1.2 Million is half our our TV deal, so might as well do a buy game close to Cincinnati. Always pushing that
dam cart uphill.

I think this a great deal for several reasons. One UC is getting paid, second the basketball team gets a high profile non-conference game, third with the road games schedule at Ohio State and this game at Michigan a Bearcat victory sets them up nicely for a run at the playoff. If Cincinnati was in a power conference you have to win these types of games.

Yes, a home game would have been better but these are fun road trips with a nice payday.

It is what it is. Might as well make the extra coin where we can.

I am looking forward to the trip.

Cincinnati Future Non-Conference Opponents - 2013+

2013
08/31 - Purdue
09/07 - at Illinois
09/14 - Northwestern State
09/21 - at Miami (OH)


2014
09/13 - Toledo
09/20 - Miami (OH)
09/27 - at Ohio State
TBA - Stony Brook

2015
09/05 - Alabama A&M
09/19 - at Miami (OH)
10/24 - at BYU


2016
09/03 - at Purdue
09/10 - Miami (OH)
11/12 - BYU

2017
09/09 - at Michigan
09/16 - at Miami (OH)


2018
09/08 - at Ohio State
09/15 - Miami (OH)
09/22 - Ohio


Looks like we need a nice home&home series for 2015 & 2016 and we are booked for the next 4 years. Im on the phone to Rutgers or West Virginia today.

FWIW UConn got home and home games with Michigan, Tennessee, and Boise.

(03-27-2013 12:35 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Too bad we couldn't get a home FB game. Michigan is doing a home and home with UConn, whose stadium is similar in size to Nippert and isn't even in a recruiting territory. Would've been nice to have a sold out PBS for a game with UM. But I guess that's probably going to be the new reality for playing elite programs now that we're no longer in a power conference.

My guess is by the time we play this game, we will be in a power conf., I just can't get excited about a game 4 or 5 years away. Seen to many of these type of games, pushed back, then pushed back some more and then canceled.

(03-27-2013 01:04 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  FWIW UConn got home and home games with Michigan, Tennessee, and Boise.

Yup, UConn's scheduling abilities are enviable. They sit in a state that only produces a handful of BCS level prospects each year plus their stadium is similar to ours yet they are getting marquee teams to come there.

(03-27-2013 01:05 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 12:35 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Too bad we couldn't get a home FB game. Michigan is doing a home and home with UConn, whose stadium is similar in size to Nippert and isn't even in a recruiting territory. Would've been nice to have a sold out PBS for a game with UM. But I guess that's probably going to be the new reality for playing elite programs now that we're no longer in a power conference.

My guess is by the time we play this game, we will be in a power conf., I just can't get excited about a game 4 or 5 years away. Seen to many of these type of games, pushed back, then pushed back some more and then canceled.

Still want to continue to the Louisville series assuming we don't end up together. I really hope UC dumps the FCS school in 2014.

(03-27-2013 01:10 PM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 01:05 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 12:35 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Too bad we couldn't get a home FB game. Michigan is doing a home and home with UConn, whose stadium is similar in size to Nippert and isn't even in a recruiting territory. Would've been nice to have a sold out PBS for a game with UM. But I guess that's probably going to be the new reality for playing elite programs now that we're no longer in a power conference.

My guess is by the time we play this game, we will be in a power conf., I just can't get excited about a game 4 or 5 years away. Seen to many of these type of games, pushed back, then pushed back some more and then canceled.

Still want to continue to the Louisville series assuming we don't end up together. I really hope UC dumps the FCS school in 2014.

Why? Free win!

twitter stuff......

Lance McAlister ‏@LanceMcAlister 29m
@WhitBabcock talks #Bearcats-Michigan at 6:10 on Sports Talk

Paul Dehner Jr. ‏@pauldehnerjr 35m
Since 2007 #Bearcats have played 8 non-con games against BCS league opponents. Gone 4-4 (Beat Oregon St. 2x, NC State, VTech)

Paul Dehner Jr. ‏@pauldehnerjr 1h
#Bearcats obviously not afraid to go after the B1G: Play Purdue (13, 16), Illinois (13), Ohio St. (14, 18) and Michigan (17).

Tom Gelehrter ‏@Tommy_G 1h
A bit wild that Michigan began playing football in 1879, Cincinnati in 1885 and yet the #Bearcats & #Wolverines have never met. #AboutTime

Tom Gelehrter ‏@Tommy_G 1h
Major props to @BArkeilpane for helping put together the Michigan deal. He worked very hard at it & was pretty excited to get it done.

Paul Dehner Jr. ‏@pauldehnerjr 1h
Ideally, UC would prefer home-and-home for all football series, but proximity for major opponent & hoops tie-in sweetened the deal.

Paul Dehner Jr. ‏@pauldehnerjr 1h
Football game at the Big House will be a great event for Bearcats, but home-and-home basketball will be equally as intriguing.

Steven Godfrey ‏@38Godfrey 1h
The Big East Redacted might be imploding, but Cincinnati is (smartly) scheduling like a BCS program.
Retweeted by Tom Gelehrter

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 1h
Cincinnati will visit Michigan in football in 2017; UC & UM also will play home/home hoops series b/w 2015-16 & 2018-19 seasons

It is pretty difficult to get tickets to UofM games, wonder how many UC will get allotted?
If UC doesn't make a conference move in a year or two, I'd be concerned it won't be much of a contest due to UC's recruiting taking a nose dive.

I hate away only contracts (although due to conference issues UC is not in a position to dictate). Away only contracts seem very mid major.

(03-27-2013 01:08 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 01:04 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  FWIW UConn got home and home games with Michigan, Tennessee, and Boise.

Yup, UConn's scheduling abilities are enviable. They sit in a state that only produces a handful of BCS level prospects each year plus their stadium is similar to ours yet they are getting marquee teams to come there.

FWIW, I think that UConn scheduled those games back when we were in a BCS conference for the forseeable future.

And we only took the Tennessee deal to generate revenue; we probably could have gotten a home-and-home if we had pushed for it, but we needed the cash. UConn's athletic facilities were paid for by the state, so they don't have anywhere near the debt that we do eating up the AD's budget.

(03-27-2013 01:10 PM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 01:05 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 12:35 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Too bad we couldn't get a home FB game. Michigan is doing a home and home with UConn, whose stadium is similar in size to Nippert and isn't even in a recruiting territory. Would've been nice to have a sold out PBS for a game with UM. But I guess that's probably going to be the new reality for playing elite programs now that we're no longer in a power conference.

My guess is by the time we play this game, we will be in a power conf., I just can't get excited about a game 4 or 5 years away. Seen to many of these type of games, pushed back, then pushed back some more and then canceled.

Still want to continue to the Louisville series assuming we don't end up together. I really hope UC dumps the FCS school in 2014.

I'll be very surprised if UL wants to continue the football series. They will have a distinct advantage recruiting the Cincinnati area until UC returns to a power conference and won't want to give us credibility by playing...and losing. More likely--the basketball game would continue given Mick's relationship with Pitino.

It is a good OOC football game. Would have been great to get a return game Downtown. 3 biggest local draws
are ND, Michigan and OSU.

I'd bet good money that this game never even happens, and if it does it will be because we are once again a non threat in football. Sorry for the pessimism.

Happy about the bball games though.

(03-27-2013 02:36 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  I'd bet good money that this game never even happens, and if it does it will be because we are once again a non threat in football. Sorry for the pessimism.

Happy about the bball games though.

I think it will. The new playoff system is more reliant on strength of schedule and it behooves Michigan to play stronger teams.

(03-27-2013 02:14 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 01:08 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  

(03-27-2013 01:04 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  FWIW UConn got home and home games with Michigan, Tennessee, and Boise.

Yup, UConn's scheduling abilities are enviable. They sit in a state that only produces a handful of BCS level prospects each year plus their stadium is similar to ours yet they are getting marquee teams to come there.

FWIW, I think that UConn scheduled those games back when we were in a BCS conference for the forseeable future.

And we only took the Tennessee deal to generate revenue; we probably could have gotten a home-and-home if we had pushed for it, but we needed the cash. UConn's athletic facilities were paid for by the state, so they don't have anywhere near the debt that we do eating up the AD's budget.

We're in a tough position. I vaguely recall reading that we net less than $1.2M for a Nippert sellout so financially it's actually a winner compared to a home and home (although Nippert will hopefully be renovated and producing more money by the time a hypothetical return visit would have occurred). A home and home with our home being a PBS sellout would have probably have been a financial winner but of course we'd see a higher %age of UM fans there than at Nippert in terms of atmosphere. I'm kind of disappointed we couldn't get a return game at PBS out of it, but I know we need money and don't have a lot of leverage.

I like the basketball home and home, but I kind of resent it being called a "sweetener" for UC. It seems equally mutually beneficial to me.

Overall, I'm not thrilled with this announcement but I understand it and I'm OK with it.

(03-27-2013 02:36 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Sorry for the pessimism.

You certainly ain't the only one...

(03-27-2013 02:36 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  I'd bet good money that this game never even happens, and if it does it will be because we are once again a non threat in football. Sorry for the pessimism.

Happy about the bball games though.

Hopefully and presumably there's a large cancellation fee associated with it possibly approaching the full $1.2M perhaps depending upon the timing. Honestly I'd be happy with that outcome: a home and home hoops plus a $6-7 figure kicker to UC for a canceled football game is a winner in my book.

Especially because we'll ideally be in a different conference with a lot more money and more leverage soon. Enough so that we can easily replace a single UM away game with a suitable home and home deal with another quality opponent.

As much as we'd like to schedule like a heavyweight program the fact is we don't have the revenue right now to do it. We just took a buy game with Tennesse, this time we get a home and home basketball series plus a big payday our athletic department needs. Also as bigger conferences schedule more conference games there's fewer non conference games to go around. We're not going to get home and homes with these kind of teams unless one of the networks sets it up.