Michigan to play FAU in 2012
http://www.fauowlaccess.com/Blogs/OwlThingsConsidered/2010/02/fau-set-t…
Not exactly a powerhouse, but a non conference game schedule for the future nonetheless.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:05 PM ^
Yeah they definitely underachieve, traffic is supposed to be an issue for the area. My coliseum comments were from USC fans and local writers, I really can't understand what prevents them from filling the stadium.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:35 AM ^
Traffic is a lame excuse. If people in LA stopped going places with bad traffic, they's have to sit in their living rooms all weekend. All 15 million of those people live within an hour and a half of the Coliseum, with traffic. There are TONS of people who drive farther than that for UM and ND games, you know that.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:27 AM ^
I am not disagreeing with you, in the least
February 27th, 2010 at 1:37 AM ^
no1 wants to pay wat the coliseum asks for to watch USC beat someone 63-3. 1/2 of the 15m cant afford to pay that much for a game, and then 1/3 of that 1/2 are UCLA fans. traffic blows in the area, its right by the 110 which is god awful during dodger/laker/usc games. that doesnt really affect it tho. plus football games in southern cali are just social events for most of the people. its just like everything else for them(well technically us): place to gossip, place to talk to friends, hit on chicks, etc. so why would you pay to go to a dumpy bowl aka the coliseum buried 1/2 in the ground to do that instead of throwing a BBQ at home?
February 28th, 2010 at 1:00 AM ^
First of all, the Coliseum doesn't set the prices, the USC athletic department does. And USC games are no more expensive than UM games, around 50 bucks face value for most seats. In fact, buying a ticket second hand for a USC is much cheaper since they don't sell out and there are always a lot of people looking to dump tickets.
And USC lost 4 games last year, so it's not like they were winning every game 63-3. I saw them play Oregon State last year and they might have lost had they not housed a punt. I paid $25 each for the tickets, decent seats.
February 28th, 2010 at 2:51 AM ^
so im trying to think of possible reasons. i honestly dont know why they dont sell out. the last thing i mentioned is probably the closest to "correct" in that football in socal is a social gathering rather than a football event. fans at UM are a hell of a lot more loyal than fans at USC in general. if USC went 3-9 then UCLA would be selling out a lot more games. look @ the lakers. defending champs, dont sell out every game. its just the lifestyle here.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:11 AM ^
Sagarin ratings for OOC opponents last year :
WMU 125
ND 48
EMU 184
BSU 206
FWIW,
FAU 114
UofDPT* 81
*University of Dong Punch Targets
February 27th, 2010 at 8:33 AM ^
shouldn't really count ND as every game is essentially OOC
February 26th, 2010 at 7:58 PM ^
also has nebraska next year, they play big time teams.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:53 PM ^
yeah UW has had strong schedules for a while, some of that has to do with their record but this past season they held Sagarin's #1 Strength of Schedule for the first 8 weeks and that was when they were still playing competitively
February 26th, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^
We played tough OOC teams in the early 2000s...does anyone know why we stopped?
February 26th, 2010 at 11:17 PM ^
Maybe OSU getting to the title game three times by scheduling one tough OOC game a year helped.
The system is fucked up, but the easiest path to the NC game is to play in the Big Ten and schedule one tough OOC opponent and three patsies. Until the system changes, UM would be fools to not attempt to exploit it.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:25 AM ^
wen u faced ND and utah in the same season(one team(utah) ended up being really fucking good and ND is ND). much easier to beat a low level team with recruiting benefits than to schedule a difficult team and possibly lose. its much more important to get back to the bowl season than to schedule a difficult OOS opponent. besides, you play ND. thats good enuf.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
We stopped once PSU joined the Big Ten.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:24 PM ^
but why don't any of the Florida schools have "Swamp Thing" as their mascot? That would be sweet, and a whole lot cooler than an owl.
February 26th, 2010 at 8:04 PM ^
The actual Swamp Thing is certainly copyrighted, but any large swamp monster would work.
No Native American tribes to appease.
No animal rights activists to piss off.
Sure, Miami (that Miami) are the Hurricanes; but what kind of amorphous mascot is that?
Yes, it's big and powerful; but it's just too impersonal.
Would you rather have a mascot that can:
cause widespread flooding. or
Would you rather have a mascot that can:
rip a rival to shreds and feast on it's entrails.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^
FAU at the Big House? Well, hopefully the team will be loaded and we give them a nice big blowout!
February 26th, 2010 at 6:38 PM ^
That's what she said.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:56 PM ^
Playing a Florida school when we want to get kids from Florida is smart. If we're going to beat up a team, why not a team in a region we want to pull kids in from?
February 26th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ^
I think playing a Florida school loses its recruiting luster when it is a secondary school and there is no home and home. Part of the reason for scheduling a Florida team is to give the Florida kids an opportunity to perform in their home state.
February 26th, 2010 at 7:02 PM ^
It is a good recruiting tool. You can have recruits come to the game and also point to games like that and tell their parents that they will be able to see their son play in person and not just on TV. Like you said though it only really works if you do a home and home.
February 26th, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^
Yeah playing Delaware State probably didn't have too much effect on the Pennsylvania and Maryland kids we brought in last year.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^
I think there's a pretty good chance that UM will play in one of the various Florida bowl games within the next couple years so that might lessen the need for a home & home from a recruiting perspective.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:51 AM ^
Boca Raton is in the wheelhouse of Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Miami etc. Pahokee isn't that far off either. The highlights of that game will definitely reach the local news of throughout Florida anyway.
Excellent approach.
February 26th, 2010 at 7:17 PM ^
Did Rod Payne ever go by Rody when he played at U-M? Cool to see that he is coaching though. I always thought he was a good center when he played here, but I was only about 10 at the time, so I'm not sure what that opinion was founded on.
February 26th, 2010 at 7:28 PM ^
id like to see you guys schedule @ rice too. then somewhere in southern cali.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^
FAU has been to two bowls the last two years.. not a great team, but not a terrible one either. I'm satisfied.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^
They won both of those games too. I'm biased because my best friend actually was the FAU football beat writer the last 2 years, so I think this is a much better option than the traditional MAC (usual) cupcakes we schedule.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:08 PM ^
Just wait til UM schedules the Hamburger University Napkins and the Bristol University Gossip Mongers.
It is said those two teams will soon be dominate at the Division 49.7 level.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:17 PM ^
yeah and the Harper Valley University Hippocrates and The College of Peyton Place Setters
February 27th, 2010 at 2:50 AM ^
for Jeannie C. Riley. WAS hot in 1968. Haven't kept up.
Harper Valley University Hippocrates and The College of Peyton Place SettersSo, looks like a med school and the hospitality dept. at Marriott; reminiscent of 1904 [redacted]:
Opponent Date Site Result Attend. P& S. [Chicago]* 10/12 H W 72-0 1,500 Ohio State 10/15 A W 31-6 8,000 A.M.S [Chicago]** 10/19 H W 72-0 ______________ * College of Physicians and Surgeons ** American Medical SchoolOther interesting choices from the past: Toronto, 1879, 1880; Ann Arbor High School, 1891. Perhaps the most radical of all: After going 0-3 in fairly decent efforts against the then-mighty Ivy League in 1881, this schedule from 1882:
Opponent[:] No outside games
February 27th, 2010 at 9:49 AM ^
Good stuff, the win in Columbus in 1904 before 8000 had to be a big win. 3 wins in one week/season by a combined score of 175-6 is quite impressive.
February 28th, 2010 at 2:06 AM ^
we'll take it. But I don't think a victory over OSU was as big a deal as we think of it now until the Bucks took three in a row in 1919-21.
I don't imagine we'll see three games in a week again any time soon.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^
This is why we don't have a playoff in college football. To watch games,like this in the meaningful regular season.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:02 PM ^
This is just an advertisement for Turfman Brand's Wolverine Musk. 60% of the time, it works every time.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
It's basically like facing a MAC level team from down south I guess. I do agree with everyone here though that once we get to full speed we need to schedule home and homes with big name teams. First off, they're great for exposure and second, their great for recruiting.