So I posed the question "do you lose fans if you decline matches?(no one answered this as of yet)" - but I've carefully counted each transaction, and yes, you lose fan points when you decline a match. (unless this is a "bug" )
So related to your question, unless it really is a "bug" and they "FIX" the expired games issue which you address, my take on this whole head-to-head affair is this:
1) Game expires because whomever you challenge don't want to play you, e.g., your rating is too high, higher than them. So basically they're saying pick on someone your size. So what happens?
2) when that game expires, it occupies your active list. Each game that expires takes up 1 space in your limit of 50. If your rating is 90 and your rank is #5 in the Madden world and you keep challenging that 80 rated player whose ranking is #200, by scoring first, you will pile up points the minute he/she declines the match(or so happens from what I observe). So the only sensible (defensible) thing the #200 ranked player could do is to let the match expire and hope that the abuse stops. Now each expiration will occupy 1 space on the abuser's active list. So, if the higher rated player wants to keep playing, then he's got to stop the abuse, under this scenario if he's sensible.
So the point is this:
Madden's head-to-head match with fan points is wonderful. And unless, this whole thing is just a "system bug" issue, to continue to play and climb up the leader's board in this marathon, you can't let your opponent expire your game. So what does that mean? It means, for now, we have to be careful selecting who we challenge, who we pick on, to challenge someone our size, and not to abuse others. Otherwise my 50 active list will completely be filled with expired games.
To date, I lost +500,000 fans to a top 10 ranked player currently(I won't say which rank for his privacy sake - haha). Each time I decline his match, I lose 30000 fans. My ranking is in top 50 currently and I can't climb any further up because the minute I make some fans, here comes Mr. #1 and challenges me by scoring first, and immediately I lose 30000 fans. (so why don't I fight back? I think the way the game is built, the higher the rank I play, higher his defense intensity (I have much better success against same rated but lower rank and XP) - (btw, he only plays one single play the whole match and it's unstoppable even with counter), and less chance for me to succeed on any down(man do I fumble/be intercepted so many times). I simply can't find a way to score with my current rating.
So I've decided today, after having read your question and thinking about it, to let his/her games expire. It's the only thing I could do to stop losing fans with the issues on hand.
Head-to-head match is fun and I love it (but I guess only when we win - haha). But I do hope that this is all system bug issue and EA resets our expired games, and then your issue solved. But the head-to-head is also too brutal, in my opinion, and there is too much at risk for challenging a higher ranked opponent (and the reward very marginal - I can gain 100k fans with a 10% chance or almost surely lose 50k fans with 90% probability). My only wish is that EA change the penalty of loss(lower it considerably), and not make it such a "gamble" for players to play each other. Keep the reward of winning, but please lessen the points impact taken away. Maybe this will allow players to accept challenges and not let games simply expire, which I am about to do on defense.
Anyways, my two cents here.
Go Hawks!
