Michigan opening 2007 vs. Appalachian St.

[jeff4bucks]

interesting. Love to see how the best in D1-AA can fare against a top D1-A school.

http://www.mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=23758

[Jim]

Look at how Vanderbilt made Michigan finally put it away - in the 4th quarter no less, 27-7. I think ASU will not produce a lot of offense but it remains to be seen just how well the Wolverines move. BTW, have you ever been to McGuires up in the Florida penninsula? Great food, Notre Dame theme. Close to Eglin AFB.

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

interesting. Love to see how the best in D1-AA can fare against a top D1-A school.

http://www.mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=23758
Wow, for a game that won't count in the BCS standings, (correct?) this is one heck of a game for Michigan. Congrats to ASU for scheduling a game in Ann Arbor. Can't wait for the game already, unless of course ASU wins. Then, I could wait forever.

[jeff4bucks]

why would they schedule a game like UM/UGA so soon? if they were to do that, it would be at least 3 or 4 yrs out, similar to OSU/TX series.

[copycat]

what? there wasn't some MAC school willing to take a beating?

[mini_me]

Hm. So that's why UM wouldn't talk to Georgia about scheduling a series. App. State was too attractive?

OMFG... you HAVE got to be kidding....

Michigan plays absolutely ANYONE who will do a home and home. OBVIOUSLY georgia wasnt WILLING to leave georgia to play michigan. If there is 1 program that sets the standard for we will play anyone its Michigan

That comes for an OSU fan who HATES scUM.

[mini_me]

I'm not kidding. UGA's AD contacted UM to discuss scheduling a home and home and the response was they were not interested in discussions. I'm sure he'll try again. I'd like to see the series.

Let me be blunt then. Georgia aint even off the freeway heading to the parking lot of the stadium compared to Michigan when it comes to scheduling.


Lets compare I picked an arbitrary date starting from 1995-present. I will compare non conference opponents and regional diversity.
1995 Michigan Virgina points for both, @Boston College and Memphis
1995 Georgia New Mexico St, Clemson

-While Clemson is a quality opponent its hardly regional diversity. Michigans slate is MUCH tougher


1996 Michigan BC, @Colorado, UCLA
1996 Texas Tech, Georgia Tech

-Again, no question what so ever that Michigan had a MUCH tougher slate.

1997 Michigan Colorado, Baylor, Notre Dame
1997 Georgia Arkansas St, Lousiana-Monroe

-No comment needed...

1998 Michigan @ Notre Dame, Syracuse, Eastern Michigan
1998 Kent St, Wyoming

-Again, no comment needed

1999 Michigan Notre Dame, @ Syracuse, Rice
1999 Georgia Utah St, Central Florida

-Yet again, cream puffs

2000 Michigan Bowling Green, Rice, @UCLA
2000 Georiga Georiga Southern, New Mexico St

- See a trend here with Georgia yet?

2001 Michigan Miami (Oh), @Washington, Western Michigan
2001 Georgia Arkansas St, Georgia Tech

- Nothing like never leaving your own back yard.

2002 Michigan Washington, Western Michigan, @ Notre Dame, Utah
2002 Georgia Northwestern State, Clemson, New Mexico St

Again no road non conference games for Georgia

2003 Michigan Central Michigan, Houston, Notre Dame, @ Oregon
2003 Georgia @ Clemson, Middle Tenn St, Alabama-Birmingham

-Again Michigan clearly has the tougher slate.

2004 Miami(oh), Notre Dame, SDSU
2004 Georgia Southern, Marshall and Georgia Tech

-Probably the best non conference Georgia has had to date and still not as strong as Michigans... Yes Georgia fan, Notre Dame is better than GT.

2005 Michigan Northern Ill, Eastern Michigan, Notre Dame
2005 Georgia Boise St, Lousiana-Monroe

- No comments needed

2006 Michigan Vanderbilt, @ Notre Dame and Centeral Michgian
2006 Georgia Colorado, Western KY and Alabama-Birmingham

A 2-10 colorado team is not better than a BCS Notre Dame team but they do get points for scheduling a historically decent team.

In short, in most of the cases there is absolutely no question that Michigan has much better non conference opponents. Michigan has a very, very long history of scheduling at least 1 heavy weight opponent.

I say the conversation went like this...

Georgia AD - Hey, we'd like to play you guys would you be open to talking about it?

Michigan AD Sure, wed love to have a home and home with Georgia!

Georgia AD Well that sounds great we have an opening on our schedule in 2011 and we'd love to have you boys come to our place to fill out that slot.

Michigan AD That might work... you could come up here the following year for the return trip....

Georgia AD Whoa.. that wont work.... I mean we'll be happy to come up there at some future date but we cant committ to a return visit the very next season.

Michigan AD Oh, sorry to hear that... give us a call when you can committ to a home and home series.

[CJHawkeyes]

Another worthless I-A vs I-AA game.

[Bucky]

Another worthless I-A vs I-AA game.

Worthless?

It won't be worthless to the Appalachain St program and their fans. It won't be worthless to the UM Athletic Department who will make MILLIONS of $$ by booking another home game.

Did you happen to notice how many times last year a 1-AA program gave a BCS conference team a close game?? Did you notice how many times a 1-AA program beat a 1-A team?

Did you notice that YSU was at one time a top 50 team according to RPI?

[CJHawkeyes]

Worthless?

It won't be worthless to the Appalachain St program and their fans. It won't be worthless to the UM Athletic Department who will make MILLIONS of $$ by booking another home game.

Did you happen to notice how many times last year a 1-AA program gave a BCS conference team a close game?? Did you notice how many times a 1-AA program beat a 1-A team?

Did you notice that YSU was at one time a top 50 team according to RPI?

The game only exists to make money. It serves no competitive purpose. Competition is why I follow college football. And I-AA teams winning a whopping six games out of 70 versus bottom feeding I-A teams hardly justifies these games. There are 119 I-A teams and only two to get to play for the national title. Shouldn't the most "meaningful" regular season in sports require I-A teams to play against I-A teams only? How do fans defend 8 out of 12 games at home and a system encourages I-A versus I-AA games moreso than games like Ohio State-Texas? Do you think requiring balanced home and away schedules versus I-A competition with teams governed by rules that encourage stronger schedulling would be bad for college football? Do you watch games based on how much money the participating schools will make?

BTW, what difference does YSU's RPI make if it was earned versus I-AA competition?

[Blue Hen]

Games like this exist, and are common anymore, because big time college football is strictly an exhibition sport.....no way around it

[Bucky]

Games like this exist, and are common anymore, because big time college football is strictly an exhibition sport.....no way around it


I find it very puzzling, that someone who is passionate about classifying College Football as nothing more than an exhibition, could devote so much of his life to the sport.

CJ, according to your thinking, the Ohio State vs Texas game is no more meaningful than Michigan vs Appalachain St. You can't have both sides of the argument.

[Hanchex]

How do fans defend 8 out of 12 games at home and a system encourages I-A versus I-AA games moreso than games like Ohio State-Texas?

Strong pts, CJ. It's a game supported by boosters (i.e. wealthy fans) more than any other game in existence. Everyone needs to be able to say that they support a winning team.

I could go on and on about that. How winning begets more winning, but not in the way people think. It has a lot less to do with tradition, fans filling a stadium, etc. than the average fan thinks.

The original poster should check out Appy State's game against a terrible NC State team last year. Not knocking ASU or even Michigan (one poster on this thread made a strong case for their OOC scheduling), I'm just saying I wouldn't expect too exciting a game if I were a UM fan.

[CJHawkeyes]

I find it very puzzling, that someone who is passionate about classifying College Football as nothing more than an exhibition, could devote so much of his life to the sport.

CJ, according to your thinking, the Ohio State vs Texas game is no more meaningful than Michigan vs Appalachain St. You can't have both sides of the argument.


I didn't call college football an exhibition sport. Furthermore, being passionate about a sport doesn't mean embracing all that is wrong with it. This great sport is being ruined by the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Those in power have no interest in an equitable competition. I suppose I can't blame schools for trying maximize their bottom line, but I doubt any of us are fans for that reason. Therefore, even if we can't change things, why defend the status quo? Are you opposed to balanced home and away schedules versus I-A competition only? Are you opposed to rules that would encourage games like Ohio State-Texas? And how am I playing both sides of the argument?

[EvilVodka]

Let me be blunt then. Georgia aint even off the freeway heading to the parking lot of the stadium compared to Michigan when it comes to scheduling.


This post (all of it above, I didn't quote the whole monolithic post) doesn't exactly prove much about Michigan's scheduling...a bunch of MAC teams each year with a Rice and Vanderbilt thrown in, plus Notre Dame...wow...

Michigan usually gets their ass kicked when they travel outside the Big 11 and play real BCS teams...

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

Hmmm, how often does LSU travel to play a good BCS conference team, and then win the game? I know FSU does but LSU is another story. At least, Michigan goes to places like Eugene, OR and South Bend, IN. Last, Michigan defeated ND on the road by more points than LSU did at home.

[EvilVodka]

Hmmm, how often does LSU travel to play a good BCS conference team, and then win the game? I know FSU does but LSU is another story. At least, Michigan goes to places like Eugene, OR and South Bend, IN. Last, Michigan defeated ND on the road by more points than LSU did at home.

I've got a DVD recording of an ESPN classic game where FSU travels to the "Big House" and stomps Michigan's ass

I don't think there was a return trip to Tallahassee planned, or maybe Michigan just chickened out

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

I was at that game. I know that you are not one who equates one example with a trend. Also, I was talking about LSU's lack of notable road games, not FSU's. On the other hand, I credited FSU. Now try to find something good about LSU's OOC schedule and get back to me.

[happjack]

I've got a DVD recording of an ESPN classic game where FSU travels to the "Big House" and stomps Michigan's ass

I don't think there was a return trip to Tallahassee planned, or maybe Michigan just chickened out

Didnt that game happen because someone backed out of a game with either Michigan or FSU?

[ktffan]

This post (all of it above, I didn't quote the whole monolithic post) doesn't exactly prove much about Michigan's scheduling...a bunch of MAC teams each year with a Rice and Vanderbilt thrown in, plus Notre Dame...wow...

Michigan usually gets their ass kicked when they travel outside the Big 11 and play real BCS teams...

Michigan has been so-so in scheduling in recent years. However, when compared to Georgia, they are a scheduling giant (which was the comparison made).

These kinds of dicussions are pointless. There are 1,001 reasons why contract talks break down or never get started, most having to do with money and who wants what for whatever return trip or not. I always find it humerous when someone takes the asinine position that one team or the other was just too scared or something.

[HellYeahHokie]

All I know is when the Kickoff Classic wanted to schedule a matchup between Virginia Tech and Michigan (I think it was in 2000 or 2001), Carr was quoted as saying we don't want to play such a tough match the first game of the season.

That's as close to being 'chicken' as you are going to get. University of Michicken

Still, no one compares to Georgia.

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

For you to challenge Michigan's scheduling and support your position with an alleged quote shows that you do not understand Michigan football. VT is a relative newcomer to both top-level football and basketball and no VT fan should espouse their theories on scheduling. Where was VT in football before Beamerball started and where was VT in basketball before this year?

[HellYeahHokie]

I wasn't trying to compare VT's tradition with Michigan's, in either basketball or football. That doesn't change the fact that Michigan turned down the offer to play VT in the Pigskin classic.

But to answer your questions: Before Beamer, VT was a top 20 team through much of the mid-80s (thanks primarily to Bruce Smith). But Beamer has been around for 2 decades now. It's hardly a flash in the pan program. VT is either 2nd or 3rd to Michigan in terms of number of consecutive bowl appearances. Michigan and VT have both in a national championship game during that time. UM won, VT didn't. Edge to Michigan, but otherwise I'd say that VT's success over the past 16-17 years is every bit as comparable as UM. (Though I'd trade a lot of those successful seasons for a win in that Sugar Bowl) Plus, we actually like our coach.

Virginia Tech basketball will finish 4th or better in 2 out of the 3 years it has played one of the premier basketball conferences in the country. Not too shabby. The last time they were successful was in 95, when they were ranked as high as #8. But the basketball program has suffered primarily from bouncing around conferences. I think with ACC membership solidified, VT's program will continue to be successful.

[EvilVodka]

Michigan and VT have both in a national championship game during that time. UM won, VT didn't.

Michigan didn't really play in a National Championship game...obviously that year should have been Nebraska vs. Michigan

[mini_me]

Michigan didn't really play in a National Championship game...obviously that year should have been Nebraska vs. Michigan


Neither did Nebraska

[HellYeahHokie]

I know, I was just ceding the point that while VT's record over the past 15 years is very comparable to Michigan's, Michigan does have a MNC to its credit, while VT finished #2.