at least 1 night game every year without exception. Brandon's self imposed guidelines for night games pretty much rules out every game except ND every 2 years. By this logic, the only other games we play that are gauranteed to be special are MSU and OSU and he has already said we won't do that.
Any game played at night will become special by virtue of being at night. What is so wrong with playing a night game next year against Air Force?
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:03 PM ^
Won't be able to see it?
/s
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
I understand not having the ohio game at night, but state should be a night game!! Being able to ravage the (sp)farties in the dark would be sooooo special. C'mon Dave!!
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:40 PM ^
I hate inviting my little brother to my night parties. He always gets rambunctious and tries to burn my furniture.
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:56 PM ^
so there's no night game next fall?
:(
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^
So basically, night games at the Big House will only feature Notre Dame, possibly Nebraska or if we decide to schedule a big name non-conference opponent in a home (which I don't see happening under Brandon anytime soon because we'd have to schedule a home-and-home with big name opponent and he doesn't want to give up the $$$)
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:07 PM ^
I'm sorry, but a night game against OSU or MSU would be epic. They do it all the time in the SEC among bitter rivals. Nobody dies.
Cripes, maybe the other teams are right. We really are arrogant. CFB has had night games against rivals for 50+ years, but it can't be done in Ann Arbor because . . . um . . . er . . . because why exactly?
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:09 PM ^
Think of the children! Think of the breakables at Selo/Shevel!
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^
October night games against Iowa or Nebraska (and their generally well-behaved fans) would be fine, otherwise I'm sure the Brown Jug would look lovely all lit up.
If we don't make a BCS game this year, it will be at least in part due to weak OOC scheduling - perhaps that will be enough to make DB re-think his scheduling strategy.
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:07 PM ^
Glad DB decided to spend the equivilent of the national defecit for lights that we only use once every two years.
Maybe I'll move to Florida and buy the best snow tires on the market.
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:18 PM ^
Hey...it snowed here.....once....in like 1988!
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^
The lights are used for every 3:30 game and even 12:00 games later in the year. They were on for Ohio and WMU and probably more games.
December 3rd, 2011 at 6:43 AM ^
saying was has been said a thousand times already in this thread.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:54 AM ^
No offense DB but I'll believe it when I see it.
Next on ABC Michigan vs Eastern Northern Sideways A&M at 8:00PM where Michigan will debut their new alternate special home jerseys that feature real Wolverine fur on the collars.
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^
Wolverine fur! Now that's innovative!