We got a big look at future scheduling last week -- the good, the bad, and the meh.
When I quickly discussed the teams that would be on the schedule I somewhat jokingly asked if you, my dear readers, were underwhelmed. Two mediocre Pac-12 teams, and another team that has only been in the Pac-12 for one year, not to mention UNLV. MGoShoe pointed out to me on twitter that underwhelmed isn't the right word for it, "whelmed" is. This isn't a marquee set of match ups, but it is an upgrade from a parade of MAC teams and FCS corpses.
Still, it doesn't quite jive with what Dave Brandon has recently been saying regarding scheduling:
"Part of the objective, and there are a lot of objectives when you're putting a schedule together," Brandon said recently, "but part of the objective is to create contests that are interesting to people. "(Contests) that are fascinating to people and contests that people want to talk about."
Now some of his moves thus far as AD clearly follow this line of thinking, for better or worse. The night game against Notre Dame, a neutral site season opener against Alabama, and a rematch against Appalachian State are all games that exist as bigger than just the action on the field. There is history or pomp. Last week's announcements are devoid of that. They are Pac-12 opponents for the sake of picking up Pac-12 opponents.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as even mediocre to good Pac-12 programs are a step up from the normal non-conference scheduling.
Ultimately, this approach to scheduling will be up and down. All publicity isn't necessarily good pulbicity, and while the spectacle of the Jerry Dome is eye-catching, there is something to be said for a home and home series. As Hoover Street Rag points out, there are plenty of interesting match ups that Michigan could look into that have yet to be tried (also check out part two).
In the end you aren't going to make everyone happy. Some -- including myself -- will decry the marketing-focused approach while others don't want to sacrifice home games unless absolutely necessary. Scheduling good teams could lead to losses while bodybag games could lead to disinterest.
At least there is one thing we can all agree on: scheduling that App State game was a terrible idea.
Let's get to the links:
How'd They Do? Michigan Wolverines 2012 Football Recruiting Class - Over at Black Shoe Diaries they take a look at Michigan's 2012 recruiting class. I'm not sure I agree with the "B" grade, but the player evaluations are solid.
Ex-Michigan basketball guard Stu Douglass to play professionally in Spain - Good luck to Stu, who I think will be able to carve out a decent career playing lower level pro ball. Smart, tireless defenders who can shoot and handle the ball never go out of style.
The "shaky" commitment - Tremendous discusses the rumors of a Chris Fox decommit. Just remember that the 2013 class is far from in the books.
BTN programming: is there a bias? - Also from BSD, a member of the community takes a look at Big Ten Network programming and who are the winners and losers when it comes to screen time. The results are somewhat predictable, but nonetheless interesting.
Joe Paterno's role in covering up Jerry Sandusky's child molestations grows as evidence is leaked - Wetzel on the emails between Penn State administrators surrounding the Sandusky incident that is at the heart of the investigation.
Joe Paterno fans must accept that he was flawed
We all have both. Our culture seems more and more addicted to the concept of white hats and black hats, to taking sides, to painting the world and its inhabitants as either "good" or "evil." It’s an infantile way to look at life and people, in my opinion.
David Jones does a great job looking at Paterno in light of recent developments.
Foot Injury Sidelines Jordan Hall for 10 Weeks - Ohio State will be without Hall until most likely the Cal game. While this isn't a huge blow to the season, it is another hurdle in an off season that has thus far been littered with nagging issues.
Conference realignments for 2012: A handy guide - For those of you that need a refresher course on just what college football is going to look like this fall, CBS has a list of the conference moves for this season.