So Michigan football joins the trend of major schools playing 1-AA opponents to fill out their twelve game schedules by adding Appalachian State for their September 1st home game.
What remains to be seen if this type of thing is going to become a normal situation for the big-time football schools or just an anomaly while every one adjusts to playing the extra game each year.
Some Michigan fans will be upset by this addition - claiming that playing a 1-AA opponent, even if they are the two-time defending champs of that division, is somehow 'below' the Wolverines. I look at it this way: maybe this will be one of the factors to convince the Big 10 to make some big changes to the conference by adding an extra game to the conference schedule, adding another team and breaking into divisions/adding a championship game, and playing the last game of the season after Thanksgiving like most of the other major conferences are doing.
Michigan fans will probably be surprised at how good Appalachian State will be on September 1st. It'll be a huge chance for David to take down Goliath- and to embarrass a major football power on their own field. That probably won't happen, but I wouldn't look for a big blowout either.
College football is amazing in the way it can surprise you and Michigan is taking a mighty big risk with this move. The potential downside far outweighs the up for this game. While I am not upset about this, it has to be a concern for a program that comes built in with huge expectations nearly every year.
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