If we’re going to schedule this kind of game the least we could do is schedule California teams. Alabama makes no sense. Neither does Bowling Green. I’m surprised they have a football team honestly. They sound like the farm team for the PBA.
Honestly rather schedule those two teams than California ones. One of the big problems with scheduling in-state schools (especially Fresno State, for example) is they take those games incredibly seriously and have huge chips on their shoulder because the players felt overlooked by the bigger school. No need to worry about that against Bowling Green and South Alabama.
I'm not sure it's fearing Fresno State more than its something of a no-win scenario - win and, nationally, no one cares... lose, and, no matter how good Fresno (or SDSU, etc) are, it looks worse than it is... add in, as Dimitri says, that its the biggest game of their season any season we play them...
It is a bit of a bummer that we're playing our first FCS/DII school ever, but the way schedules are planned out nearly a decade in advance, when Michigan bailed/chickened out with little notice, providing an HBCU a shot at a game in the Rose Bowl isn't the worst way to fill out the schedule! Heck, if we were an SEC team, we'd probably play Chapman or USD every year and no one would bat an eye!
: >) They're 'in the Mid-American Conference. .Some of their basketball teams can be fairly competitive with the big schools, but not so much with football. Not so sure about their bowling program. :>)
I fear we are less of a laughingstock and more of an afterthought - or a neverthought - in the first place.
And while I'm all for playing an HBCU, I'm also kind of sad to see our streak of never playing an FCS/D-II school end. Notre Dame will be the only remaining school but they have an FCS scheduled in 2023. But I guess if Almighty Bama can play them every year, one in our history is still pretty good.
I guess. My only interest in those three games is the marching band.
The only one that will really be worth it is the Alabama State one. The South Alabama one might be good, no idea how the Bowling Green band will be.
UCLA will likely not have the full band yet because it's before school starts. Maybe by the third game.
If we’re going to schedule this kind of game the least we could do is schedule California teams. Alabama makes no sense. Neither does Bowling Green. I’m surprised they have a football team honestly. They sound like the farm team for the PBA.
Honestly rather schedule those two teams than California ones. One of the big problems with scheduling in-state schools (especially Fresno State, for example) is they take those games incredibly seriously and have huge chips on their shoulder because the players felt overlooked by the bigger school. No need to worry about that against Bowling Green and South Alabama.
All true, but if we fear playing Fresno State, that speaks to bigger problems.
I'm not sure it's fearing Fresno State more than its something of a no-win scenario - win and, nationally, no one cares... lose, and, no matter how good Fresno (or SDSU, etc) are, it looks worse than it is... add in, as Dimitri says, that its the biggest game of their season any season we play them...
It is a bit of a bummer that we're playing our first FCS/DII school ever, but the way schedules are planned out nearly a decade in advance, when Michigan bailed/chickened out with little notice, providing an HBCU a shot at a game in the Rose Bowl isn't the worst way to fill out the schedule! Heck, if we were an SEC team, we'd probably play Chapman or USD every year and no one would bat an eye!
: >) They're 'in the Mid-American Conference. .Some of their basketball teams can be fairly competitive with the big schools, but not so much with football. Not so sure about their bowling program. :>)
I fear we are less of a laughingstock and more of an afterthought - or a neverthought - in the first place.
And while I'm all for playing an HBCU, I'm also kind of sad to see our streak of never playing an FCS/D-II school end. Notre Dame will be the only remaining school but they have an FCS scheduled in 2023. But I guess if Almighty Bama can play them every year, one in our history is still pretty good.
Yeah it’s the end of an era I guess…
If we were competitive I'd worry about strength of schedule, but alas, that is just theoretical talk at this point with Chip <sigh...>