I am not in Kansas anymore. I am in Lisa’s and Wilson’s stomping ground here. Unlike Tiger, I have my “A” game going and I’m feelin’ good. In case you missed them, here are the links to my previous out-of-conference (OOC) grades. The ACC, Big East, Big XII, Big X(+1), and the SEC. By the way, I now see why Lisa has been harping on the non-FBS (Div-1A) games. Also, let’s keep in mind that the PAC-10 usually has only three games on it’s OOC schedule because they play all of their conference every year. After those nine games, that only leaves 3 spots open for OOC competition. If there is a FCS team on the schedule, it really, really sticks out.
Here is a reminder of what I am looking for and what is important to me when evaluating an OOC schedule: First, the quality of the team is important to note. I can’t very well evaluate USC’s schedule the same as I would Stanford’s. Secondly, I look for FCS (Div-1AA) teams on the schedule. After that, I will look at the present level of competition that the scheduled team may present. My favorite example is Nebraska. I can’t give a team more credit for scheduling Nebraska as I would Iowa State because of the present level of competition. I do not give any credit to how good the team was when the game was scheduled. Conversely, I would give copious amounts of credit for having South Florida or Rutgers on the schedule. Get it? Got it? Good!
Univerity of California at Los Angeles – Tennessee, Brigham Young, Fresno State. Here is a case of grading on the curve. UCLA is a pretty good team. They certainly are not stinking up the joint. Speaking of stinking, there is not a stinker in this gaggle of games for UCLA. This is why I have their schedule above USC’s. Tennessee is one of the best SEC teams year-in and year-out. They lost Ainge, but they will still be good. BYU had a special season last year and is the reigning MWC champion. The Cougars are pretty good. And then there is Fresno State sitting there all waiting to burst like a 10-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. When your OOC schedule’s weakest team is a reigning FBS conference champion, you got the goods. I believe UCLA has a very distinct chance in losing all three of these games, but you have to give them some credit here. Grade: A++
Washington – Brigham Young, Oklahoma, Notre Dame. Here is another case of the grade on the curve thing. Washington is really trying to schedule tough and they have done a good job here.. They understand that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I would think that the decision makers at Washington were thinking the BYU game would have been the easy one, not the Notre Dame game. I guess we will see. I think it is unlikely that Washington wins both those games. Washington has Oklahoma on the schedule and that says volumes as to the fearlessness in the scheduling philosophy. If Washington has a good team this year, then they should win 2 of these 3. Grade: A+
University of Southern California – Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame. Much props to USC for this bold schedule. Ohio State just seems to make it to the National Championship game year after year. The sweater-vest loving Tressel consistently has a top 10 team there in Ohio. You cannot deny the talent there in Buckeyeland. Any team that actively goes out and tries to get a consistent top 10 team on its OOC schedule gets a ton of respect in my book. Any team that has LSU, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, or Texas on the OOC schedule will get mad props from me. Virginia is no slouch either. Sure they lose Chris Long, but they have a good amount of starters coming back. Notre Dame is what it is. Maybe they pull it together this year, maybe they don’t. I’m leaning towards the latter. Grade: A+ (I can’t penalize USC for ND because they play every year.)
Stanford – Texas Christian University, San Jose State, Notre Dame. This is a monster schedule for a team like Stanford. TCU was disappointing last year, but they are a quality opponent year after year. The Horned Frogs will be a good test for the Cardinals. San Jose State is ok. I think it is ok for Stanford to schedule them because they are Stanford and not USC. The SJS Spartans are in the WAC and they finished in the upper part of the lower half of that conference. Notre Dame is what it is. This year’s game should be exciting at the very least. Personally, I am looking forward to it. Grade: A (Because it is Stanford)
Washington State – Oklahoma State, Baylor, Portland State, Hawaii. For a team like Washington State, this is a very good job of scheduling. They took on an extra team so I will for give the Portland State thing. The Cowboys will give the Cougars a run for their money for sure. There is a scary thing about that Cowboy offense. Hawaii lost their coach and their QB, but they still have the system. The Warriors would have been a good gauge as to where this Washington State team is on the grid, but the game is the last one of the year. That is too bad. Baylor should have been the easiest game on the schedule. That is respectable because as bad as Baylor is, they are at least in a BCS conference. Grade: A- (Hawaii brought them down a bit, and I am ignoring the Portland State game because WSU has four OOC games and the rest of the PAC-10 have three.)
Oregon State – Penn State, Hawaii, Utah. You can’t say that this is a bad schedule for the Beavers. Penn State is a good test to evaluate where OSU will be this year. The Nittany Lions have one of the best home field advantages in the NCAA. Oregon State should be able to handle Hawaii this year with all the changes the Warriors will be dealing with. The Utes should be the weakest team on the schedule and they may very well be, but they should not be taken too lightly. Just ask UCLA. We are seeing a trend here in the PAC-10. Grade: B+
California – Michigan State, Maryland, Colorado State. With the exception of Colorado State recently, this schedule has very good competition on it. Michigan State is a consistent bowl game participant, and they do get some talent playing for the Spartans. Maryland is coming off a semi-disappointing year, but they are still a decent team from a BCS conference. Colorado State has been disappointed me last year big time. The best I can figure it, the Rams will end up in the middle of the MWC this year. I would have been harsher on this schedule if it were last years because Cal is not the same team they were 1-2 years ago. Grade: B
Arizona State – Northern Arizona, University of Las Vegas, Georgia. Even though there is that stinker of Northern Arizona on the schedule, I must give a decent grade. Georgia will be a monster this year. The stars and planets have aligned for the Dawgs this year. My best Mr. T impression “I pity da fool who’s got to play Georgia this year!” UNLV should have been the worst team on this schedule. This schedule would have been “A” material if there was a team with a talent-level between UNLV and Georgia. There a many, many teams that fall into that category. Grade: C+ (Would have been much higher if not for N. AZ)
Oregon – Utah State, Purdue, Boise State. This is very disappointing coming from Oregon. They do have a history of bold scheduling, but this must be an off year. Toughest team on the schedule is probably Boise State. Maybe Purdue will surprise some me in the Big 10, but right now I would give a slight edge to the Broncos. That is not saying much for the schedule as a whole. Utah State is ok to have as the “special practice game,” but a team like Oregon needs to step it up a bit after that. Purdue or Boise State are ok for the second team, but they needed a team like Michigan again to make this OOC schedule respectable. Grade: D
Arizona – Idaho, Toledo, New Mexico. Ok, Arizona hasn’t been spectacular lately, but this is really pushing it. When New Mexico is the best game on your OOC schedule, you have issues. The real stinker is Idaho. They went winless in the WAC last year. New Mexico has been improving, but they are not to be confused with a real quality opponent. (well, maybe for Arizona) Toledo is towards the bottom of the barrel in the MAC. This is disappointing from a PAC-10 team. Grade: D-
Arizona needs to move to another conference. I know these schedules are sometimes made years in advance and the quality of the teams down the road are an unknown at the time, but come on... Idaho Toledo and New Mexico??? These schools were not going to be big time programs any time soon... New Mexico has been making strides to improve but sheese!
How about if the Pac-10 trades Arizona for Colorado? Then you guys could have two Stoops teams!
Dwindy, One Stoops team is enough, and I don't know how long the AZ Stoops is going to last. His novelty is wearing thin in Tucson. I like the idea of trading out Arizona, but I would think BYU or Fresno St before Colorado. Call me kooky, but I love those obnoxious Buffs fans.
Thanks for stoping by.
Again good stuff. I think the Pac 10 has a need to schedule a tougher OOC schedule. USC is tough year in and year out OOC wise. I think they know they need to make up for what they don't get quality wise in conference.
ed, thanks for pointing out the Long mistake. I have to agree that this year the PAC-10 has done a phenominal job of scheduling OOC. I'm sure someone will step up and give USC and Arizona State a run for their money.
Aw c'mon Olds and Dwindy, gotta cut my Wildcats a little slack here. Coach Stoops is under a great deal of pressure to put together a winning season and a bowl game appearance. It's not like the UofA is contending for a national title (or even a BCS bowl), we're just wanting to see a bowl game - any bowl game!
Heck, it's been so long that some of us have forgotten what it's like to have the Wildcats in a bowl game!
Anyways, I thought the D- was a bit on the harsh side for a program that's desperate for a winning season. I would've gone more with a C- based on the curve that helped Wazzu and Stanford get grades of an A- and an A.
Bear Down Arizona! Please, please get at least 7 wins for once.
KOD (bc), you got a point. I remember a bowl game back in 1998-99 with the Wildcats against my Huskers. It is a bit fuzzy, but as I remember it we got waxed by the Wildcats and some kid on defense named McCalister. You will get no sympathy from me, my man. :)
No BCS conference games. That was the main reason for the poor grade. Put in a Baylor or a Vanerbilt and I give you a C.
Last edited by oldskewler on April 29th at 3:36 PM.
I agree with you for the most part, but I think Oregon should be a little higher. Purdue was a bowl team last year. And we know about Boise State, they pretty much have owned the WAC. Also, Oregon just finished their home/away series with Michigan last year.
I had debates about the Pac 10 in their scheduling with other posters. And the Pac 10 has always been impressive. Of all of the BCS powers, I think they have scheduled the least amount of Div1AA teams than any one. Last year, they were second to the ACC as far as scheduling other BCS conferences. These same posters would say the Pac 10 is weak. The Pac 10 just plays tougher competition and with that they may lose games. USC is just a great program now, who plays in a league of good programs.
Also, the Pac 10 are road warriors as well. They may not play much in SEC country, but they often travel to Big East, Big 10 and Big XII country for games.
Now I wonder what the haters try to come up with on this.
Olds...hey I almost agree with every one of these...Oregon gets props for scheduling Boise Sate and Purdue...I would grade them higher, like a B-, but would grade Arizona an F-. That's horrendous scheduling. I know they have been playing poorly, but those teams are kinda weak. The good news is at least they didn't schedule a 1AA team. Still..they are an F.
The trend is that you don't see a lot of 1AA teams...I like that a lot. They are playing with the big boys. UCLA has a brutal schedule, and after watching their Spring game, you are right...they may lose all 3. BYU will be in top 25. Fresno State will be in top 25, and so will Tenn.
i dont give a hoot who is on the schedule?? these are sometimes made up several years in advance, how can the players do anything about it, just go out and play who you have to play!!!!!
Where were all you complainees when we were taking on LSU and BYU in our non-conference schedule, Like the 1st guy said, some of these schedules were set up years in advance, and mosre importantly Arizona is playing one more game than usual this year...
as the rest of the BCS school stick to the trend of playing as little games as possible, Arizona got stuck with another game...
I agree, our schedule is weak, but so is our football team...
however I do not see you out there bit ching when WSU schedules in the high 200's in SOS in basketball, or ASU has a non confrence SOS of 322 or something to that effect (in basketball) once again..
and if you were to trade Arizona for Colorado - that might make sense in football - for the moment - however Arizona is very competitive in most sports, basketball being the main one, but we have already won 2 national titles this year as is....
so give me a break - Arizona is going to get a bowl game this year - no doubt about it - especially with that floof at the beginning of the season
Good stuff dude, and props for being unbiased. As far as scheduling OOC, because it's done years in advance, and not counting a Nebraska as bold scheduling because they aren't what they used to be, well I kinda lean toward intent. If you were scheduling a game several years in advance and you scheduled USF instead of Notre Dame, that tells me you were looking for a creampuff but got fooled. A few years ago who would have predicted the rise of South Florida and the demise of the fighting Irish? And vice-versa. Usc schedules ND every year, and you ASSUME they will be strong, the same for having Nebraska last year. You assume the Floridas, Auburns, Alabamas, Texas', OUs, Nebraskas, Ohio States, and Michigans of NCAA FB are going to be tough, and it takes cajones to schedule 1, much less 2, of these teams. They may be down for a year or two but you KNOW they'll be back.
Very good assessment, and contrary to popular belief, playing a PAC schedule of every team ain't easy. If you look at USC SINCE 2002, they have only lost 2 OOC games, including BCS bowl games, against the cream of other conferences, yet the bulk of their losses come in-conference (2002 WSU, 2003 Cal, 2004 none, 2005 none, 2006 Oregon State and UCLA, 2007 Stanford and Oregon.
Anyway props, and Ican'tforsomecollegefootball!!!!!!! !!!!!
Real, defensive much? Please try to understand that this is about College FOOTBALL, not Basketball, not hockey, not baseball, not swimming, not water polo. Also, this is not a history lesson. This is only a snapshot of this year's games. Arizona has a crappy schedule this year. Maybe they haven't had a crappy schedule in 50 years, but this year it stinks.
Oregon deserved better and not because you give them too much credit for being good.BSU continues to impress and Purdue is a 3 or 4 loss team capable of putting up BB scores.
Anyway,this is how it's done.I absolutely love the Pac10 scheduling in and out of conference.
RWC does make a good point that the schedules were made in advance and that Toledo may have looked a bit more respectable a few years ago (when the schedule was set up). Or Idaho had Dennis Erickson when the schedule was made, and someone anticipated the Vandals would be better with Erickson coaching there? I don't know.
Olds, not to make excuses though, I agree the UofA non-conference schedule is poor, like you said maybe switch Toledo for a reasonable BCS opponent. But I'll be honest, right now I would gladly take 3-0 from a D- ooc schedule as opposed to 1-2 from a B+ ooc. If the 'Cats go 1-2 with this weak ooc, well, that spells real trouble in Tucson for Coach Stoops.
UltT, I thought about trying to figure in the strength of the teams when they were scheduled, but my ears started bleeding. What I did was take a snap-shot and only factored in last year's performance and the expected performance this year.
Thanks for the props.
KOD, I am very happy to see you have embraced your well deserved moniker. ;) I understand your point and I agree totally that 3-0 is better for Arizona than 1-2. Thanks.
I agree with just about everything you say here. Overall the Pac10 schedules challenging non league games. Of the 31 non league games, most are quality teams. Only NAU, Idaho, Utah State, San Jose and Toledo are in the cupcake category.
I agree on a few of these. I don't think it is fair to give Stanford a higher grade just because it is stanford. TCU is decent at best maybe 3 or 4 in the Mountain west. San Jose will be lucky to be 5 in the WAC and ND coming off what they did??
WSU- Oklahoma State is a middle to low team in the South, Baylor is nothing and Hawaii will be no where near what they were.
Oregon State- you forgot a couple big things here as in 2 @. @Penn State and @ Utah. gonna be a factor.
Oregon- yeah Utah State is nothing but @ Purdue and yes i think they will surprise you a bit. maybe not with oregon but in conference. and Boise State has gotta be a favorite in the WAC again.
free polls
I like the match-ups and the years of bad-blood between rivals in college football. I enjoy a good game no matter the national implications. Give me a 3OT game between a couple of Sun Belt teams over a 40 point blowout between a couple top 25 teams anytime. I consider myself to be a fan of the game. I will be as respectful to visitors on my blog as they are to me. Go Huskers! Go Navy! Go Jags! Go Cubbies!
I am not in Kansas anymore. I am in Lisa’s and Wilson’s stomping ground here. Unlike Tiger, I have my “A” game going and I’m feelin’ good. In case you missed them, here are the links to my previous out-of-conference (OOC) grades. The 
Here is a reminder of what I am looking for and what is important to me when evaluating an OOC schedule: First, the quality of the team is important to note. I can’t very well evaluate USC’s schedule the same as I would Stanford’s. Secondly, I look for FCS (Div-1AA) teams on the schedule. After that, I will look at the present level of competition that the scheduled team may present. My favorite example is Nebraska. I can’t give a team more credit for scheduling Nebraska as I would Iowa State because of the present level of competition. I do not give any credit to how good the team was when the game was scheduled. Conversely, I would give copious amounts of credit for having South Florida or Rutgers on the schedule. Get it? Got it? Good!
Univerity of California at Los Angeles – Tennessee, Brigham Young, Fresno State. Here is a case of grading on the curve. UCLA is a pretty good team. They certainly are not stinking up the joint. Speaking of stinking, there is not a stinker in this gaggle of games for UCLA. This is why I have their schedule above USC’s. Tennessee is one of the best SEC teams year-in and year-out. They lost Ainge, but they will still be good. BYU had a special season last year and is the reigning MWC champion. The Cougars are pretty good. And then there is Fresno State sitting there all waiting to burst like a 10-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. When your OOC schedule’s weakest team is a reigning FBS conference champion, you got the goods. I believe UCLA has a very distinct chance in losing all three of these games, but you have to give them some credit here. Grade: A++ 
Washington – Brigham Young, Oklahoma, Notre Dame. Here is another case of the grade on the curve thing. Washington is really trying to schedule tough and they have done a good job here.. They understand that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I would think that the decision makers at Washington were thinking the BYU game would have been the easy one, not the Notre Dame game. I guess we will see. I think it is unlikely that Washington wins both those games. Washington has Oklahoma on the schedule and that says volumes as to the fearlessness in the scheduling philosophy. If Washington has a good team this year, then they should win 2 of these 3. Grade: A+ 
University of Southern California – Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame. Much props to USC for this bold schedule. Ohio State just seems to make it to the National Championship game year after year. The sweater-vest loving Tressel consistently has a top 10 team there in Ohio. You cannot deny the talent there in Buckeyeland. Any team that actively goes out and tries to get a consistent top 10 team on its OOC schedule gets a ton of respect in my book. Any team that has LSU, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, or Texas on the OOC schedule will get mad props from me. Virginia is no slouch either. Sure they lose Chris Long, but they have a good amount of starters coming back. Notre Dame is what it is. Maybe they pull it together this year, maybe they don’t. I’m leaning towards the latter. Grade: A+ (I can’t penalize USC for ND because they play every year.)
Stanford – Texas Christian University, San Jose State, Notre Dame. This is a monster schedule for a team like Stanford. TCU was disappointing last year, but they are a quality opponent year after year. The Horned Frogs will be a good test for the Cardinals. San Jose State is ok. I think it is ok for Stanford to schedule them because they are Stanford and not USC. The SJS Spartans are in the WAC and they finished in the upper part of the lower half of that conference. Notre Dame is what it is. This year’s game should be exciting at the very least. Personally, I am looking forward to it. Grade: A (Because it is Stanford)
Washington State – Oklahoma State, Baylor, Portland State, Hawaii. For a team like Washington State, this is a very good job of scheduling. They took on an extra team so I will for give the Portland State thing. The Cowboys will give the Cougars a run for their money for sure. There is a scary thing about that Cowboy offense. Hawaii lost their coach and their QB, but they still have the system. The Warriors would have been a good gauge as to where this Washington State team is on the grid, but the game is the last one of the year. That is too bad. Baylor should have been the easiest game on the schedule. That is respectable because as bad as Baylor is, they are at least in a BCS conference. Grade: A- (Hawaii brought them down a bit, and I am ignoring the Portland State game because WSU has four OOC games and the rest of the PAC-10 have three.)
Oregon State – Penn State, Hawaii, Utah. You can’t say that this is a bad schedule for the Beavers. Penn State is a good test to evaluate where OSU will be this year. The Nittany Lions have one of the best home field advantages in the NCAA. Oregon State should be able to handle Hawaii this year with all the changes the Warriors will be dealing with. The Utes should be the weakest team on the schedule and they may very well be, but they should not be taken too lightly. Just ask UCLA. We are seeing a trend here in the PAC-10. Grade: B+
California – Michigan State, Maryland, Colorado State. With the exception of Colorado State recently, this schedule has very good competition on it. Michigan State is a consistent bowl game participant, and they do get some talent playing for the Spartans. Maryland is coming off a semi-disappointing year, but they are still a decent team from a BCS conference. Colorado State has been disappointed me last year big time. The best I can figure it, the Rams will end up in the middle of the MWC this year. I would have been harsher on this schedule if it were last years because Cal is not the same team they were 1-2 years ago. Grade: B
Arizona State – Northern Arizona, University of Las Vegas, Georgia. Even though there is that stinker of Northern Arizona on the schedule, I must give a decent grade. Georgia will be a monster this year. The stars and planets have aligned for the Dawgs this year. My best Mr. T impression “I pity da fool who’s got to play Georgia this year!” UNLV should have been the worst team on this schedule. This schedule would have been “A” material if there was a team with a talent-level between UNLV and Georgia. There a many, many teams that fall into that category. Grade: C+ (Would have been much higher if not for N. AZ)
Oregon – Utah State, Purdue, Boise State. This is very disappointing coming from Oregon. They do have a history of bold scheduling, but this must be an off year. Toughest team on the schedule is probably Boise State. Maybe Purdue will surprise some me in the Big 10, but right now I would give a slight edge to the Broncos. That is not saying much for the schedule as a whole. Utah State is ok to have as the “special practice game,” but a team like Oregon needs to step it up a bit after that. Purdue or Boise State are ok for the second team, but they needed a team like Michigan again to make this OOC schedule respectable. Grade: D
Arizona – Idaho, Toledo, New Mexico. Ok, Arizona hasn’t been spectacular lately, but this is really pushing it. When New Mexico is the best game on your OOC schedule, you have issues. The real stinker is Idaho. They went winless in the WAC last year. New Mexico has been improving, but they are not to be confused with a real quality opponent. (well, maybe for Arizona) Toledo is towards the bottom of the barrel in the MAC. This is disappointing from a PAC-10 team. Grade: D-
