Miami-USF Game moved to Thanksgiving Weekend Beginning in 2009: Other Scheduling Notes

Well the Florida-Florida State game and the Shula Bowl will have company as Thanksgiving weekend in-state rivalries beginning in 2009. Miami and USF has agreed to the request by ESPN to move each of its games from 2009 to 2013 to Thanksgiving weekend. In addition, I am told Miami is not planning on renewing the series with Florida after 2013 thanks to the five years Florida has built in to give Miami a return home game. For me that's fine: I never believed that Miami under Paul Dee should have allowed Florida to dictate such unfair terms for a two game series. If Ohio State and Oklahoma can give Miami quick return home games, why is Florida so elitist to be different? Could it be the need to continue UF's established tradition of scheduling direction non league opponents each and every year indefinetly? Ohio State for all their faults already accommodated Miami once to move the series because of Florida's demands to play in 2008 and then not again until 2013 and Miami also had to move the Oklahoma return matchup to 2009. (The OSU series was scheduled to begin this year and the return date was next season)

I am told by a good source that the new Athletic Director and his staff are not going to be playing games like this anymore with scheduling, as Paul Dee did. Also FIU will not be returning to Miami's schedule in the foreseeable future, and UCF will not appear after 2010. Many have scheduled Miami for playing FIU in the first place, but those same people forget that Mizzou left Miami high and dry in September 2005 backing out of the two games for 2006 and 2007, leaving Miami either with a IAA opponent or a local matchup, and Dee opted for the later.

The non-conference agenda is clear: Keep the series with USF going, try and schedule Notre Dame again even if it means getting NBC and ESPN involved at the initial stages and attempt to have one additional high profile national matchup each year. Florida will likely crush Miami this year and they can boast about it forever as Miami will not be returning to the Swamp anytime soon. And Miami will still have an all time winning record in Gainesville even after they lose this year!