ESPN announced Friday that College GameDay would head out to Ann Arbor on September 10th to feature the match-up between Michigan and Notre Dame under the lights of the Big House.
The two schools have a long storied rivalry that dates back to November 23rd, 1887 in which Michigan beat Notre Dame 8-0 in the first ever match-up between the two schools. The two teams play each other regularly and have met every year since 2002 after a two-year break from each other. Since then the rivalry between the two schools has in a way intensified due to Notre Dame’s refusal to join the Big Ten and remain independent.
If you add all those factors together plus this year’s game marking the first night game in the Big House’s history, GameDay in Ann Arbor on September 10th seems like a very justifiable choice.
There is however one lingering question, did ESPN choose the wrong Michigan school to feature for College GameDay?
Michigan’s hated in State rival Michigan State has in a way owned Michigan the past three seasons and has quite simply been the better football team since 2008. A few other things you can’t overlook concerning Michigan State is they are the co-defending Big Ten Champions (with Wisconsin), they are picked to finish second in the Legends Division behind Nebraska (Michigan is picked to finish 4th) and will probably be fielding a more talented team in 2011.
Of course you need to have intriguing opponents within your schedule to attract the nation to your games which in turn could attract ESPN College GameDay as well.
Let’s take a look at Michigan State’s schedule in 2011…
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2011-2012 MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
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| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time / Result |
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| 09/02/11 | vs. Youngstown State  |
East Lansing, Mich. | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| 09/10/11 | vs. Florida Atlantic |
East Lansing, Mich. | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| 09/17/11 | at Notre Dame |
Notre Dame, Ind. | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| 09/24/11 | vs. Central Michigan | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 10/01/11 | at Ohio State * | Columbus, Ohio | TBA |
| 10/15/11 | vs. Michigan * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 10/22/11 | vs. Wisconsin * |
East Lansing, Mich. | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| 10/29/11 | at Nebraska * | Lincoln, Neb. | TBA |
| 11/05/11 | vs. Minnesota * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 11/12/11 | at Iowa * | Iowa City, Iowa | TBA |
| 11/19/11 | vs. Indiana * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 11/26/11 | at Northwestern * | Evanston, Ill. | TBA |
And for fun lets take a look at Michigan’s 2011 schedule…
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2011 Michigan Football Schedule
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| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time / Result |
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| Sat., Sep. 3 | vs. Western Michigan |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Sep. 10 | vs. Notre Dame |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Sep. 17 | vs. Eastern Michigan |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Sep. 24 | vs. San Diego State |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
| Sat., Oct. 1 | vs. Minnesota * |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
| Sat., Oct. 8 | at Northwestern * |
Evanston, Ill. | 6:00 p.m. CT |
| Sat., Oct. 15 | at Michigan State * |
East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| Sat., Oct. 29 | vs. Purdue (Homecoming) * |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Sat., Nov. 5 | at Iowa * |
Iowa City, Iowa | TBA |
| Sat., Nov. 12 | at Illinois * |
Champaign, Ill. | TBA |
| Sat., Nov. 19 | vs. Nebraska * |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
| Sat., Nov. 26 | vs. Ohio State * |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
When looking at Michigan State’s schedule there are games that you would think would be interesting enough to bring College GameDay to East Lansing. For instance how about on October 15th when Michigan State PLAYS Michigan in East Lansing? This would be Brady Hoke’s first game at State as the head coach of Michigan and could mark the first time State has beaten Michigan four straight years since the 1962 season. Not to mention that GameDay should have been in Ann Arbor covering this rivalry last season.
Or how about the game the following week when Michigan State takes on the team they shared the Big Ten title with in Wisconsin? This will be a prime time game (8PM ET) and will feature what will probably be two of the Big Ten’s better teams.
Finally Michigan State heads into the 2011 season with USA Today preseason Coaches Poll ranking of 17.
Again I’m sure the Michigan/Notre Dame match-up for GameDay is going to be a good one. But Michigan State fans surely have a good argument against ESPN for looking over them when it came to choosing a Michigan school to feature in 2011.
Source: ESPN, MSUSpartans.com, MGoBlue.com
