Rekindling Michigan/ND Rivalry
The idea of rekindling the Michigan/ND rivalry has been discussed off and on over the past couple of years now--honestly ever since the thing ended I suppose.
But the "Edge of the Internet" is now saying that the buzz around the Athletic Department is really starting to pick up about this in recent days.
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What's your prediction on what day--if ever--that the Athletic Department will officially announce scheduled games with Notre Dame again? Will it be in the next few days? Weeks? Or do you think it'll never happen?
- If it's announced soon that we will rekindle the rivalry, do you think this is a good idea or not? Why?
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And to be honest, I've always liked the Michigan/ND rivalry more than the Michigan/MSU rivalry. Always seemed to have more national interest. Plus, there's two types of rivalries in my mind:
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Hatred because it's really oil & water--two very different programs not liking each other. I see this as Michigan/OSU and Michigan/MSU. The difference is, OSU is a stronger program than MSU and has a bigger national presence. So if you set the "in state bragging rights" aside, the MSU rivalry is really kind of a poor-man's OSU rivalry. So as far as "oil & rivalries go" I'd just assume focus on OSU. This is more about "which brand of college football wins"? (Not in terms of X's and O's but in terms of how the schools present themselves to the public).
- Hatred because it's two dogs fighting over the same bone. In terms of tradition, academics, etc. (Again, not necessarily X's and O's but how the program presents itself to the public). I feel like even though Michigan is a big state school, it academically rivals Notre Dame. I think a lot of the alumni from each school overlap each other more in terms of socio-economics and background as well--moreo than OSU or MSU anyway. So in that reagard, this is more like "which school represents this brand of football better"?
They just looking for an easy win?
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***Ding ding ding***
We have a winner! I've always thought this. They're crying about schedule flexiblity but just so happen to cut out Michigan and keep Purdue? If they wanted the right to cherry-pick Big Ten teams to play, you'd think they'd stick with some of the bigger TV/buzz draws like Michigan. I don't buy that they have some epic in-state rivalry with Purdue. It's Purdue for goodness sake.....
same reason they kept navy, which hasn't been a rivalry for half a century. See for a rivalry to exist, both teams have to occassionally win
I know we've played a TON of classic Hollywood style games against them over the years but I'm kind of glad we're not playing them right now. Mostly because I got tired of their BS.
The way they're "sort of" a member (part-time member) of the ACC is stupid. The ACC should have told them you're either a full member or you're out. But the ACC lets them keep this strange sort of membership...because they're Notre Dame.
And the way they dropped the series with us to an uneven number so they could get one more home game in first? When that happened, I said we should have given them the finger and cancelled the 2013 game as well but by then, it was too late. Very calculating. Very douche bag like. F*ck those guys.
Oh, and the NBC TV contract that they have kept all these years has never felt right, given that about 24 other schools have a better record than them since they first got it. Because they spent about 90% of those years "getting back to glory." But they still get to keep it...because they're Notre Dame.
Meh. Again, f*ck those guys. This is a welcome break. I wouldn't mind playing a home and home with them once in a while but we no longer need to do the every year thing.
nothing feels better than Michigan beating Notre Dame. I really despise ND for so many reasons. Any given Saturday were they lose and Michigan wins fills my heart with joy and it's just so much better when they lose to Michigan. Playing them every year woudl be fine with me, but I can see it would probably not be ideal in the playoff era. So a regular series of a home and home then a two year gap would be pretty good.
Michigan vs ND is a true rivalry which, despite the long gaps over the decades, really does reach back to the dawn of college football. Both programs and college football as a whole benefit from some schedule of regular meetings.
you could make the same arguments for scheduling cornell
I'd be happy seeing them get taken to the woodshed in January. It would make the playoff/bowl game that much better. I'd rather keep them off the regular season schedule though and keep going after other home and homes with GA, Clemson, or any number of other Power5 teams.
There is no rekindling. They are a rival whether we play them again or not.They are our rivals for the air we breath, the water we drink. Fuck notre dame forever.
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Obviously they should play again.
It is one of, if not the most entertaining series of games played in recent memory.
However, I doubt they will play again before 2020. I would love to be wrong.
Within the next few months. It will be played with a 2 on 2 off format or something to that effect.
If winning the BiG guaranteed a playoff birth like MBB then teams could pursue entertaining non conference games like ND/SEC.
Otherwise, a weak non conference and BiG championship is likely best strategy for NC.
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i don't know, playing at an sec team is likely what got oklahoma in. Granted, they're in a weaker conference by far. In the converse, a lot of ppl think if we lose any games this year we're screwed (like ohio and iowa last year) due to super weak non conference
I have absolutely no idea if/when we will restart the rivalry, but how can any fan not want to restart the rivalry? It's another good game on the schedule, and one that most people feel strongly about. Those are the best kind of games.
I really like the two-on, two-off idea. It's kind of a wink and nod to the odd scheduling history of our series anyways, and it would appear to give both of us the scheduling freedom we want.
to hell with them. Bottom line they thought they were too good for the B1G so why go crawling to them for games. The entire B1G should refuse to play them. Second I don't see how playing them really helps us. They are a regional team. I would rather see us continue scheduling teams in the SEC and PAC-12 for some variety and bigger exposure in fertile recruting areas, rather then another team in Indiana.
The first major point people have to consider is whether or not it makes sense from a playoff or a revenue perspective to have two home-and-home non-conference games with Notre Dame and some other major opponent. In some of the scenarios suggested by posters above, Michigan would only have five home games instead of seven or even six.
If you think it makes sense to have only one home-and-home series among the non-conference games in order to ensure an average of seven per year at Michigan Stadium, then the only way to get ND onto the schedule is to bump someone off of it. If you're looking at the 2020/1 seasons, then it means removing Virginia Tech and Washington and replacing them with Notre Dame. Beyond those years, it means getting rid of UCLA or Texas or Oklahoma (the latter two teams Michigan has played only once in bowl games).
Keep in mind that Notre Dame has scheduled (to much fanfair on their part) Ohio State for two games in 2022 and 2023, so you can probably forget those two seasons. Maybe, just maybe, you could get them in the 2020/1 seasons, but ND opens the latter season with Florida State, so I can't imagine they'd be too likely to add Michigan to their schedule.
I do understand why Michigan might want to play Notre Dame (and vice versa). It's one of the easiest games to promote, the crowds and ratings are top notch and you can put it in prime time with no problem (although the current U-M AD might have to be convinced otherwise). That said, you could also probably do the same thing when Michigan plays Texas or Oklahoma or even UCLA as well.
So here's my recommendation. If you can't reschedule or move Washington and Virginia Tech off the 2020/1 schedules and replace them with Notre Dame plus a pay for play game, then schedule the two teams to play in 2028/9 after the home-and-home with Texas is completed. But heck, by that time, ND may be in the Big Ten and this whole discussion may be moot.
Maybe we'll play them in the CFP, and that would be bonkers.
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