The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508023
22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2023 in basketball. Those things are being worked on now." TW: In football scheduling, with the addition of tough programs such as USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, could we see more future non- conference schedules like the past two years, without necessarily the Oklahoma, Texas and Notre Dame level of competition? WM: "The Big Ten across the board is tough, and we've added four great teams, which makes it tougher. You could see those types of schedules. We already have games scheduled with Texas and Oklahoma in a series. We have Notre Dame out into the '30s, with a series. Those things are on the books, and there's nothing brewing that would take those games away. "It does make our league much tougher, in terms of the schedule. But this is Michigan. We look forward to and enjoy playing tough competition and putting ourselves up against the best in the country, as we do on an annual basis. "As we look at scheduling, and as schedules are developed by the Big Ten, we will establish in the nonconference the best way to prepare our team to have continued success, whether that's play- ing Texas next year and then Oklahoma the next two years and Texas after that. "Those things will happen. And we'll decide what we need as we start to de- velop our nonconference schedules throughout the years. "Right now, I think we're out to 2028 or 2029 with our nonconference sched- ule. We'll continue to fill those as we move forward." TW: What are your thoughts on the expanded College Football Playoff? WM: "It's obviously going to be differ- ent. We're going to have to figure it out as we go. Next year will be the first year of the 12-team playoff. Four home games for the five, six, seven and eight, and how those will line up. All that stuff is under discussion among the commissioners right now. We'll see how that goes. "The selection process will remain consistent, with how we rank the top 25. I don't anticipate that process changing. "What will change is how people are placed into the top 12, pending the dis- cussion with the commissioners. Once that is set, it is what it is. You go and you play. "Ultimately, my concern is for our student-athletes, and as you progress, how we manage it with them. Those outcomes are the things we have to make sure are at the forefront of our thinking, as it relates to having a play- off. "But it's not immensely different than what the FCS level does now in the playoffs, in terms of the length and travel. It's just new to us. It goes from a four-team playoff, where four teams are affected, to 12 teams getting to par- ticipate in it. "Our first couple of years, we just have to make sure our student-athletes are connected, listen to them and make any adjustments that may be necessary at this point." TW: Is there a possibility of hosting a playoff game in Michigan Stadium in December? WM: "If we're [seeded] five, six, seven or eight, we will be hosting a game at Michigan Stadium. I'm not moving it somewhere else." TW: Your thoughts on having one of these Southern teams up to play in the snow? WM: "We welcome any team we play in Michigan Stadium." TW: Can you assess the present state of Michi- gan's NIL situation? WM: "I think we are making great prog- ress in our program, in our support of stu- dent-athletes in our NIL, with our educa- tion, with our new partnership with our [Champions Circle] collective coming on and being a partner with Learfield. I think our fans are embracing it. The powerhouse Michigan women's gymnastics team celebrated winning both the Big Ten regular- season and Big Ten Championship titles last season. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS