Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Mix It Up By Dan Murphy After Saturday's game, Notre Dame and Michi- gan will go their own ways, torn apart by re- alignment and an impending nine-game confer- ence schedule in the Big Ten. And while many fists have shaken over the death of another traditional rivalry, give this trial separation a chance. You might like it. The Irish are scheduled to play Texas and Georgia six times in the next seven years. Those games wouldn't be realistic with the Wolver- ines on the front end of the schedule as well. Michigan is bringing in new opponents such as Washington, UCLA, Oklahoma and Florida. Vari- ety in the college football world is a great thing. Tradition is, too, of course. But the Notre Dame-Michigan series fits better into that large group of faux traditions that only seem like they've been going on forever in South Bend. Seven teams have played Notre Dame more times than the Wolverines have. Three of them (Purdue, Michigan State and Northwestern) are from the Big Ten. The constraints of a five-game ACC slate meant Notre Dame had to cut back on its rivalry games, but Navy and USC, longer and more traditional rivalries for the Irish, survived. There are two main gripes we hear most often about the end of this fun college football series. If you're arguing that a sacred rivalry is dying, there are several others that have longer histo- ries that will continue. If you're arguing that the end of the series is more about the loss of an exciting, powerhouse opponent, Notre Dame is using the open slot to add more exciting teams and bigger powerhouses to the schedule. Restore The Rivalry By Andrew Owens When Notre Dame and Michigan part ways following the latest installment of a long and distinguished Midwest rivalry on Sept. 6, it will be a sad occasion for those of us who have enjoyed the cast of characters from past Irish- Wolverines battles. Notice that word — "rivalry." Notre Dame will try to avoid using it as much as possible during the lead-up to game day, while Michigan — es- pecially head coach Brady Hoke — will lament the (temporary?) end of the series. Sure, Notre Dame has committed itself to eight annual matchups, with five coming from the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as USC, Stanford and Navy. With four remaining spots to fill annually, there's no reason Notre Dame can't find a spot for Michigan without risking its goal of playing across the country. In 2015, Notre Dame plays zero Big Ten schools for the first time in a century. Purdue and Michigan State are scheduled to return to the Irish slate at different times in the next decade on a rotating basis, so why can't Michi- gan? The Irish have played the Boilermakers and Spartans more frequently than the Wolverines, but a mutual dislike exists between Notre Dame and Michigan that won't be found in the other matchups. Notre Dame trumpets its willingness to play anyone, anywhere. So, if that's the case, why not choose mighty Michigan over a lousy Purdue program and Michigan State, which has experi- enced new levels of success in recent years but seems unlikely to sustain it in the long run? Point ✦ Counterpoint: SHOULD NOTRE DAME AND MICHIGAN BE WORKING HARDER TO SAVE THEIR RIVALRY? Listen to the discussion in this digital exclusive