Home game weekends:
1/11 NIU
1/25 Kent State
2/8 MAC/SB Challenge? Is this a home game the 2nd time around?
2/22 Akron
3/1 Miami
Three biggest rivals on Saturdays is awesome, but at least one of those will get flexed to Friday for sure.
Hopefully it's no more than one that gets flexed. And the MAC/SB challenge on 2/8 is a home game and actually Sibs weekend. That should help boost the crowd against an unfamiliar opponent.
Aside from at Central Michigan, all our road weekend games are in-state. All of our home weekday games are against MAC "West" teams.
One other nice nugget, the games on 1/11, 1/25, and 3/1 are currently set to be double-headers with the women, but of course subject to change with game(s) flexed to Friday.
Could be fun times in the Convo.
We have a chance to jump out to a quick 5-1 start. Not a bad structure to the conference schedule for OHIO.
I did get a chuckle when it said non-con schedule won't be released for "several" more weeks. At this rate, we are looking at October 1st. It's a tradition unlike any other.
Not that I'm justifying it, but I do think this year's delay is a byproduct of schedule challenges being a mid-major. Since it's been documented that so many others are having trouble. Non-conference was released on 8/16 last year. Can't imagine this year's being too far behind with 10 games already down.
It definitely feels like it's becoming harder for mids to fill out their schedules. Anybody have a sense of what's driving that? Curious why it's gotten harder over the last couple of years.
Speculation -- I think it's tied to getting quality home games. Between buy games, tourneys, and neutral site games, most mids are still likely trying to be on the home games side this year as part of a H/H.
Buffalo's schedule came out yesterday. All of its quality opponents are road games. Two non-D1's, Morgan State, NC A&T, and Bryant are its home games. Buffalo is obviously rebuilding, but a home slate like that is pretty poor. Competitive mids are likely trying to avoid a similar situation.
We're in need of home games, so that's my guess as to where we're at. AP is the only known home opponent thus far.
Last Edited: 8/15/2024 9:35:44 AM by FJC31