It would appear that I was wrong about Michigan forcing us to drop them from the schedule. By agreeing to extend the series for the next eleventy bajillion years, Michigan has effectively caved in on the whole “playing ND and OSU away in the same year” issue. Not sure what caused this change of heart, but perhaps a potential non-conference schedule of Appalachian State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Central Michigan in 2012 caused UM’s athletic director to rethink his priorities.

In any case, turns out that home-and-home deal we picked up with Oklahoma was in addition to Michigan, rather than instead of Michigan. Michigan is always an early game, and since the USC game is in LA, it will be at the very end of the year. If we can convince Oklahoma to play us during the early-to-mid portion of their conference “schedule” **cough cough big 12 blows nuts cough cough**, then our three big games could be perfectly spaced out.

I’m really looking forward to the 2012 season. Three games against elite, storied programs from the PAC-10, Big-10, and Big 12. A trip to Dublin, Ireland to face off against our long-time friends at the Naval Academy. Road trips to Los Angeles and beautiful Tempe, Arizona. Opponents from four BCS conferences and every part of the country. This is the kind of schedule that makes being an independent beautiful.