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-