Michigan Wolverines Links: Notre Dame series cancellation 'hurts the Wolverines,' is bad for college football

Michigan will find another opponent to replace Notre Dame on its upcoming schedules, but losing a rivalry as storied as the Wolverines-Irish is bad for college football, says the Sporting News' Steve Greenberg. AP Photo

• Michigan will eventually find a replacement for Notre Dame on its schedule, but the Irish cancelling the series is undoubtedly bad news for fans because "you can’t fake real rivalries, and Irish-Wolverines is real." [Sporting News]

• Looking at a list of potential opponents, and considering future schedules, Georgia or Oregon is the most likely candidate to fill the void on Michigan's upcoming schedules. [MGoBlog.com]

• With just one nonconference game scheduled for 2015 and open spots for both 2016 and 2017, Auburn might make for a great opponent, even if you're "more likely to spot a flamingo flying around in Ann Arbor than a Southeastern Conference team not named Vanderbilt playing at the Big House these days." [Sports Illustrated]

• "Notre Dame-Michigan has been a marquee game for college football, something that is welcomed during a sometimes bland first few weeks of the season, so losing it is bad for the game. It's also another reason for fans to hate realignment." [Yahoo! Sports]

• Notre Dame waited until the last possible moment to inform Michigan of its decision to cancel the series, as Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick handed Wolverines AD David Brandon a letter dated a day prior just before the two teams played on Saturday night. "Because I am providing you with this notice prior to the commencement of this year's football game on September, 22, 2012," Swarbrick wrote, "there is no liability to Notre Dame for cancelling those games." [ESPN]

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