Ohio State doesn’t know where it is

This is hilariously inept. #GoBlue

Ohio State is down bad.

It started when the Buckeyes were so sure Kyle McCord was the answer at quarterback until he wasn’t. The decision came somewhere around when he launched a pass toward Marvin Harrison Jr. only for it to be picked off by Michigan safety Rod Moore, who happens to be an Ohio native overlooked by OSU.

Official Ohio State social media refrained from posting the final score of The Game, but everyone remembers it was a 30-24 Wolverines win.

McCord has since transferred to Syracuse. Instead of playing in the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes have been relegated to a New Year’s Six bowl (still a pretty good consolation prize): the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

Ohio State arrived in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area on Christmas Eve and the social media team decided to celebrate. One problem: the social media team doesn’t appear to know where Arlington is.

If you’re following along from home, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas is not the desert. The region is humid subtropical. The only region of Texas that is in a defined desert is El Paso, which is about a 9-hour drive (634 miles) from Dallas.

Still, saying that the team has arrived in the desert is better than when the same account originally said the Buckeyes arrived in the dessert.

Surely, with no starting quarterback and playing for pride against another ‘block M’ team (Missouri), as well as apparently having no idea where the team is, things are not going very well for the Buckeyes.

2023 Michigan Wolverines football schedule: Downloadable Smartphone Wallpaper

Never miss a game this season with our downloadable 2023 Michigan Wolverines football schedule for your smartphone.

Never miss a game this season with our College Wire downloadable 2023 Michigan Wolverines football schedule. Use it as wallpaper for the lock screen on your smartphone.

Also, share it with friends so they have the football schedule with them at all times too!

You can buy tickets to every Michigan Wolverines game at TicketSmarter.

Download the 2023 Michigan football schedule here

 

University of Michigan regent gives brutally honest thoughts on conference expansion

Perfectly said. #GoBlue

The world of college sports blew up more than ever last week when there was a mass exodus from the Pac-12.

The Pac-12, which represented the premier schools on the West Coast, saw six teams bolt for other conferences. The headliners were, of course, Oregon and Washington leaving for the Big Ten, but Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah departed for the Big 12. There are now only four schools remaining in the Pac-12 as of the 2024 season.

University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give his thoughts on conference realignment and expansion. There are real-world repercussions for student-athletes and nefarious reasons why expansion happened in the first place. You can read the entire thread below.

Santa Ono, Warde Manuel issue joint statement on Big Ten adding Oregon, Washington

Interesting move for the Big Ten. #GoBlue

The Big Ten is continuing to make moves, suddenly adding Oregon and Washington to the conference starting in 2024. The announcement came on Friday evening.

With the move, the two former Pac-12 schools (which will still compete in the West Coast-based conference in 2023) will join USC and UCLA in joining the Big Ten.

University of Michigan president Santa J. Ono was one who voted for the two new schools which help the conference move to 18 members in 2024. He and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel commented on the move in a joint release shortly after the Big Ten’s announcement.

Full release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten Conference unanimously voted Friday (Aug. 4) to accept the University of Oregon and the University of Washington as full members in all sponsored sports, effective in August 2024.

As the conference continues to grow and expand across the country, we are pleased to confirm this decision and extend a warm welcome to our newest members, both of which are leading research universities and members of the Association of American Universities with championship-caliber athletic programs.

We also look forward to the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California joining the conference in 2024.

Over the course of the last year, following the acceptance of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten Conference competition, administrators across our membership have engaged in thoughtful study and dialog on wide-ranging logistical questions and considerations. Those efforts, aimed at ensuring a positive student-athlete experience and fiscal stability, leave us well-prepared to make additions at this time.

As the collegiate sports landscape continues to change rapidly, we hope that you will join us in welcoming the Huskies and Ducks to the Big Ten.

Go Blue!

Santa J. Ono
President

Warde Manuel
Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics

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It’s official: Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten in 2024

The Big 18.

The expectation for the Big Ten is that it would grow by two schools in 2024. On Friday, that plan was revised, with the additions of Oregon and Washington joining USC and UCLA in coming aboard the conference.

The former Pac-12 schools will be joining in all sports and will officially be involved as of Aug. 2, 2024.

The Big Ten announced the move in a press release. You can read the full release below.

Full release:

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) voted today to admit the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference effective August 2, 2024, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2024-25 academic year. With the schools’ admission, Oregon and Washington will also join the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions.

“I’m thrilled that the University of Oregon has the opportunity to join the nation’s preeminent academic-athletic conference,” said University of Oregon President John Karl Scholz. “Our student-athletes will participate at the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, and our alumni, friends, and fans will be able to carry the spirit of Oregon across the country.”

“The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,” said University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. “My top priority must be to do what is best for our student-athletes and our University, and this move will help ensure a strong future for our athletics program.”

“The Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” said COP/C Chair and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones. “When considering the full spectrum of academic, athletic and research excellence, the alignment with our member institutions is extremely clear. We are excited to welcome them and look forward to collaborating and competing with them in the years ahead.”

“Accepting membership into the Big Ten Conference is a transformational opportunity for the University of Oregon to change the short and long-term trajectory of our university and athletics department,” said Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. “The stability and exposure of joining the Big Ten is of great benefit to the University of Oregon, and we are grateful to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors for accepting our application to join the conference. We look forward to the opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in this conference, which includes many of the best programs in the nation in every sport.”

“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions. At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years,” said Washington Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen. “The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”

In order for an institution to be admitted to the Big Ten Conference, it must submit a written application, which must then be approved by at least 70 percent of the Big Ten COP/C. The University of Oregon and the University of Washington formally submitted applications to join the Big Ten Conference this afternoon. The Big Ten COP/C then met via conference call and approved both applications.

“We are excited to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “We look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the universities, administrators and staff, student-athletes, coaches and fans,” Petitti said. “Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence that will prove a great fit for our future.”

About the University of Oregon
The UO is a Carnegie R1 research university and a member of the Association of American Universities. The UO faculty includes a Nobel Prize winner, a MacArthur fellow, a pair of National Medal of Science winners and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. The UO has more than 500 student-athletes who compete in 20 sports. UO teams have taken home 38 national championships.

About University of Washington Athletics
The University of Washington has one of the nation’s elite intercollegiate athletics programs that consists of 22 sports. The Huskies have won national championships in football, women’s cross country, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, softball, women’s volleyball, and women’s golf. The department annually finishes among the top schools in the nation in the NACDA Director’s Cup and the Pac-12 Conference.

Washington Athletics inspires champions on the field and in the classroom. Like the region and world-class University they represent, the Huskies choose to lead by example. With over 650 student-athletes competing throughout UW’s 22 sports programs, the department of Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to a leading-edge student-athlete experience, and offering student-athletes the ability to compete for NCAA and Pac-12 championships while working toward a degree from one of the world’s leading public research universities.

Washington Athletics inspires champions on the field and in the classroom. In sport and in life, who we are is why we win. It’s the Washington Way.

The Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten Conference has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the value of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten Conference institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on more than 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013.

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Report: Oregon and Washington to Big Ten a done deal

Do you like this move or no?

The Big Ten hasn’t even gotten into the change announced last summer with the additions of USC and UCLA before it decided to expand again.

Now on the verge of being the conference with the most member institutions, after all of the rumors over the past 24 hours, the Big Ten is reportedly adding Oregon and Washington, burgeoning to 18 teams.

Via Action Network’s Brett McMurphy:

The Big Ten is getting even bigger with Oregon and Washington becoming the latest schools to join the conference from the Pac-12 starting in 2024, sources told Action Network.

The departure of the Ducks and Huskies increases the number of schools leaving the Pac-12 in the past 13 months to five (UO, UW, Colorado,USC and UCLA) and could be the fatal blow to the Pac-12.

The Big Ten will grow to 18 members, the largest in college football history, and must decide whether to expand even further. The Big Ten is contemplating whether to stand at 18 or consider adding Stanford and Cal, or possibly any ACC schools that may leave, sources said.

Oregon and Washington will not immediately receive full shares in the Big Ten’s new media rights deal with FOX, CBS and NBC but will still make more than they would have by remaining in the Pac-12, sources said.

There is no indication as of yet as to when Oregon and Washington will join the conference. USC and UCLA begin their Big Ten membership in 2024, and with the schedule release having taken place just over a month ago, it suffices to say that logistically, the duo will likely join the fray in 2025. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see even that shift and have both join the conference at the same time as their other West Coast counterparts.
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Mailbag:Wolverines Wire answers your Michigan football and basketball questions

Hope to answer your Michigan-related questions more and more!

We are going to do something a little different by doing a Michigan mailbag. I went to Twitter and asked for any Wolverines’ football, basketball, or any Michigan-related questions.

I’m hoping to do this more and more throughout the summer months and into the season. If you would like to participate and get your questions answered, follow me on Twitter and get the questions in when I call for them. My DM’s are always open as well if you would rather do it that way.

There are definitely plenty of talking points right now for Michigan. The Wolverines are killing it on the recruiting trail, the football team is looking to make a run at the whole thing this year, and the basketball team is, well, a work in progress.

Valiant Management announces Champions Circle to support all Michigan student-athletes via NIL

This is huge! #GoBlue

When it comes to name, image, and likeness, no group associated near Michigan athletics has been as aggressive or as forward-thinking as Jared Wangler and his Valiant Management Group.

From the trading cards, to NIL events such as the pep rally before the spring game, to NFTs, Valiant has been on the forefront of supporting current Wolverines. But, that’s been mostly relegated to those in the football program. That’s about to change.

Per a release, Valiant is expanding Champions Circle, which will fundraise and support every single sport within Michigan athletics. Therefore, now every student-athlete who chooses to wear maize and blue can now benefit from NIL.

For more about the endeavor, read the release below.

Full release

Valiant Management Group (VMG), along with a prominent group of University of Michigan alumni, announced the expansion of the Champions Circle name, image and likeness (NIL) collective to support all Michigan student-athletes. Launched in 2022 with a focus on supporting the Michigan Football and Men’s Basketball programs, the Champions Circle will now fully support NIL fundraising for all of Michigan’s 29 varsity sports.

The founding ethos of the Champions Circle is to encourage University of Michigan student-athletes to excel in individual development, academic achievement, and community leadership. Consistent with the long-standing values of the Michigan Athletic Department, the program is intended to support the transformational experience of being a Michigan student-athlete rather than follow the transactional nature of many NIL programs across the country. The Champions Circle program will support a wide array of NCAA-compliant NIL activities including, but not limited to: fan interaction events; brand partnerships; merchandise and memorabilia sales; and charitable endeavors.

VMG CEO and Michigan Football alum Jared Wangler said, “We believe strongly that it is important to reward University of Michigan student-athletes for the value they bring to the university, but in keeping with Michigan traditions, it is also important to help the athletes develop the personal, leadership and financial skills to succeed far into the future.”

Anna Britnell, Director of The Champions Circle and former Michigan student-athlete, believes in the program’s mission to support student-athlete financial and personal growth. “Our coaches recruit the right student-athletes to the University of Michigan, and the Champions Circle will support their efforts by rewarding sustained educational achievement and personal development. After a successful 18 months of supporting Michigan football and basketball, we are excited to replicate this model across all varsity sports at the University of Michigan.”

The Champions Circle is guided by a Leadership Council comprised of distinguished University supporters, including Nate Forbes, Matt Lester, Navid Mahmoodzadegan, and Tim Smith. Additionally, a diverse group of loyal and trusted Wolverines serve on the Champions Circle Advisory Board, providing strategic guidance and acting as ambassadors for the program. Current members of the Advisory Board include Jimmy King, Sierra Romero, John Wangler, and Chris Wormley.

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Big Ten schools ranked academically by U.S. News for 2022-23

13 of 14 Big Ten schools are ranked in the top 100. Where does #Michigan rank?

The Big Ten takes two things very seriously: athletics and academics. In many ways, the two go hand-in-hand.

One of the premier conferences (along with the SEC) in athletics, when it comes to non-Ivy League collections of universities, the Big Ten stands second to none academically. In fact, with all but one institution being public, there’s no other conference that offers the best of both worlds.

The champion of university rankings indisputably is US News & World Report. It’s the publication that gets mentioned the most, and in its 2022-23 rankings, all but one Big Ten institution is in the top 100 — yes, 13 of 14 are in the top 100 national universities in the United States of America.

Here is how the 14 Big Ten member institutions rank against each other, overall, how they graduate students and the total enrollment.

Big Ten hires its new commissioner

Seems like a good hire.

The Big Ten got its man.

Earlier on Tuesday, reports indicated that the premier intercollegiate athletics conference struck out with the person perceived to be its top candidate, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.

Phillips was the former athletic director for Northwestern and was thought, before the hire of Kevin Warren, to be the heir apparent to Jim Delany. With Warren moving on to the Chicago Bears, Phillips’ name being at the top of the wish list made all the sense in the world. Yet, the Big Ten was left standing at the altar when Phillips re-upped with the ACC.

The conference moved fast. ESPN college insider Pete Thamel reported  Tony Petitti will take over the reins from Warren as the new Big Ten commissioner.

Previously the COO of Major League Baseball, Petitti went to Haverford College and Harvard Law. He is the former president of sports and entertainment at Activision Blizzard and was an executive at ABC Sports and CBS Sports.

With the MLB being his latest stop, he also served as the president and CEO of MLB Network.

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