MSU AD Mark Hollis Talks Big Ten Divisions and the 2011 and 2012 New Schedule

 

Are you ready for some football? Take a look at the 2011 and 2012 schedule.

Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis:

“You had 12 athletic directors sitting in a room and it was a process where each one of us was looking out for the best interest of our individual institutions, but also working with the best interests of the Big Ten at heart. You have to give credit to Commissioner Delany and his staff for bringing facts forward, whether it be on the traditional rivalries, geography or competitive equality. As a result, we were able to come up with a balanced divisional breakdown.

 

“During the meeting, there were some conversations about some issues that people felt very strongly about. There were others where we had a preference on where we wanted to go. An example of that is I wanted to keep Michigan State in Chicago, which meant a game against Northwestern. I think that’s important to our University, as it is to a lot of other universities. To be able to take our fans and our team into that major market is important. We wanted to play Michigan for a divisional title; Michigan wanted to play us for a divisional title. And that gave us an opportunity to be in the same division. We looked at the Penn State game, one that’s important to both of us, but there were some things each school had to give up in order to receive some other benefits.

 

“As an AD, you start to get anxious, thinking you have a tough schedule. But then you look at everyone’s schedule and realize they’re all difficult. From a recruiting perspective, it’s a benefit to all of our programs. You want to see those big match-up games. Every week as you go through the schedule, you’re going to see a big rivalry game; you’re going to see a national game. It’s going to create a lot of excitement leading up to the last few weeks of the season, as teams are jockeying for divisional titles. It’s the kind of league that kids want to play in – you want to play in those big games.”

 

 

Michigan State Football Schedules

 

2011

Sept. 3          YOUNGSTOWN STATE

Sept. 10        FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Sept. 17        at Notre Dame

Sept. 24        CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Oct. 1             at Ohio State

Oct. 15          MICHIGAN

Oct. 22          WISCONSIN

Oct. 29           at Nebraska

Nov. 5           MINNESOTA

Nov. 12         at Iowa

Nov. 19         INDIANA

Nov. 26         at Northwestern

 

 

2012

Sept. 1          HOME GAME TBD

Sept. 8           at Central Michigan

Sept. 15        NOTRE DAME

Sept. 22        EASTERN MICHIGAN

Sept. 29        OHIO STATE

Oct. 6             at Indiana

Oct. 13          IOWA

Oct. 20           at Michigan

Oct. 27           at Wisconsin

Nov. 3           NEBRASKA

Nov. 17         NORTHWESTERN

Nov. 24         at Minnesota