….would be so insuperable. Difficult, yes. But there’s nothing wrong with asking Colorado about moving our return game in 2010 to 2011 or 2012 (as opposed to simply stiffing them like Tulane did to us in 2002-2003). Also, don’t underestimate the amount of $$$$ and clout that ESPN has to make a series like this worth everyone’s while IF they were to take an interest.
     The core problem, it must be said, is UM’s scheduling habits. No regular season visits to SEC territory since the Harding Administration (1922). Only SEC team they’ve scheduled in the regular season since our Dawgs came up to the Big House in 1965 and took their lunch money is Vanderbilt (2005). They simply don’t travel to the SEC, and 80+ year old habits are hard to break.
      Kyle, I have to add that I find Bill Martin’s response to you, invoking their series with the Fainting Irish as an excuse, to be extremely facetious. In the first place, given ND’s “achievement” over the past decade, that would be comparable to Damon Evans complaining that we would like to schedule outside the Southeast but “we do have our annual series with GA Tech.” In the second place, look at Michigan’s own scheduling proclivities over the past 15 years or so, up to the present. Playing Neuter Dame was never a hindrance to their scheduling home and road games with UCLA, Washington, and most recently Oregon and Utah. However, after losing at home to Appy State, getting utterly pasted by Oregon (both in 2007), and now losing to Utah last fall, I wonder if they’re about ready to chuck this OOC stuff out the window. Have you seen their schedule this year? In addition to the Leprechauns, they play Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan (those intra-state rivalries are sooooo heated!!!) and – Delaware State.
    So this “story” does have all the earmarks of someone’s idle daydream, trying to pass the time at the tail end of the off-season. It would be most entertaining if it ever happened, but I agree with you that it won’t (unless ESPN were to step in and bribe all parties with an interest: us Dawgs, UM, Colorado – maybe Louisville too although I would like to see us simply toss that series and pay them the buyout).

I doubt they’d be so enthusiastic about Ga-Michigan to try to pay off Colorado to move (especially if the Colorado game would possibly be on ESPN anyway). It’s just replacing one intersectional game with another.

Actually, they might prefer for UGA not to play Michigan in the regular season, since that would be an attractive match-up for ABC’s Capital One Bowl — the last two champions, in fact. Since 1999, more often than not, the Orlando bowl has featured one of these two teams, but surprisingly never the same year. A highly-promoted season opener would likely foreclose a rematch in the season ender (for two straight years!), and given the seemingly annual SEC-vs-Big Ten controversy, the game would be much bigger nationally if it took place in January. (Even though it would be much more fun to play in August.)

going home and home with Florida would open up some scheduling flexibility for things like this…..just sayin’.

Much like my attitude towards Congress, let’s not say the NCAA may have done something right, let’s just say they got lucky. The 12th game has been great for teams that like UGA have used it to schedule other BCS teams.

The only caveat I would add is that Evans needs to be care not to stretch us too thin. The intersectional matchups are fun, but the travel does seem to take its toll on the team. This is true in the NFL too, not just the college level. The difference being of course that losses in college count a hell of a lot more than they do in the NFL.

I want Evans to keep scheduling aggressively, but to also do it in a smart way. If we could avoid 4000 mile trips followed by conference games versus the Nicktator in the future I’d prefer it.