This is the third installment of my little series on grading the out of conference (OOC) schedules of BCS conferences. I have already done the ACC, Big East, Pac-10, Big 12 and the Big 10 (+1). I want to make clear the criteria I am taking into consideration because I know how touchy SEC fans can get. I take into account the talent level of the team. This means I would be more critical of LSU’s OOC than I would Vanderbilt’s. Then, I look for any team from another BCS conference on the OOC schedule. Next, I look at the talent level of the OOC opponent based mostly on how they performed last year and expect to perform this year. Lastly, I will try not to take into account the status of the program when the team was scheduled. Example: This year Nebraska will not count much more than Iowa State or Baylor on a team’s OOC schedule. It is a crappy BCS team. Conversely, if South Florida is on the schedule, I will give that some credit due to the recent success there. Got it?
The Southeastern Conference has been considered by many the most competitive conference from top to bottom for a number of years now. That’s fine, but do they attempt to play anyone outside of the SEC. Let’s take a look at the OOC (out of conference) schedule for the teams in the SEC.
Georgia – Georgia Southern, Central Michigan, Arizona State, Georgia Tech. This is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, OOC schedules I have seen so far. 50% from BCS conferences and the reigning conference champion from the MAC. As it was correctly pointed out to me in a previous post, Central Michigan has one of the best QB’s in the country in Dan LeFevour. You could make the argument that Georgia Tech is every bit as good as Florida State. I know that GT is on the schedule every year, but that shouldn’t count against Georgia. Arizona State has proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. Georgia seems to have done a tremendous job in timing a great OOC schedule and an awesome returning team. Where’s Trev Alberts when you need him. Wherever he is, I am sure he has Georgia penciled in as the next National Champion. Grade: A
Florida – Hawaii, Miami, Citadel, Florida State. This is another nice job of OOC scheduling in the SEC. The Citadel is the only game that the Gators should be able to relax and sleepwalk through. Hawaii will put up a fight, but does not have the depth to threaten anything past the second quarter. As for Miami and Florida State, these are two teams that are just waiting to explode with all the talent they have. 50% of the OOC is from BCS conferences and 25% is the reigning WAC conference champion. This is the way a top-tier team should schedule year-in and year-out. Kudos to the boys in Gainesville for showing they are not yellow-bellies. They should try to get South Florida and Florida Atlantic on the OOC schedule along with Miami and Florida State for the ultimate Battle Royale for the Sunshine State. Grade: A
Vanderbilt – Miami (OH), Rice, Duke, Wake Forest. This is a nice schedule for Vanderbilt. If this were the schedule for just about any other team in the SEC, then I would be much more critical. What I like is that they have a legitimate test in WF. They have a strong tune-up game with Miami(OH) (Vandy may not even be favored in that one.) What I like most about the Commodores’ OOC schedule is that all the opponents are Div-1A. If any team in the SEC would be forgiven for scheduling a non-Div-1A team, it would have been Vandy. Duke and Rice are not good teams, but they are at least Div-1. Good job. Grade: B+
Mississippi State – Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia Tech, Middle Tennessee State. Here is an example of aggressive but cautious scheduling from a BCS team that is appropriate. They have a huge test on the schedule with the Yellow-Jackets. LA Tech and Middle Tennessee St are middle-of-the-road teams from the WAC and Sun Belt respectively. MTS gave Louisville all they could handle last year, and LA Tech almost beat Hawaii. Sure there is a stinker in SE Louisiana, but for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State this is a pretty good schedule. Grade: B- (would have been much higher if SE Louisiana was not scheduled)
Auburn – Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Mississippi, West Virginia, Tennessee-Martin. Auburn has done a good job of mixing up the competition in their OOC scheduling. WVU is a huge test. Auburn will be able to tell where they are for the season in the game with the Mountaineers. That game garners much props. Southern Miss is a good tune-up game. The Tigers should win, but Southern-Miss will challenge them throughout the game. Louisiana-Monroe is a middle-of-the-road team from the Sun Belt. This should have been the patsy of the schedule for Auburn. Unfortunately, Tennessee-Martin was scheduled. A team like Auburn should not be playing teams like Tennessee-Martin. It just shouldn’t be happening. Sorry. Grade: C+ (this would have been much higher if it were all Div-1 competition)
Mississippi – Memphis, Wake Forest, Samford, Louisiana-Monroe. This schedule is almost a carbon-copy, save for the top-game, of the Arkansas OOC schedule. Memphis is a decent team from CUSA. Memphis competed well in its conference and should give Ole Miss a run for its money. Wake Forest will be a test for the Rebels. Mississippi will certainly be underdogs in that one. Louisiana-Monroe is on the schedule for many SEC teams, but this is the best chance for the Warhawks to get a win in the SEC. I have them graded higher than Arkansas because Mississippi is not of the same caliber as Arkansas. Grade: C+
Arkansas – Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas, Tulsa. I am probably giving too much credit to Texas being on the schedule, but Texas should be better this year than last. Tulsa is the reigning Conference USA Champion. The Golden Tornados (I know it is the Golden Hurricanes, but that just doesn’t make any sense to me at all) will give a good fight for 2-3 quarters. Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe will not to be confused with good teams for some time to come, but at least they are Div-1A. Arkansas did well in getting Texas and even Tulsa, but they could have tried harder to upgrade one of the lesser two teams a little. It would have been nice to see two BCS conference teams. Grade: C
South Carolina – North Carolina State, Wofford, UAB, Clemson. This is not really as good as it may initially look. Wofford should not be on the schedule at all. If South Carolina wants to be considered on of the better teams in the SEC, then they should not be playing teams like Wofford. UAB has one of the worst teams in Div-1A football. I will give some credit for scheduling NC State and Clemson. NC State is at least from a BCS conference. I know that Clemson is the in-state rival, but that should not be counted against SC. Clemson is still on the OOC schedule. Grade: C-
Tennessee – UCLA, UAB, Northern Illinois, Wyoming. This is not a good schedule if you want to challenge your team. UAB is a bad team from CUSA. Northern Illinois is a bad team from the MAC. Wyoming is a pretty bad team from MWC. UCLA is the only bright spot on this schedule, and I have serious doubts if UCLA will be any good at all this year. The only good thing I can say about this OOC schedule is that they are all Div-1A teams. Is it the Vols’ fault that UCLA stinks now? No, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Bruins do stink and this game should be nothing more than an over-hyped tune-up. I do like the Vols, but this should be embarrassing to them. Shame. Grade: D
Kentucky – Louisville, Norfolk State, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky. I know that Kentucky has been bad a football for a long time, but that is no excuse for this kind of schedule. Louisville is the lone redeeming factor for this debacle of an OOC schedule, and it really isn’t all that redeeming. Middle Tennessee State will end up being the second best game on the schedule. This is coming from an SEC team! Not good at all. Grade: D-
Alabama – Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State. Clemson is the biggest test OOC? Alabama’s not even trying. Sure, Clemson is good, but there is a huge difference between Clemson and Tulane. There should be a team in there closer to Clemson’s talent level. Tulane should towards the bottom of the talent Alabama should be seeing in the OOC schedule not towards the top. For the Tide, playing teams like Western Kentucky and Arkansas State should be embarrassing. This is shameful. Grade: F
LSU – Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas, Tulane. This schedule stinks up the place. This ranks right up there with Texas Tech’s OOC schedule. The difference is LSU has been good for years and years. Where is the test here? For LSU, there is no test or even a real tune-up game. This is absolutely the worst in the SEC. Alabama has the excuse that they have not been as good as they want to be. LSU has been at the top of the SEC for years. The two national championships in the past few years warrants taking the OOC schedule up a couple notches. Troy is probably the toughest team on this schedule. TROY! Come on LSU! Let’s get with the program. Grade: F-
i might be wrong, but your comments about how you didnt like seeing western ky on arkansas and kentuckys schedule because they are not a Div-1 school is wrong. i believe western moved up to Div-1 this year and although they may not upset anyone Div-1 is still Div-1
oldskewler - I am in agreement with you on most of what you said, including the part about LSU. I would really like to see the BCS adopt a policy where each BCS conference school had to schedule at least two other BCS conference schools on their OOC schedule every year in a home and home format. While Tulane can be forgiven because it is a traditional rivalry, I hate seeing North Texas and Troy on our schedule. Go a little easier on the team's scheduling Louisiana-Monroe though. After all, they did beat Alabama last year.
I wish the NCAA would make a rule that BCS teams cannot play 1-AA teams. No exceptions. I'm sick of the big boys coming out and destroying some team that has no chance from the outset. Yes, as an OSU fan I know OSU has made this a regular practice for the last few years, and I hate it. OSU had never played a 1-AA team until Tressel came in, and it is one of the few things that I strongly dislike about Tressel, and it needs to stop because it's a waste o####ame for both teams. The players on BCS teams get nothing outside of going to an easy practise, and the 1-AA team gets the #### kicked out of them. I thought (at least this is what the NCAA continually claims) CFB was supposed to be about helping these players develop good life skills, and I seriously doubt that playing #### games like this helps. I don't care if it keeps 'money in the state', it's a joke and an embarrasment to the school and the fans.
Anyway, interesting article. It's nice to see some SEC taking trips out of the south to play some good teams. Should make for some interesting games!
And I would say that for once, the SEC (some SEC teams) can really point to their OOC schedules and say "Hey, look at us!". Hopefully if the games go well for the SEC teams other teams like LSU will see the benefits and start scheduling at least 1 decent team a year.
And I hope that if the SEC teams get beat in the OOC games that they don't crawl back home and stay in the south for another 40 years. That would be irritating.
Last edited by Browns_and_Buckeyes_fan on April 28th at 2:58 PM.
GoBlue, Wyoming had only that one win. They stunk it up except for that abberation. Tennessee could have done beter than just UCLA and no one else. The Vols usually do better. I was surprised how well the SEC did in the OOC scheduling this year.
Last edited by oldskewler on April 28th at 3:15 PM.
BAMF, you give more credit to Troy than I do for sure. I'm with you on the OOC games for Florida teams. If you are playing Miami and Florida State every year, no one can knock your schedule.
not so sure i agree, olds. sec teams feed upon themselves and bounce one another every week. for example, as with most schools, arkansas has a stretch early on with texas @ austin, alabama, @ auburn and florida. late in the season, they travel to kentucky and south carolina and close with lsu. brutal. with that kind of seasoning, sorry.. but, my vote is for a couple of "gimmes".
In your Big12 article, you gave Troy a little bit of a nod. They did beat Okie St. & gave UGA all they wanted. If they (Troy) had been a little deeper, UGA loses that game.
Perhaps you should state that Georgia hasn't left the South in 40 years another six million times. Then you can deflect your own conference's weak OOC schedule.
Michigan - Utah, Miami (OH), at Notre Dame and Toledo. 1 BCS team and 1 road game. Grade F.
Ohio State - Youngstown State, Ohio, at Southern Cal and Troy. 1 BCS team and 1 road game. Grade D.
Penn State - Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, at Syracuse and Temple. 2 (mediocre) BCS teams and 1 road game. Grade C-.
Wisconsin - Akron, Marshall, at Fresno State and Cal Poly. No BCS team and 1 road game. Grade F-.
Purdue - Northern Colorado, Oregon, Central Michigan and at Notre Dame. 2 BCS teams and 1 road game. Grade B+.
Illinois - at Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Michigan. 1 BCS team and 1 road game. Grade D-.
Indiana - Western Kentucky, Murray State, Ball State and Central Michigan. No BCS teams and no road games. Grade F-.
Iowa - Maine, Florida International, Iowa State and at Pittsburgh. Two BCS teams and 1 road game. Grade B.
Michigan State - at California, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic and Notre Dame. Two BCS teams and 1 road game. Grade A.
Minnesota - Northern Illinois, at Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. No BCS teams and 1 road game. Grade F.
Northwestern - Syracuse, at Duke, Southern Illinois and Ohio. 2 BCS teams (though both suck) and 1 road game. Grade B.
I'd say the SEC OOC schedules flat out kill Big Ten OOC schedules. Keep in mind that two SEC teams will play an extra in-conference g
Gotta give kudos to both Georgia and Florida for OOC schedule. GT for Georgia and FSU for Florida are kinda "built-in" rivalry games but that does not detract from their difficulty. Probably the only team with a tougher overall schedule is Colorado. I think you have Tennessee and Auburn reversed. No way TN with UCLA as their toughest opponent rates a D compared to Auburn with Clemson getting an F. Clemson is a quality opponent and potentially the ACC champ. I'd give Auburn a C- and trust me I am no Auburn fan. LSU's schedule is appalling for one of the best two progams of the decade. I would give them a bye for 2008(Missing one year of quality OOC opponents can happen) but 2009 and 2010 are equally weak. Teams this good should step up and have OOC schedules like Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, and USC.
Shaukawe, you need to to be less defensive about GA. Goblue was really giving GA some genuine props for OOC this coming year. Really. I think GA has one of the toughest OOC schedules in the country to go with a tough in conference schedule as well. Same with Florida. Can't say the same for LSU with one of the softest OOC schedules in the nation though. You also need to be a little more open minded about the OSU schedule. The way you rated the schools makes all BCS teams pretty much equal. USC is a bit better than the average BCS team. OSU scheduling USC home and away was a gutsy move and was a repeat of their home and away with Texas in 05/06. The opportunity for OSU to lose to USC is significantly greater than Georgia losing to ASU or GT. In upcoming years they have TN and Miami of Florida for home and away games. Also past BCS NC winners. I know disrespecting OSU has become a knee jerk reaction with SEC fans but frankly in terms of OOC games OSU continues to schedule top quality teams. Besides, if you are unhappy with Goblues comments on GA pick on UofM. They have a OOC schedule to match LSU.
We appreciate the SEC props. However, I don't see an OSU loss to SC as season ending. They should handle the rest of the Big10 with ease. The only way it could matter is the lack of weight placed on the strength of OSU's in conference wins. Then in that light, OSU does need a W over SC to add credibility to their season.
You are correct about UGA. A loss to ASU or GT isn't going to hurt, provided they win all 8 in-conference games, which will probably be against 5-7 Top 25 teams.
ps. this isn't the only blog where goblue brings up UGA's OOC and leaving the area for 40 yrs..... I guess if you make a ruckus here...... it will draw attention somewhere else....... namely Michigans OOC.
Wyoming is a pretty bad team from MWC. - Well, I bet they are better than Hawaii this year (of course, since you probably only follow the SEC you wouldn't have a clue when it comes to mid-major strength). You have no concept of what your writing about.
I understand the BCS will not go to an add one format since the Big Ten and Pac-10 stand against it and it takes a unanimous vote... A BCS spokesman said that the current system is the best anyway... I think its going to take a serious revolt to knock these bowl people out of the process and allow the NCAA to regain control of all of the nation's major collegiate sports. I don't know how you feel about it but I think it is just straight up pocket lining BS...
My only problem of giving Florida and Georgia an A+ is that they both have 2A (FCS) schools on their schedule. Vandy at least scheduled all 1A (FBS). I would give any school that schedules a 2A school an automatic half grade drop simply because they are not in the same division.
You gave Auburn, Miss State, Ole Miss (two bowl teams scheduled!) C+. I would rate Vandy's pretty high, considering that they are a bottom-feeder, and they scheduled ALL 1A schools.
The problem with the schedules is that they are made years in advance. Yes, UCLA stinks, but when it was scheduled, they were probably 10-2, and that is why I think all teams, like you think, should have two BCS conference teams on their sked, plus their rivalry game, which is why Tulane is forgiven on LSU's schedule, and GT on Georgia's.
In any case, pretty good analysis, but you have to give those two top teams a B+ if only that they have 1A teams on their sked. There is no excuse for that.
Bamf1960: Michigan has 4 other Div 1A schools in that state as well. Does that mean they have to stay in Michigan? No.
Shaukawe: I never said Michigan had a killer schedule this season. Go over to Oldskewler's Big 10+1 scheduling. UGA has a better OOC schedule this year (based on last year's teams performance)than Michigan. Quit being so defensive. But I like your ratings as well. Especially giving Illinois a D-. Mizzou must have been a cupcake last year huh? Then you give Michigan an F (defensive again). Why does Michigan get an F and Illinois gets a D. Illinois does play an FCS school and Michigan doesn't. Thanks for being incredulous once again.
Bamaf1960: See above. I've pulled out stats over the last 13 years of Michigan's OOC scheduling over UGA's. Shawkawe can attest that Michigan has traditionally played a tougher schedule that UGA. But again. I'm not belittling UGA, did you notice that I gave them props. I was just stating a fact about their OOC scheduling. I can't think of one BCS school who hasn't left their region for an OOC game in that amount of time. Not one school.
Moon, I see what you are saying, but I have a hard time subscribing to it. Some years, sure. But not year after year. My opinion is that any team who wants to be considered top-tier needs to prove that outside the conference (SEC, Big 12, PAC-10, etc) in games outside of the bowls.
It also makes a huge difference whether or not these OOC games are at home or on the road (and more than one state away). All of LSU's OOC games are at home, and all against patsies. Deplorable. You might want to do some research on how many of the other SEC teams play their OOC games away or at home.
pssst...wanna bet Fresno State beats Wisky? If memory serves, didn't they beat Wisky the last time they played? I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that. FSU is good...really good!
Let's break down the SEC OOC games home and away.
Alabama-at Clemson rest at home. Clemson close, in S.C.)
Arkansas-@ La Monroe (close proximity) rest at home
Auburn-@WVU (close in proximity) rest @ home.
Georgia-@Ariz St, rest @ home.
Ky-@Louisville (same state) rest at home.
LSU-all at home, all patsies-deplorable
Miss-@Wake For.(N. Carolina)rest @ home.
Miss. St-@LaTech & Geo. Tech(close proximity) 2 @ home.
S. Carolina-@Clemson(same state) rest at home.
Tenn-@UCLA rest @home.
Vandy-@Miami(OH) @Wake, Rice & Duke @ home.
Florida-@FSU(same state), rest @ home.
Notice the trends of almost all the teams. Almost all patsies OOC. With the exception of Tenn @ UCLA, Georgia @ Ariz. St. & Vandy @ Miami(OH) all the rest of the road games are in the South. Every team plays more OOC home games than road games except for Miss St & Vandy who play two road and two home games. Conclusion: The SEC plays the weakest OOC schedule of all the BCS conferences.
Ahem!!! Before you go and pat these guys on the back, take a look at where they are playing these teams.
Tenn = Aside from UCLA, they play no other non-conference team away.
UGA = Aside from Arizona State, they play no non-conference team away.
Florida = Aside from Florida State, no non-conference team played away.
S.C. = Only Clemson played away.
U.K. = Only Louiseville played away.
Vandy = Plays both Wake Forest and Miami (Ohio) away. This is the only schedule I respect. They play teams at or above their level and away.
LSU = No away non-conference games. This is a pathetic schedule. It is one made by someone wanting to look far better then they are.
Auburn = Only WVU played away but, I will give them some credit for playing them away. They still need to have at least 50% away games.
Arkansas = texas and Louis-Monroe away. Ok, I can respect this schedule some what. However, they should not have Western Illinois on their schedule at all.
Miss State = Louis Tech and Georgia Tech away. Good for them. They still should not be playing Southeastern Louisiana.
Alabama = No non-conference team played away. I expected as much from Saban. "Pathetic beyond words."
Miss = Only Wake Forest played away. They should not be playing Samford either. "Weak!"
Look at the Big East. Most of their teams play 2 or more road games in their non-conference games. That says a lot about their willingness to play anybody anywhere.
I give the SEC a D- for it's OOC schedule as a conference. They have padded their schedules with easy apponants and home games.
My apologies to Arky. I totally missed the away game @ Texas. I have to give Arky some props. They have scheduled tough teams like USC home and away, and even though USC scored 120 points on them in the two games (2006 Arky was SEC West champs and USC beat them in Fayetteville 50-14) I still respect Arky for scheduling tough teams and playing them on the road. Same for Tennessee.
wonderful - the blog medium in which some id*iot can express their opinion and borderline personality disorder...
absolute man-crush on the bulldogs for their schedule... oldschool - are you grading on a curve? does the bulldogs schedule deserve more mention than Arizona State? The yellow jackets are a historical intrastate rival... when was the last year the two teams did not meet?
a large portion of these schedules are made years in advance and many teams are left scrambling to fill open dates... LSU gets no props for last year's virginia tech game.
old school is evaluating a snapshot... this is a dynamic environment... get over it.
LSU will battle Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State in 2008 AND they're expected to apologize for their lack of a big name BCS program on their schedule, and possibly the prospect of the conference championship.
... buddy, LSU has arguably five big name BCS programs on their schedule - Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas.
an F-... you're frigging hilarious.
in addition, consider what athletic directors are considering when scheduling out-of-conference opponents... tennessee plays an away game at California instead of a home game with any other opponent - it is costly for the volunteers - their home game would have an attendance of 105K... penn state and others negotiate with historical rivals, e.g. syracuse and pittsburgh but wants two home games and one away - money, money, money. check out news items related to notre dame scheduling uconn for pete's sake... uconn will have '
Last edited by billfish21 on April 29th at 5:35 AM.
wow old, you do three other conferences, get minimal comments and then you grade out the SEC and all the haters come out. Where's Alex Rogan out spewing his hate? Out of Conference, in conference, who cares. It's how your schedule looks as a whole. Out of conference schedules are something Pac 10, Big East and Big 10 schools complain about.
I also don't have a problem with scheduling one DII school. Why not share some of that DI money? A mil could go a long way to help some of these DII schools.
once again: thanks old skewler for an enlightening piece and the interesting comments it brings out in folks..bamf1960: I also would feel ignorant to undermine the SEC (those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it) and your support with a loss to USC is kind..BUT..if we lose that game the 49 states would leave the union before we got into another NC game and I am a hairs breadth from joining them. If we can not come up with some consistency we are doomed to be left standing when the music stops. And shaukawe: can I get you something for your elevated blood pressure before you blow a gasket. Life is short...have some fun...be happy!
billfish, he's pretty accurate w/ the F-. Most LSU fans would agree. It's only thier OOC grade. Somehow their total schedule grade jumps up to somewhere around a B-. That's why I said it's important to take a look at the whole picture. LSU could still go BCS bowling with either Florida or Georgia in the NC.
Thanks to some of you for the props regarding Troy.
Arguably, Troy was the best D1 team in Alabama last year and definitely had the best QB. After an initial atmosphere shock at Florida, they put up 31 on the ####turds and shut Teeboo down. Gave Georgia all they wanted and soundly beat Okie State. If you look at their schedule over the last few years you will find they have played the Big Boys very well. LSU and OSU had better beware of Troy. Troy may be a small school but they play Big time NCAA football. This year's schedule features consecutive road games against LSU, Slohio State and Okie State, in the midst of a 7 game start with only one home game. Try that on for size as a school with only about 8500 students.
ed, Thanks. You understand what I am doing and I appreciate it. Yeah, the Big12 and Big10 got a moderate response, but you mention the SEC and everyone comes out in droves. I hear you on the D2, but leave that to Indiana, Baylor, and Vandy not Michigan, Oklahoma, and LSU.
DrJeff, It is funny, isn't it. Like I said in my opening paragraph, SEC fans are touchy. If they think, even for a second, that you are dissing their conference they will unload on you.
Trojanhorse - While I don't totally agree with your assessment of OOC shecdules in the SEC, There is one thin we all know - USC has the weakest in conference schedule in the BCS because they are the only team in that conference that has been worth a #### consistantly.
One more little observation - The reason SEC teams schedule most of their OOC games at home is money. Money for both schools. Its just that simple.
Bill, that is so true with the borderline personality disorders!! I love that!! Yes to you question if I was grading on a curve. I can't look at scheduling OOC the same for Vandy as I do for LSU. You totally get it. This is a snapshot! I don't care what they did in years past last year or do I care if they ever leave the state. If there is quality competition in the state, why spend the money to travel across the country to play a lesser team? You get it! Thanks.
sctrojanhorse, You can knock the SEC for not traveling as much as USC for OOC games, but they did respectable in my opinion. I don't see why Florida gets a bad rap all the time for not leaving Florida. Why travel to a different state to play lesser competition?
USFfan, Teams like LSU, Florida, Georgia, Tennesee, etc have very little to gain from traveling to a small schools home. They can get more money and have less of a chance of getting upset by staying at home. Tennessee and Georgia are doing a great job of trying to schedule quality home and aways with good teams.
Last edited by oldskewler on April 29th at 7:30 AM.
Lisa, thanks for stopping by. I hear you about Fresno State. I love the way they schedule. What I have come to realize is that you are right a lot of the time. Wisky is taking a big risk going to Fresno. I have to root for the Badgers because of former Husker Barry Alvarez, but the Bulldogs have a place in my heart. As for the FCS schools on the schedules, I hear you. You are right. I was just so impressed with the rest of the schedule.
SKCUBOG, You took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks.
dfosty, Wyoming dissapointed me last year. I may be a little frosty towards them still. They have had some decent teams, but they underachieved last year and that is problem.
Dwindy1, Thanks for stopping by. Some people are just looking for reasons to spew hate. That does stink about the PAC-10 and Big 10 holding us back, but they have their reasons I guess. Thanks for the kind words.
jax, you are right with the money thing and the PAC-10 inconsistency. Last year they had some good teams in the middle for a change, but it remains to be seen if they can keep that up.
Oldskewler:
You mentioned that teams like Florida doesn't need to leave the state to play lesser competition. Miami and FSU both have dropped a bit. And Florida just renewed the Miami game, so they don't play the Canes every year. But to gain some respect they need to take their show on the road. The last time they did that in a regular season, they lost.
You also mentioned that LSU, UGA, Tenn, and LSU doesn't need to take their show on the road because they are missing out on that money from home games. I can see that. But Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Penn State have the largest seating capacity in CFB. Credit needs to be given to Ohio State and Tennessee for consistently taking their team on the road and playing tougher competition and losing some money. Those teams have more money to lose than LSU, UGA, and Florida.
Lisa,
The badgers lost to Fresno in 2001 in Madison, but they lost to UNLV on the road a few years ago. Wisconsin is bringing back a team with a lot of experience, and some are picking them to dethrone Ohio State this year. But you never know what Badger team shows up.
Michigan gets a grade of F because 1) Notre Dame was the worst BCS team statistically in all of college football last season. That's not Michigan's fault, but you don't get bonus points because Notre Dame USED to be good. You have no other OOC BCS teams on your schedule and you play Utah, Miami (OH) and Toledo all at home. I'd have more respect for you if you played Appalachian State again on the road.
Illinois gets a grade of D because Missouri isn't a traditional powerhouse. 2007 was the first year Missouri won double digit games in a season in 47 years!!! I call last season an anomaly. Missouri only beat Ole Miss by 8 points and that's the worst team in the SEC. Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Michigan are all cupcakes and they are all played at home.
I cannot believe that he is dating on the online luxury service ' #### ' . I am a bit curious what kind of relationship he's looking for. Sexual or serious, or committed?
The Pac 10 might be a little inconsistent, but lets look at the SEC. Just who has been good this decade? Has Miss, Miss St, Vandy, Ky, So. Carolina EVER been good? And how about Bama this decade? way down. That's half of the conference. The Pac 10 may be more inconsistent than the SEC, but at least they have had all of their teams in the running for the Pac 10 title in recent years. The SEC has 6 good teams, and 6 also-rans this decade.
Shaukawe:
I respect your opinion, but you give Michigan a lower score because Notre Dame was bad last year, but their tradition shouldn't be counted in your ranking. (Even though Notre Dame almost never have seasons like they did last year). But I'll give you that. Utah, Miami(OH) and Toledo aren't teams to get excited about.
But you give Illinois a higher score and you say that Mizzou was good and you also rated them low because of their tradition is questionable.
Tradition from Notre Dame doesn't count, but tradition for Missouri does?
olds, you have a point. But if you are scheduling a DII team three to four years in advance, there's no telling if you'll be top tier team or not.
Thank you for talking college football in Apr.
Go Blue,
Ann Arbor to South Bend
Estimated Time: 2.0 hours 48 minutes Estimated Distance: 178.25 miles
Gainesville to Miami
Estimated Time: 5.0 hours 5 minutes
Estimated Distance: 337.80 miles
(time and distance from Mapquest.com)
What does it matter leaving a state? Which trip would you rather take?
The Southeastern Conference has been considered by many the most competitive conference from top to bottom for a number of years now. That’s fine, but do they attempt to play anyone outside of the SEC. Let’s take a look at the OOC (out of conference) schedule for the teams in the SEC.
Georgia – Georgia Southern, Central Michigan, Arizona State, Georgia Tech. This is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, OOC schedules I have seen so far. 50% from BCS conferences and the reigning conference champion from the MAC. As it was correctly pointed out to me in a previous post, Central Michigan has one of the best QB’s in the country in Dan LeFevour. You could make the argument that Georgia Tech is every bit as good as Florida State. I know that GT is on the schedule every year, but that shouldn’t count against Georgia. Arizona State has proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. Georgia seems to have done a tremendous job in timing a great OOC schedule and an awesome returning team. Where’s Trev Alberts when you need him. Wherever he is, I am sure he has Georgia penciled in as the next National Champion. Grade: A 
Florida – Hawaii, Miami, Citadel, Florida State. This is another nice job of OOC scheduling in the SEC. The Citadel is the only game that the Gators should be able to relax and sleepwalk through. Hawaii will put up a fight, but does not have the depth to threaten anything past the second quarter. As for Miami and Florida State, these are two teams that are just waiting to explode with all the talent they have. 50% of the OOC is from BCS conferences and 25% is the reigning WAC conference champion. This is the way a top-tier team should schedule year-in and year-out. Kudos to the boys in Gainesville for showing they are not yellow-bellies. They should try to get South Florida and Florida Atlantic on the OOC schedule along with Miami and Florida State for the ultimate Battle Royale for the Sunshine State. Grade: A
Vanderbilt – Miami (OH), Rice, Duke, Wake Forest. This is a nice schedule for Vanderbilt. If this were the schedule for just about any other team in the SEC, then I would be much more critical. What I like is that they have a legitimate test in WF. They have a strong tune-up game with Miami(OH) (Vandy may not even be favored in that one.) What I like most about the Commodores’ OOC schedule is that all the opponents are Div-1A. If any team in the SEC would be forgiven for scheduling a non-Div-1A team, it would have been Vandy. Duke and Rice are not good teams, but they are at least Div-1. Good job. Grade: B+
Mississippi State – Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia Tech, Middle Tennessee State. Here is an example of aggressive but cautious scheduling from a BCS team that is appropriate. They have a huge test on the schedule with the Yellow-Jackets. LA Tech and Middle Tennessee St are middle-of-the-road teams from the WAC and Sun Belt respectively. MTS gave Louisville all they could handle last year, and LA Tech almost beat Hawaii. Sure there is a stinker in SE Louisiana, but for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State this is a pretty good schedule. Grade: B- (would have been much higher if SE Louisiana was not scheduled)
Auburn – Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Mississippi, West Virginia, Tennessee-Martin. Auburn has done a good job of mixing up the competition in their OOC scheduling. WVU is a huge test. Auburn will be able to tell where they are for the season in the game with the Mountaineers. That game garners much props. Southern Miss is a good tune-up game. The Tigers should win, but Southern-Miss will challenge them throughout the game. Louisiana-Monroe is a middle-of-the-road team from the Sun Belt. This should have been the patsy of the schedule for Auburn. Unfortunately, Tennessee-Martin was scheduled. A team like Auburn should not be playing teams like Tennessee-Martin. It just shouldn’t be happening. Sorry. Grade: C+ (this would have been much higher if it were all Div-1 competition)
Mississippi – Memphis, Wake Forest, Samford, Louisiana-Monroe. This schedule is almost a carbon-copy, save for the top-game, of the Arkansas OOC schedule. Memphis is a decent team from CUSA. Memphis competed well in its conference and should give Ole Miss a run for its money. Wake Forest will be a test for the Rebels. Mississippi will certainly be underdogs in that one. Louisiana-Monroe is on the schedule for many SEC teams, but this is the best chance for the Warhawks to get a win in the SEC. I have them graded higher than Arkansas because Mississippi is not of the same caliber as Arkansas. Grade: C+
Arkansas – Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas, Tulsa. I am probably giving too much credit to Texas being on the schedule, but Texas should be better this year than last. Tulsa is the reigning Conference USA Champion. The Golden Tornados (I know it is the Golden Hurricanes, but that just doesn’t make any sense to me at all) will give a good fight for 2-3 quarters. Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe will not to be confused with good teams for some time to come, but at least they are Div-1A. Arkansas did well in getting Texas and even Tulsa, but they could have tried harder to upgrade one of the lesser two teams a little. It would have been nice to see two BCS conference teams. Grade: C
South Carolina – North Carolina State, Wofford, UAB, Clemson. This is not really as good as it may initially look. Wofford should not be on the schedule at all. If South Carolina wants to be considered on of the better teams in the SEC, then they should not be playing teams like Wofford. UAB has one of the worst teams in Div-1A football. I will give some credit for scheduling NC State and Clemson. NC State is at least from a BCS conference. I know that Clemson is the in-state rival, but that should not be counted against SC. Clemson is still on the OOC schedule. Grade: C-
Tennessee – UCLA, UAB, Northern Illinois, Wyoming. This is not a good schedule if you want to challenge your team. UAB is a bad team from CUSA. Northern Illinois is a bad team from the MAC. Wyoming is a pretty bad team from MWC. UCLA is the only bright spot on this schedule, and I have serious doubts if UCLA will be any good at all this year. The only good thing I can say about this OOC schedule is that they are all Div-1A teams. Is it the Vols’ fault that UCLA stinks now? No, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Bruins do stink and this game should be nothing more than an over-hyped tune-up. I do like the Vols, but this should be embarrassing to them. Shame. Grade: D
Kentucky – Louisville, Norfolk State, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky. I know that Kentucky has been bad a football for a long time, but that is no excuse for this kind of schedule. Louisville is the lone redeeming factor for this debacle of an OOC schedule, and it really isn’t all that redeeming. Middle Tennessee State will end up being the second best game on the schedule. This is coming from an SEC team! Not good at all. Grade: D-
Alabama – Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State. Clemson is the biggest test OOC? Alabama’s not even trying. Sure, Clemson is good, but there is a huge difference between Clemson and Tulane. There should be a team in there closer to Clemson’s talent level. Tulane should towards the bottom of the talent Alabama should be seeing in the OOC schedule not towards the top. For the Tide, playing teams like Western Kentucky and Arkansas State should be embarrassing. This is shameful. Grade: F
LSU – Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas, Tulane. This schedule stinks up the place. This ranks right up there with Texas Tech’s OOC schedule. The difference is LSU has been good for years and years. Where is the test here? For LSU, there is no test or even a real tune-up game. This is absolutely the worst in the SEC. Alabama has the excuse that they have not been as good as they want to be. LSU has been at the top of the SEC for years. The two national championships in the past few years warrants taking the OOC schedule up a couple notches. Troy is probably the toughest team on this schedule. TROY! Come on LSU! Let’s get with the program. Grade: F-
