An OSU proposal
I know, I know... everyone's said their piece on this, blah blah blah. But I'm kind of shocked I haven't seen the following idea more often in the tide of opinion about moving the Game: Why don't we just play OSU the weekend before Thanksgiving as the second to last regular season game of the year?
The odds of either team, let alone both, having locked up the division in 7 games must be next to zero, so it eliminate the chance for a rematch the next week. Also, since this is the more traditional home for the game anyway, you'd still have that sensory memory (is that the right term?) of OSU and Michigan on the third Saturday in November. And it's not like it's unheard of for us to play another game the week after OSU (remember that Hawaii game in 1998?), so you can't really make the argument that it would be ruining some kind of tradition.
Isn't this the best compromise? Keep the other protected interdivisional rivalries in October, but allow Michigan and Ohio State to be an exception for tradition's sake.
August 22nd, 2010 at 3:35 AM ^
In a word: No. It still means Michigan plays a rediculously hard schedule every year with the protected cross over game and it takes away from the game. I still don't see any other way other than same division, last game of the season.
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:23 AM ^
OK - so if the reason for moving the game is because they are splitting OSU and Michigan into separate divisions for competitive balance purposes, then we'd be getting someone "less" competitive into our division in exchange. This would make our "in division" schedule easier no?
Said another way: if we play a nine game schedule (5 in division, 4 out), and we play a "less" competitive team in division and still play OSU as a protected rivalry, are we not adding one more guaranteed "less" competitive game to our schedule than we would have had if OSU was in our division?
Yes we play OSU every year and our division opponents don't. So yes we'll most likely have the toughest schedule in our division. But if they kept us together, we still have a similarly tought schedule.
Personally, OSU and Michigan have been Big Ten Champions or Co-Champions 76 out of 114 years. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only other schools in to break the tens, and they each are only in the teens. Granted it would suck this year and last, but over the long term I don't see a problem with having a tougher conference schedule, and in fact that should help in BCS rankings ...
August 22nd, 2010 at 12:28 PM ^
Don't forget that if Michigan is considered a top tier team, we have the luxury of not playing ourselves, i.e. if OSU was in our division and everyone had to play Michigan and OSU, while we only have to play OSU, we have an easier schedule than the bottom tier teams.
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 PM ^
But we're not competing for a Big Ten championship against bottom-tier teams. Although Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. don't have the same historical consistency, if we're trying to win a conference championship, all that matters is who is good that year, and whoever that is also doesn't have to play a good team (themselves), so there's no advantage there.
August 22nd, 2010 at 3:46 AM ^
Brodie. No matter what happens, someone will be upset about it. Everyone hates a good compromise.
August 22nd, 2010 at 4:08 AM ^
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
Honestly, to me there's little difference between playing the game on the second-to-last weekend and playing it in September. It's admittedly better, but it's just not the same.
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:49 AM ^
Of all the ideas I've heard, that's the best. I like the traditional weekend thing, and then another game or two after that.
As for the thought process about Michigan playing a super hard schedule--well Bo Schembechler would roll over in his grave if he heard that kind of whining.
August 22nd, 2010 at 3:04 PM ^
August 22nd, 2010 at 4:21 PM ^
Huh?
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:24 PM ^
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:37 PM ^
But I'm still way confused about the one win season in 20 years thing...you mean, just because they've had winning programs, but had a year where they were awful, that means they're just as likely to be awful? What does that say about us?
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:20 PM ^
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
No reason UM-OSU should be only rivalry game this weekend.
For sake of arguemet, say the other 5 rivalry games are:
IU-PU
MSU-PSU
WISC-MINN
NEB-IOWA
ILL-NW.
Why couldn't all of these tilts occur as the penultimate game of the conference season? They could split it up and have 3 games earlier in the year and 3 close to the end, but this would probably be unfair.
FWIW> Michigan is in the Camus (or left) Division in this scenario and OSU is in the Kierkgaard (Right) Division.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
And it's not like it's unheard of for us to play another game the week after OSU (remember that Hawaii game in 1998?), so you can't really make the argument that it would be ruining some kind of tradition.
Yes you can. For 75 consecutive years, OSU has been our last conference opponent. And for 73 of those years they were our last regular-season opponent, period. You can't seriously be suggesting that two games against Hawaii over that timeframe negate all that. (Not to mention that it was controversial when those games were announced.)
If we're going to play OSU in November, it should be at the end of the season. There is no reason to compromise on that.