What A 10-Game Big Ten-Only Schedule Could Look Like For Michigan
According to a report from BlackandGold.com's Tom Dienhart (who used to work for the Big Ten and has strong sources inside the conference), the league is strongly considered a 10-game conference-only schedule for its league this fall.
We've heard a few different scenarios, including a regional schedule that includes Mid-American Conference and Conference USA opponents, but the situation is fluid with new elements added to the mix daily, SI.com's Pat Forde and Ross Dellinger writing how trends are moving in the wrong direction for a season to take place. However, all hope is not lost yet, and Dienhart's article suggest the Big Ten is being proactive about an approach to save the 2020 campaign.
Michigan is currently slated to play nine conference games over a 10-week period, having a bye Oct. 31. The Wolverines have five home contests and four on the road. Dienhart notes that the plan would be to play 10 games over 13 weeks, which provides more byes and time to adapt to the evolving landscape.
| Date | Opponent | Originally |
|---|---|---|
Sept. 5 | at Minnesota | at Washington |
Sept. 12 | vs. Maryland | vs. Ball State |
Sept. 19 | BYE WEEK | vs. Arkansas State |
Sept. 26 | vs. Wisconsin | vs. Wisconsin |
Oct. 3 | vs. Penn State | vs. Penn State |
Oct. 10 | at Michigan State | at Michigan State |
Oct. 17 | BYE WEEK | at Minnesota |
Oct. 24 | vs. Purdue | vs. Purdue |
Oct. 31 | at Iowa | BYE WEEK |
Nov. 7 | BYE WEEK | vs. Maryland |
Nov. 14 | at Rutgers | at Rutgers |
Nov. 21 | vs. Indiana | vs. Indiana |
Nov. 28 | at Ohio State | at Ohio State |
Once all the non-conference games are thrown out, there is flexibility to move Big Ten opponents into September contests so under my plan I would move two games up - the trip to Minnesota and a visit from Maryland take the first two slots in the Michigan schedule. This allows for U-M to have a bye every 3-4 weeks.
The Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana and Ohio State games can all stay put so as to create minimal disruption to the current schedule. The only addition is a road game at Iowa (one would assume in a 10-game conference slate half the games would be at home and half on the road and Michigan is already scheduled for five at The Big House).
The Hawkeyes are the only other team with a bye scheduled for Halloween weekend so they make obvious sense as the fill-in opponent for Michigan.
