This, giving a team such as USC, UCLA, Oregon, etc. etc. chance after chance to beat u. Isn't going to give u a winning record.
Since it is all about the narrative, allow me to posit the following:
Having USC ... and UCLA ... and Washington ... and Oregon come to town is a really good thing. It is exactly the narrative that our program needs right now.
Half of those games are going to be in Iowa. That will go a long way toward evening score in the various series. Playing multiple time zones from home will cut both ways going forward.
I admit to being frustrated, being in the BigTen from (almost) the founding and having Michigan and OSU rotated around us on a regular basis lately. We are in the most glamorous conference, and we routinely face the most unglamorous schedule. This is a big part of our problem and unfortunately, it underlies our current narrative.
However ...
... We are headed into a world of having Heisman Trophy candidates come to town on a regular basis. With our approach to defense, that makes us a particularly hazardous opponent in road games, and perhaps this dynamic will become the new narrative. Let's make those Heisman candidates earn their trophies.
But first, let's give our traditional rival a defensive AND an offensive beatdown this Saturday.
And then our world is going to change.