Michigan alum here.  Thank you for allowing me to post a topic.

Been listening to a lot of folks on local Detroit radio discuss the pros/cons of SOS, particularly with respect to out of conference scheduling.  Obviously, Michigan begins this season with the most feckless, insignificant matchups I can recall.  Interesting when you consider most seasons feature at least one decent matchup, including historically Notre Dame.  But this year's schedule is particularly weak.  Laughably weak, actually.  And as pure college football fan, I don't like it.

This brings up the age-old SEC argument for these flaccid, purposeless early season games against one-named programs who come to sold out stadiums for the payouts.  That's fine for these bottom-30 programs with no infrastructure.  Hawaii earned $1.9M to come to Michigan which I'm told will go towards their new stadium fund.  Fine.  And the Bama's/LSU's of the world get to enter conference play unblemished guaranteed (and hopefully uninjured). For these programs (and I'm including OSU in this), they are legitimately looking for playoff berths with credible national championship aspirations.  Get into conference play tuned up and healthy.  But for the rung below, programs like Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame, need to play decent competition if they ever hope to take that final step into the brass ring.  In my opinion, Michigan is not served by butchering these lesser programs because they're not yet built to compete for national championship.  What's the use of going 6-0, 7-0 only to lose the bigger games against top-15 programs, especially on the road.  Michigan has lost to Sparty twice in a row.  We're not ready.

So, I guess I'm saying programs need to pay their dues to put only pattycakes on their OOC schedule.  I respect that Ohio State doesn't go the easy route, and that should serve them well later in the season -- especially if they take a tough loss.  For Michigan, I get you can only win the games on your schedule.  But as a fan -- I hate it.