Mailbag question: Big Ten and scheduling

Mailbag question: Big Ten and scheduling

It is especially vexing that the Big Ten continues to schedule so that the season is complete before Thanksgiving. Every other conference spreads their schedule over an additional 2 weeks so that most teams get one or two weekends off, e.g. USC has two weekends off this year while Florida and Alabama each have had one. These weeks off are critical to development and recovery from injuries. For Michigan this year such a break would have been especially helpful as a break would provide young players in skill positions a chance to re-assess, refine and develop the playbook. Moreover, the cumulative effect of this position cannot be underestimated in that the SEC teams and USC get 2 extra weeks of practice each year, hence over the past 5 years they have received 10 extra weeks of practice time. If the Big Ten and Michigan is ever to return to its elite status this policy must change quickly. Any comments.

Thanks,

Mike S.

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Thanks for the question.

We would actually go a step further and would like to see The Big 10 add a twelfth team and have a playoff game. The obvious choice is Notre Dame with its national presence along with high academic standards. The domers would fit perfectly and make the Big Ten a stronger conference, but this is more dreaming than anything else right now and no one, including GBMW looks for this possibility to happen anytime soon.

Adding another team, just to add a team to be able to play a championship game, might hurt the overall conference program as well, especially if the new team just falls to the bottom of the conference. The Big Ten needs another team to compete every year with the best teams in the conference, year in and year out.

Adding a team would help accomplish obvious goals and satisfy needs such as the benefit of the added revenue of a championship game, which could be played or rotated at sites such as Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, Indiana, or Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Both are domed stadiums, so playing later in the year would not be as big of a factor and playing in NFL stadiums could bring an added excitement for players, coaches, fans, etc.

We are 100% in agreement with the benefit of extra practices. In fact we took a ton of heat last season for suggesting Michigan not getting to six victories hurt because they lost out on the fifteen extra practices that go with a bowl appearance. Some thought it was better for the coaches to recruit, but the problem with this scenario is most of the preparation time falls under the dead period for recruiting. Recruits like to see a team they are considering in a bowl game, especially if it is a big-time BCS bowl game.

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Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine