Michigan To Play All The Iffy Pac-12 Teams
The rumored Utah series is now official:
Utah will host Michigan in Rice-Eccles Stadium in the 2015 season opener as a part of a home-and-home series that begins with a 2014 game in Ann Arbor. Michigan will make its first Salt Lake City appearance on Sept. 3, 2015 in a rare weekday game for the Wolverines, who have never played on a Thursday. The first game of the series is scheduled for Sept. 20, 2014 in Michigan Stadium.
Michigan becomes just the second Big Ten team ever to play in Salt Lake City. The Utes knocked off Indiana 40-13 in Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2002.
"A home-and-home series with Michigan is the kind of opportunity that comes with membership in the Pac-12 Conference," said Utah Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hill. "I greatly appreciate Coach Whittingham's willingness to add college football's winningest program to his already difficult 2014 schedule, which will also feature five Pac-12 road games."
You'll note that the Wow Factor has been factor'd by playing in the Thursday night slot usually occupied by Mississippi State's latest flailing interception machine.
But wait, there's more! Michigan has released the entire 2015 nonconference schedule, which is as follows…
2015
Sept. 3 at Utah
Sept. 12 Notre Dame
Sept. 19 Oregon State
Sept. 26 UNLV
…and bits of the 2016 schedule, featuring ND, a home game against Colorado on September 17th and two TBAs likely to be punching bags. The Pac-12 agreement is tentatively scheduled to start the year after, so Michigan's eliminated ND-and-three-dwarves nonconference scheduling for the foreseeable future. That's a positive even if none of the teams incoming has much sex appeal.
But wait, there's more!
In addition, Michigan and Notre Dame will take a two-year hiatus in their long-standing rivalry during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Both schools intend to resume the rivalry in the years following.
That may be "less," actually. We'll see if Michigan fills that slot with a quality opponent when the time comes.
Questions
Are those Oregon State and Colorado games one-offs? Or are they home and homes with return dates set for the distant future? (If one-offs: coup. If not, okay.)
If so can we expect the Oregon State and Colorado games to slot into that 2018 and 2019 ND hiatus along with the Pac-12 agreement? (If so: meh.)
When was the last time Michigan played three BCS-ish teams in a nonconference schedule, as they will in 2015? (A: 1997, when they played Baylor, Colorado, and ND. They also did so in 1996 (Colorado, BC, UCLA) and 1994 (BC, ND, Colorado).)
What is our deal with playing Utah? (Seriously.)
Do we play UNLV or Colorado? I'm confused...
edit: looks like both, UNLV in 2015, Colorado in 2016.
but wheeeeeeen will we play EMU and a FCS team with a really good band?
What's the deal with playing Utah? Maybe Brandon's a Mormon.
Seriously though - I lived in Salt Lake right after I graduated from Michigan for two years (82 & 83) and it's a pretty cool city all things considered. Once you get used to the odd drinking rules in place it's not a bad place to spend a few days. Too bad we're not playing a bit later in the season cause the skiing there is in my humble opinion the best the continental US has to offer.
At least Huntsman got rid of those private club things where you had to buy membership and only got minis. But still, licenses are restricted, you still have to pour drinks out of view of the customers, and have to order food in order to get anything stronger than a bud light. I was just there for work last week and wondered why there were no taps at the bar. Other restaurants - the types of places that would serve beer at least on other states - are dry.
Haven't been to a ski resort in Utah yet, but I've also heard good things. One of these days will go snowboarding in Utah! (glad some of the resort finally relented on THAT front, too!)
I think it is beyond cool that Sione Houma's family will be able to see him play in his home state.
shudders.
should there be a year for when we played BC, ND, Colorado
or am i reading that last bit wrong?I hate that Michigan will be playing in a Thursday night game. As much as I enjoy watching Thursday night games, that slot is usually reserved for scrub ACC, Big East, or Pac 12 teams.
We have to play them sooner or later. Might as well at least do it on Thursday and make sure it is on ESPN. On a Saturday, Michigan vs Utah has a decent chance of getting exiled over to the BTN or some other network normally reserved for when some scrub Dakota team kicks Minnesota's ass.
Better to be the premier season opener game on a Thursday than the crappy game on Saturday (which no one but Michigan watches, because everyone else is watching the Jerryworld kick off classic thing).
If Michigan plays in the Sat noon spot, people bitch. If Michigan plays in the Sat 3:30 spot, people bitch. If Michigan plays in the Sat night spot, people bitch. Why should Thursday be any different at all!
I prefer 3:30 games with an occassional night game. I like to watch a few games before I get into my groove for the M game at 3:30. Obviously the benefit of this Thursday night game is that it's on national TV. Ugh, there have also been a plethora of upsets on Thursday night and while it's impossible to guess who will win this early, this game is just calling for an upset. Again, I'm not saying M will lose, but I will definitely be nervous for this one.
When you don't like it scheduled, instead of when someone else doesn't like it scheduled. Gotcha.
I hav one word for you, "tivo".
Have to admit that I enjoyed the "knowing that you're maybe the least understanding person on the Internet" jab.
So, it's everyone else's fault that you have no self control? It's not that hard to DVR the game, power off your iPad, iPhone and any other form of technology that may or may not make you aware of the score until you get home and can start the game.
My cousin got married on the UTL game last year. I DVR'd the game, told everyone around me that I will punch them in the face if anyone told me the score, dodged the douche bag DJ announcing the score and made it home to watch the game in its entirety. I enjoyed the crazy finish as if I was watching it live, even though I was 3 hours behind the rest of the world.
THAT was a real pain in the ass, but I didn't blame my cousin for getting married on that day. I did what every Michigan fan should do in that situation.. Man up and make it happen. If you're commited to it, you can avoid hearing the score and watch the game in its entirety. Have a little self control and commitment fergodsakes.
Besides, it's one game. Stop whining.
Watch ESPN App, and you can watch the game AT work, as it will invariably be on ESPN. Or ESPN3. Problem solved.
I'd say that's what you get for having AT&T, but heck, they just came to terms with Comcast, and that serves far more. But then again...maybe in 3 years they'll have it. I wouldn't doubt it. It's a long time from now to come to contract terms.
Heck, by then your iPad will be out of date and Apple will be streaming 3-D images straight to our brains.
(Didn't push ESPN3 on your computer as hard because who knows what your company allows to stream or not)
Well put, friend. I record sports all the time if I can't watch them live (never M games though, but would if I had to). When the Red Wings play a west coast playoff game that starts at 10:30 PM, I usually don't stay awake to watch it because I have to work the following day, so I record them and just avoid all forms of sports readings on the Internet and also turn my phone off. I know that other guy said he uses the same phone for work, but he just has to make it work.
Then again, just leave work early (just a few hours, I'm sure that can be done).
Kickoff will probably be sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 PST so if you work a normal schedule, You should be able to see most, if not all, of the game.
In exchange for perfect weather, hot chicks and not having to watch monday night football games end after midnight, you get shitty options for watching college football. i say a fair deal
One assumes a Michigan alum should be a high ranking member of his company and thus have the power to say "Hey I'm coming in a few hours early and leaving a few hours early on Thursday". If not, you're not a real Michigan man.
Snark aside:
Guess which Thursday you want to have a 2:30 pm dentist appointment on? Just take the afternoon as a sick day (preventative) for the appoitntment. Just avoid the eye doctor, they dilate your eyes and it makes watching TV a pain.
In general though, no I have no sympathy for your problem. I pulled shifts at the hospital during football games, I got up at ass o'clock in Korea to watch games, having to find a way to bail out of work early or miss the first quarter of a single game is not a huge deal. If Thursday nights become a common occurence (as opposed to what we do every couple of years when we have to visit the home stadium of a small market PAC team) then I'll care, but until then, meh.
That kinda sounds like your motto. I wouldn't want to steal it from you.
"if it affects my schedule and no one cries with me, they don't care about anyone but themselves" but other things that screw up other people's schedule "don't matter as long as it's on Saturday and doesn't mess with my schedule, but I am more empathetic than you".
So I'm guessing you objected to all those elderly alums who had to drive home in the dark because of the night game this year. I mean, Michigan had never done it before, so they should have done what they always do...play at noon or 3:30. (Dammit...3:30 doesn't work either...should have stayed at 1 pm, like Bo wanted it!)
At least we don't have to worry about the Twins making it to the World Series anymore...
Because you basically dismissed his examples of how every time is something SOMEONE struggles with "just say you don't care". People may care, but don't think it's the be all end all you're making it, because a lot of times and events people struggle with. And they make adjustments, and arrangements. Which you seem to refuse to make for one game 3 years from now. People take off from work to go to long distance road games, but you don't seem like you feel you should ever have to be bothered with such things. He's saying lots of people have these issues with times you don't. You're worrying about a game 3 years from now...you may not even have the same job you have right now 3 years from now. Worrying this much whether you can get a couple of vacation hours in seems overblown. That's why people aren't crying in their beer with you.
Besides it being a joke, I can't believe you want empathy because you have to leave work early or watch the game on delay one time three years from now. boo fucking hoo.
Maybe Dave Brandon should consider the ex-pat wolverines in China and Hong Kong when considering future schedules too. Wouldn't want to make them wake up 3:30 am on a Sunday, so lets cancel all late afternoon games.
No, we just aren't sympathetic to entitled children. Football isn't an inalienable right, ffs. Grow up and accept the fact that you have to miss a football game.
That is something I will never accept. Maybe I'm in the wrong place - since when do we have the attitide - "It's just Michigan football bro, it's no big deal to miss the games."
Hell, people get pissed when the students miss the first four minutes.
quityerbitchin fergodsakes. What about all those people all across the country that work on Saturdays, they finally get to enjoy a live UM game on Thursday night. Life's not fair, deal with it and stfu.
Think of all those Orthodox Jewish Michigan alumni in Salt Lake City who will get to go to the game!
EVERY game is good for some, not good for others. I'm sorry for WolverineinLA if we all seem like insenstitive dicks, but we're talking about the first Thursday night game for Michigan EVER, which is also THREE EFFING YEARS away from happening. From my perspective, tt is hard to get too wound up over how much this one future game might inconvenience someone. Even if that someone is a loyal fan.
Take a vacation day. Take a couple of vacation hours. It IS that big a deal. Don't act like it is that big a deal to you and no one else, but then act like you won't make adjustments to your life for it when so many others do. You don't get to see it in person often, no...but then, your commitment to watching the game is basically turning on the tv 2 minutes before kickoff. People get up at the crack of dawn, load a car, cook, walk, get home late, travel from out of town, get hotels to stay in for the night, take the day off work to head out to Iowa, or Penn State, deal with opposing fans, get rained/snowed/heat wave'd/froze. Having things like work, and life conflict. Everyone has to find a way to make do at some point. I had to leave a game against Eastern straight from the Stadium to drive to Chicago to go to a family wedding. I couldn't be there for the night before stuff and go to the game. Things have to give. Everyone does it. This one is your turn. It's that important to you, as it is to many others. Find a way to make it work instead of complaining that this one time you have to deal with what everyone else always has to deal with.
In 2011, those "scrub teams" playing on Thursday night included Oklahoma State, LSU, Oregon, USC, Virginia Tech and Texas.
Good call.
You found one season with a few elite teams.
Good call.
And you must have missed my word I used, that being "usually."
It was last season. Maybe there's a trend toward stronger programs playing on Thursday nights. Stay away from Fridays and I'm fine with it.
I would absolutely take a Thursday game over Friday (LOL at Sparty).
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