Angelique S. Chengelis

For U-M and other schools, scheduling is about money

Michigan's future football schedules include Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State.

Those games certainly are worth the price of a ticket.

Then there's Delaware State?

And Massachusetts?

All after Appalachian State?

Those teams are members of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA, and they're appearing with more regularity on 12-game schedules of some of college football's most well-known Division I teams.

Not exactly sexy, huh?

Hey kids! Let's go watch Michigan play Delaware State!

But this is the reality of a 12-game regular season, the reality for teams like Michigan with enormous stadiums and huge gate potential. Seriously, why would the Wolverines want to give up a multi-million dollar payday to swap home games with a BCS team, thus losing a precious home date when they could've ensured eight home games and big paydays?

On another level, why would a team like Michigan put its win-loss record on the line and potentially suffer an early loss that could jeopardize a bowl with a large payout?

Essentially, teams like Michigan not only are paying teams like Delaware State to fill that 12th game, but they're paying them, in a sense, to ensure a victory. (Yes, we all know what happened against Appalachian State in 2007).

There's no doubt Michigan officials who handle scheduling aren't clamoring to schedule FCS schools. But what they want are eight home games and income. They aren't willing to sacrifice $4-5 million for a matchup at Michigan Stadium to pocket $500,000 or so by going on the road to face a big-name opponent.

"I don't particularly like (scheduling FCS schools), but in order for us to have 25 sports and have this broad-base program, you've got to bring in the revenues," Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said. "If you were to play home and home with all these others schools, you wouldn't have this revenue. We need those home-game revenues."

Everyone does it

To think Michigan is the only school adding FCS schools to its schedule is naïve.

• Florida hosts Appalachian State in 2010 and Jacksonville State in 2012.

• Florida State has Samford in 2010.

• Rutgers plays Howard and Texas Southern this fall and Norfolk State in 2010.

• Penn State gets Youngstown State in 2010.

• Tennessee has Tennessee-Martin on tap in 2010.

Because the Michigans of the college football world want to preserve as many home games as possible, finding an opponent from a limited pool becomes challenging.

Michigan has a long-term series with Notre Dame, so that accounts for one non-conference game, which alternates stadiums each year.

That leaves three open dates for Michigan. Working out a deal with a team from another BCS conference would be terrific from a publicity standpoint, but again, that means a financially undesirable home-and-home series.

So that leaves potential opponents from non-BCS conferences, like the Mid-American and Mountain West, which don't require a return home game. That's the reason for Utah's appearance last year, and the scheduling of several MAC schools, especially those in state (Western, Eastern and Central ).

More conference play

Martin has been outspoken in his belief the solution is as simple as going to a full conference slate. As it stands now, each Big Ten conference team has two league foes off the schedule each year.

"I have been pushing for at least one more conference game, and I think we're making progress," Martin said. "I think we owe our fans a quality schedule playing our academic peers in our conference, and it also makes the Big Ten championship more meaningful.

"With us, you have Notre Dame, and if you had another conference opponent, then you're only talking two nonconference wild-card teams. That's what I would want."

With Notre Dame set and officials looking to seal up Massachusetts for 2010, that leaves two open dates, including the opener to dedicate the newly renovated Michigan Stadium.

We can only hope officials don't get sentimental: The first game in Michigan Stadium, played Oct. 1, 1927, was a 33-0 Michigan victory over Ohio Wesleyan.

No, no, no.

Facing Ohio Wesleyan in 2010 is not in the cards, but unless something changes, seeing FCS teams on Michigan's schedule will have to be an accepted trade-off for a money-generating home date.

angelique.chengelis@detnews.com