ND Alternatives?
As the sun sets on the Notre Dame rivalry, there's been a lot of talk as to which powerhouse program could potentially replace the Irish on a consistent basis. Brandon has already scheduled a "home and home" series with Arkansas in 2018/19 :(http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/110612aaa.html
You have to wonder if Brandon is looking squarely at the SEC for something long-term, or if he plans on filling the gap on a yearly basis with the most compelling match-up available. And then there's the Texas factor, which many of us believe has always been the ultimate goal for the B1G. Whatever the strategy is, I have to believe that Brandon has a gameplan for adding credibility to our schedule outside of B1G play.
Or, is it the better move to fill the void with mid-level opponents in the hopes of an unblemished B1G run?
September 9th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^
Schedule is set through 2016. Hard to line up big-name games in just a year or two. Most of them are scheduled 6-10 years in advance, so Brandon will not be going year-to-year looking for compelling matchups.
Since many games are scheduled several years in advance the risk in scheduling mid-level opponents is that they hire the right coach and aren't a mid-level team when you play them.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:23 AM ^
How about Arkansas and Virginaia Tech?
September 9th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
Go after a school with whom ND has had a traditional scheduling arrangement. USC, or Stanford, preferably.
Any arrangement that might take a little something away from them as we get something for ourselves.
September 9th, 2013 at 1:20 PM ^
I like the Stanford idea. Plays up the academics, gets out to California recruiting, is a A "Name" but hopefully by then will be a "B" program (I like to get wins along with playing good games).
September 9th, 2013 at 10:35 AM ^
Why not play somebody better than ND? Navy comes to mind.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:40 AM ^
<chuckling>
September 9th, 2013 at 10:37 AM ^
Double post. :(
September 9th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^
Louisville personally if they keep going like they are
September 9th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^
Louavol? Really? That's a lose/lose man. Michigan vs Louisville brings minor equity because Louisville is no traditional national power. A win wouldn't be that big a deal, and a loss would be, well, a loss. Beating a down Texas or USC would bring far more equity than an up Louisville.
September 9th, 2013 at 12:08 PM ^
Well yeah two reasons 1 they're good and in 2020 they could have a name like TCU or Boise which is assosicated with quality. 2 I live here and I want to shut their fans up.
September 9th, 2013 at 3:54 PM ^
I live in this godforsaken city, too. They will go back to mediocrity soon when they start playing the much tougher ACC schedule next year (the ghost of the big east has 3 of 10 teams with no losses after two weeks. If you can't run the table in the Amercan conference you are pretty bad).
The fans are annoying, but only because they don't realize they are irrelevant outside of a 100mile radious.
I will take many other schools that are down right now over Louisville.
There is lots of bourbon however
September 9th, 2013 at 8:04 PM ^
I'd like to see SEC teams there personally. Or PAC 12.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
Texas will never, ever, be a part of the Big 10. The conference wouldn't want to work with a school that started its own network and refused to share with the group. Nebraska would probably leave if Texas was offered membership.
As for scheduling, I hope we take the OSU route and schedule home and home series with teams all over the country. I expect we'll get sucked into those stupid neutral site games set up by ESPN.
September 9th, 2013 at 7:51 PM ^
Would Nebraska fans really be that mad if Texas and say Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the B1G? They would have two old traditional rivalries back when it looks like they don't really have on in this conference. They could recruit the state of Texas much more effectively if they play the Longhorns every year which would make them a much better football team and the B1G would get a tremendous revenue boost with the richest program in the country. I don't really see a downside from a Nebraska or a B1G perspective by adding Texas and OU (and there are rumors that this might be in the works). It would be a TREMENDOUS boost the the Big 12 North looking B1G West which starts next year. Only bad this is OU is not that great academically which might end up being a deal breaker.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:40 AM ^
is always for a west coast-ish team; Texas, UCLA, etc. Cal would be one of my favorites in that category.
Just fergosakes make it a home & home (no more JerryDome). Better for the fans, often more $, and in line with all that's best about college football.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:42 AM ^
No west coast games please. I want to avoid that long traveling at all costs. Rose Bowl is fine obviously, but M seems to always struggle against west coast teams.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 10:55 AM ^
That is not what I meant.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
Playing at least one west coast game per year would be the best thing for me perso--I mean for the team. Yes, that's the ticket. Playing at least one west coast game per year would be the best thing for THE TEAM.
September 9th, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^
Third-ed!!!
The wealthy WC alums would offset the travel costs with donations... Time to step up Jimbo Harbaugh!
September 9th, 2013 at 10:44 AM ^
I would love to do a home and home with Stanford
September 9th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
personally, I think it would be fun to recall some of the history between these two programs, and hopefully they are both still healthy & doing well in the next few years when games scheduled now would actually be played;
September 9th, 2013 at 11:39 AM ^
Yeah so we can copycat the Chickens... A better play would be Oregon except for the part that I still tremble at night recalling the 38-6 post Horror beatdown, and the part where Oregon is equally scary now.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:45 AM ^
Michigan had a rivalry with Syracuse when they were indepedent. They played a home and home at the end of the 20th century and they split the series.
Would be interesting if SU can get a good football team.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^
He just scored again.
Man, that game sucked :(
September 9th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^
But we only lost by 10!
September 9th, 2013 at 10:45 AM ^
Make it happen David Brandon.
Also, starting another series with Army (last played 1962) and Navy (last played in 1981) would be very cool.
Other teams:
Georgia (last played 1963)
Arizona (last played 1978)
Cal (last played 1980)
Delaware (yeah, I said it)
Oklahoma (last played 1975)
Washington State (gotta play Mike Leach for the post-game press conference alone)
North Carolina (last played 1979)
September 9th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
WE MUST PLAY DELAWARE! 22 maize and blue winged helmates on the field at once! (I know Del is not maize, but neither are we anymore)
September 9th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
I'm not sure I want our fans to have to venture into Baton Rouge at night. I've heard that place is basically a hotter, stickier version of Columbus to visiting fans.
September 9th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
I have quite a few LSU friends and my sister lives just outside Baton Rouge. I've never been to a game there, but I have heard some crazy stories. Now, most of those stories were from Florida fans, so take that for what it's worth. My dad has been to a couple games there and he has said LSU has the craziest atmosphere inside and outside that stadium of any place he has ever been. All that said, I would love to see a home and home with LSU.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:46 AM ^
A California team or Texas. USC, UCLA, Cal or Standford would all be good choices, although of those four I think I would prefer Stanford or USC. The problem (if you see it that way) is creating possibilities for Rose Bowl rematches...although the odds of that happening are pretty small. I like Texas too, if for no other reason than it being a good way to get some exposure in Texas for recruiting, minus being clubbed to death by Bama.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:28 AM ^
That Stanford or USC will find their way onto UM's schedule. They play 9 conference games and one of their non-conference games is ND. I'm guessing they want their other non-conference games to be much more closer to an automatic W than what UM would be.
September 9th, 2013 at 12:44 PM ^
In the case of Stanford in particular, I should think the idea would be to replace ND on their schedule. A win-win.
That way, two truly superior research universities get to play each other, and let the two overrated private schools keep their own little thing going.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
For example (in some order of preference):
1. Cal. The other great public school. PAC-B1G tradition in what is, unfortunately, a post Rose Bowl era. California recruiting.
2. Stanford. See points 2 and 3 above.
3. Virginia. Great school. Pre-welcome them B1G.
4. North Carolina. See above.
5. Georgia. Really the only top tier public school in the SEC. Southern recruiting.
Other possibilities: UCLA, Florida, USC.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^
As a GT grad, I want nothing more than a matchup with UGA. Also as a GT grad, I am obliged to make some snide remark about them being a "top tier" school.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:18 AM ^
I would love nothing more than to see my Dawgs take on Michigan. Don't know who I'd root for though.... Probably Michigan. But it'd be awesome.
September 9th, 2013 at 1:56 PM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
I like your list. They all have "name recognition", quality academics and somewhat iconic campuses. Georgia doesn't quite fit with the other public schools but still a good choice.
I'd prefer the East Coast schools. They're all reasonably drivable from metro Detroit and the NE corridor.
That being said, I'm shocked that Michigan hasn't had more activity with Cal and Stanford over the years.
September 9th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
but Florida is a superior academic school to Georgia by almost any measure.
No offense to Georgia (my wife is an alum and Athens is fun and loaded with tradition) and I'd love to see the series, but academically speaking (AAU membership and rankings), Florida comes out on top.
September 9th, 2013 at 10:50 AM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 10:53 AM ^
Florida or Florida State. I was at our last matchup with the Seminoles (1991) where we gave up something like 400 points to them, and am still pissed about it. That -- and I hate Bobby Bowden.
I'd love to have a deeper connection to all-things Florida beyond Denard.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:41 AM ^
Keith Jackson: "Buckley's got one!"
September 9th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 10:56 AM ^
We lose when we fly to the pacific time zone, so I'd say no to any such game even though Stanford would be perfect. I think Texas would be ideal as they're a big name school in a big recruiting area that has been kinda crappy and overrated lately so its always a marquee matchup but sometimes its a free win too. Other than that, someone in the SEC.
September 9th, 2013 at 11:03 AM ^
But if it's a home and home then the travel issues balance out since Stanford needs to fly east to play us for the other game
September 9th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
Why not Washington? They look like they are starting to put it back together under Sarkisian, they have a newly-renovated stadium that is gorgeous, and we kind of have a bit of a historical rivalry with them--having faced the Huskies in the Rose Bowl several times, plus that incredible home & home in the early 2000s.
Of course, I live in Seattle so I'm a little biased.
September 9th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
September 9th, 2013 at 11:03 AM ^
The answer is that Michigan will not replace ND with a new home-home rival.
With the B1G going to a 9 game conference schedule (not sure exactly which year this begins), then it will by 9 B1G teams + 3 cupcakes. I could see an occasional neutral site or a home-home game with a legit school, but Michigan won't do that consistently. There's no point with a 9 game conference schedule.