Minneapolis ? Michigan and Michigan State don’t want to move their football games at Minnesota from Saturday to Friday night because of a possible scheduling conflict in the Metrodome with the Twins.

“We’re not going to play on a Friday night,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said this week. “That’s pretty simple.”

Michigan State issued a statement Tuesday saying the school opposes playing Friday.

If the schools refuse to budge, the decision could be turned over to the Big Ten’s administrative council. There is precedent for playing Big Ten games on Fridays, and that option might be less disruptive than changing the venue.

Gophers athletic director Joe Maturi proposed the date change for the Michigan game Oct. 11 and the Michigan State game Oct. 18 after Major League Baseball denied the Gophers’ request to play those games in the Metrodome on the same day as potential Twins postseason home games.

Maturi talked to athletic directors from both schools to gauge their interest.

Carr told reporters he vehemently opposed the move for a number of reasons.

He said the Friday game would conflict with high school football and would give his team one less day of preparation.

“And more importantly, it would add to the class time our players would miss. So we are not going to play on Friday night, not if I have anything to do with it,” he said.

Gophers coach Glen Mason, a former Kansas University coach, said he respected Carr’s opinion and agreed playing on Friday generally was not preferable. But Mason doesn’t see any other viable options.

“I’m sympathetic to the high schools, but there is no alternative,” he said. “We can play Thursday night, but then Michigan says they don’t want to play Thursday night because of academic reasons, which mind-boggles me. They’re not going to play basketball on Thursday night?”

Mason promised to protect his team if somebody tried to move the game to Detroit’s Ford Field or a venue out of state.

“I can deal with playing Thursday night. I can deal with Friday, Sunday, 8 o’clock in the morning or 10 o’clock at night,” he said. “But that game without a doubt should be played in the state of Minnesota. Period. End of story.”

The final decision probably will fall into the hands of the administrative council, which is comprised of athletic directors and senior women’s administrators.

The Gophers had two home games moved to Friday during the Twins’ World Series runs in 1987 and 1991.