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Dr. Saturday

Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:37 pm EST

If you want the gold, go out and schedule it

By Matt Hinton

Rivals had an interesting story Wednesday from the AFCA convention in Nashville on philosophies in non-conference scheduling in the age of the BCS, wherein most of the coaches interviewed said they looked to schedule at least one "A-list team," in the words of Jeff Tedford, or what Jim Tressel called "a game of national interest," while balancing "B- and C-level opponents" and giving "in-state, mid-level teams a chance to play in Ohio Stadium," etc. In other words, they want to have their cake -- a big, high profile game for the rankings -- and eat it, too, in the form of fluffy cupcakes whose visits pay for women's field hockey.

The Austin American-Statesman puts the dilemma into very clear focus today, reporting on Texas' unsuccessful efforts to beef up its non-conference schedule in 2009, which currently consists of home games with Louisiana-Monroe, Central Florida and UTEP and an unfathomable trip to Wyoming (some ace prep quarterback toiling on the prairie or what?). At ESPN's request, UT had originally agreed to move the UCF game to another year, and briefly filled that date with a very interesting visit from Wisconsin. But the return trip to Madison wouldn't happen until at least 2013, and the deal fell through. Oh well.

After this year, Texas knows better than anyone how critical a strong non-conference schedule is to BCS ambitions: The key reason Oklahoma jumped the Longhorns had less to do with the Sooners' ridiculous point totals after losing to UT in October than it did with OU's big wins outside of the Big 12: Oklahoma victims TCU and Cincinnati ended the year in the top-15, easily trumping Texas' wins over Arkansas and Rice. This is the same effect that left USC on the outside looking in according to the computers in the three-way logjam in 2003 (the Trojans' non-conference that year consisted of Auburn, BYU, Hawaii and Notre Dame, none of which finished in the vicinity of the final polls) and Auburn in the cold in 2004 (the Tigers played UL-Monroe, the Citadel and Louisiana Tech), and that I addressed specifically for a Texas-centric publication before the 2007 season, when the Longhorns were preparing to line up against Arkansas State, TCU, Central Florida and Rice. That slate didn't cost the 'Horns anything that year -- they lost three games in the Big 12 -- but when they needed the boost in 2008, the lack of a credible test outside the league was a death knell.

Of course, it's something of a crapshoot: When the schedules were made, Arkansas certainly seemed as viable as TCU or Cincinnati; Oklahoma just got lucky that the Frogs and Bearcats happened to peak at the same time Arkansas was undergoing severe growing pains, just like Auburn and Notre Dame were when their unexpected mediocrity submarined USC's title hopes in 2003 (Virginia and ND didn't do the Trojans any favors last year, either). It didn't help that a planned series between Utah and Texas that would have sent the Longhorns to Salt Lake City last year fell through.

But it's no coincidence the 'Horns are currently pursuing Notre Dame to add to a slate that already includes Ole Miss, UCLA and Arkansas over the next five years -- the Irish are not the safest bet for an elite opponent right now, but the odds of a big payoff in the polls are much better than with, say, UTEP. More behemoths with high ambitions might want to look into creating their own luck that way.

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14 Comments

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  1. Barry Zuckerkorn
    1. Posted by Barry Zuckerkorn Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:39 pm EDT

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    Until the NCAA gets a playoff system in place (if ever), I would love to see a rule placed upon all BCS conference schools that they must play at least two schools from other BCS conferences in their non-conference schedule. It would show which schools are still trying to sneak by, and which schools are actually concerned with playing good teams. And, most importantly, it would hopefully make for more enjoyable "national interest" games.
  2. Alex J
    2. Posted by Alex J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:03 pm EDT

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    wasn't texas going to play utah last season ooc till the utes backed out?
  3. Jessica B
    3. Posted by Jessica B Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:33 pm EDT

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    I agree with that idea Andrew. Dont let these so called power houses sneak by when playing Chatanooga and Citadel. Play some real schools to see how your team matches up. I would love to see that.
  4. Joshgator
    4. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    Really jessica b... Did you really think that statement through... Apparently not. Andrew stated that teams should play at least two out of conference bcs games and all you can do is spout off about the Citadel? You CONVENIENTLY forgot that UF played Florida State AND Miami (both from the ACC- OOC "Big Six" schools. You just showed a complete lack of intelligence...Most important rule in writing is to FACT CHECK (and FYI I am not a writer, I'm a clinical audiologist, yet even I know that rule). Jessica...open mouth...insert foot!
  5. ShawnH
    5. Posted by ShawnH Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:36 pm EDT

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    A couple of years ago USC played and walloped the winner of the SEC east (ARK) the winner of the big 12 north (NEB) the best independent (ND) and won the pac 10. But they still didn't get the nod over two loss LSU. Sometimes even scheduling good competition doesn't work.
  6. man29
    6. Posted by man29 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    You need a playoff...it's that simple.......If your a power house you can't play good teams every year in the non-conference...Most teams make the schedule 2 or 3 years ahead..And yes utah did pull out of the game with Texas... And with a young team you don't want to go out and play a power house program at the begginning of the year..lol..that's dumb..your setn your young players up for failure...Texas had 8 seniors on the team..No that's not a team I would put against a top 15 team in the first 2 weeks on the season..You want to build your young players up not put them in a game against a team that could discourage a team with a loss...And for Texas it would have made no sense to schedule good non-conference games...then go play 4- top 15 teams all in a row back to back weeks..That would be dumb...Texas didn't get into the game beause Ou and little bobby cheated the system..You should know that...lol...Texas did alot more than any other team out there but came up short in the Tech game on the road with tech star players healthy... Texas had set up the arkansas series last year when Ark was good..Had houston nutt..and mcfadden and felix jones..both could have come back and that win against arkansas would be a great win for Texas but it wasn't because arkansas end up getn a new head coach..and both junior running backs went to the NFL...So playing a soo called good non-conference team is over rated unless you play USC or Florida..Meaning top programs that you know will still be good at the end..Any other non-conf game against a team would just be a gamble and it's not worth it when your already in the top 5...If you play the great teams in the begginning you could very easy be the laughing stock of football...Ohio st...lol...And OU playing non-conf games at home? what does that say..I have much more respect for Ohio st than OU..for taking it's confidence on the road to USC even if they lost the game badly..So yeah I do think Texas needs to play better non-conf games but I don't know who to play other than the big names but that takes away from the ending of the college football season where we want to see the great teams go at it again..Only a playoff would be best..
  7. pine tar
    7. Posted by pine tar Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:55 pm EDT

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    sorry but the bearcats had a fluke season and tcu will never be the same without ladanian ucf will dominate the bearcats and the horned frogs in the coming years. in the end it didn't matter because ou sucked in the title game and florida never deserved to be there either... hook em horns!
  8. Objective Observer
    8. Posted by Objective Observer Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:33 pm EDT

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    Good post man29. You are completely right. Oklahoma schedules jokes at home year in and year out. I mean playing at Notre Dame, at Oregon, at Washington, at Alabama, at UCLA, and scheduling home and home series against Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State, Tennessee and LSU in the future is definitely cheating the system. Plus opening with BYU in Dallas and at Miami next year is a joke. Congrats to you on your excellent post.
  9. Joshgator
    9. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    Posted by stronghorn Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:35 pm EST Report Abuse
    in the end it didn't matter because ou sucked in the title game and florida never deserved to be there either... hook em horns!
    Hey "weakhorn"....REALLY?!?!??! Florida didn't deserve to be there? Let's do a little comparison shall we?
    UF TEXASS
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    --6 ranked teams +1 ranked @ end of season --5 ranked teams
    --11 (ELEVEN) bowl teams --8 (EIGHT) bowl teams
    --6 of those won although OK doesn't count b/c UF --4 of those won although Ohio State doesn't count b/c faced them in the bowl game (10 bowl teams not Texass faced them in the bowl game (7 bowl teams counting the one faced in the bowl game) not counting the one faced in the bowl game)
    --4 top 10 teams --4 top 10 teams
    --2 Top 5 teams --1 top 5 team
    --opp. records- 109-72 (14 teams) --opp. records- 10-66 (13 teams)
    In EVERY category except 10 ten teams, Florida is BETTER than Texass....and the ONE category that they are not...IS A TIE!!!! And, the team we lost to BEAT BADLY the team you lost to....NOT TO MENTION THAT YOU GUYS STRUGGLED TO COME BACK AND BEAT OHIO FREAKIN STATE....THE PERENNIAL LOSERS!!!!! Florida NEVER trailed in the MNC game....They took the first lead 7-0, OK tied it....7-7...Florida took the lead again 14-7....OK tied it (although there were some terrible calls that led to them getting that tying score). Then Florida scored 2 more times and OK did not score. If not for some bad calls, UF would have won 31-7 rather than 24-14 (not to mention some key injuries to the Gators during the MNC game plus 2 key offensive linemen and 2 key defensive linemen lost for the season due to injuries in previous games could have contributed to even more points scored for the Gators). In addition, your whinerhorns would have LOST to OK if not for some bad calls by the refs AND an injury to a key OK player. So give me a break...you pathetic whinerhorns just can't give credit where it is due. Maybe Texass should have gone instead of OK, maybe not....but you DEFINITELY didn't show you deserved it by having to come from behind against a pathetic OSU team. And don't give me that BS about how close you were to beating TT....they were killing you in all categories and winning the game for about 58 minutes of the game...you had a short-lived lead for about 1 1/2 minutes TOTAL!!!!! In the Gators only loss (to the team that kicked the [profane] out of the team you lost to), the Gators led for a large portion of the game before a see-saw battle back and forth. Then, on the Gators last touchdown that should have tied it, the Ole Miss player climbed up on his teammates back to block the extra point--THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PENALTY (even the announcers stated so) but the refs blew it. Florida should have had another chance at the extra point (or possibly go for 2-point conversion from the 1 1/2 yard line) that would have tied it. Stop whining....UF had a tougher schedule than Texass, UF proved they belonged in the MNC and won, therefore, they are the champs...Enough said. You want to whine some more, go home to mommy and cry in her lap you big baby!!!! Enough already!!!!!
  10. Joshgator
    10. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    In my last post, my chart got messed up when posting....here it is in a better format:
    UF
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    --6 ranked teams +1 ranked @ end of season
    --11 (ELEVEN) bowl teams
    --6 of those won although OK doesn't count b/c UF faced them in the bowl game (10 bowl teams not counting the one faced in the bowl game)
    --4 top 10 teams
    --2 Top 5 teams
    --opp. records- 109-72 (14 teams)
    TEXASS
    --------------------------------------------------- --5 ranked teams
    --8 (EIGHT) bowl teams
    --4 of those won although Ohio State doesn't count b/c Texass faced them in the bowl game (7 bowl teams not counting the one faced in the bowl game)
    --4 top 10 teams --1 top 5 team
    --opp. records- 10-66 (13 teams)
  11. Joshgator
    11. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    oh...and for UF's 2 top 5 teams....BOTH OF THOSE WERE #1s!!!!!
  12. Joshgator
    12. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    Give me a break, weakhorn...you're pathetic....ooohh... Trying to insult my intelligence.. How original. FYI, I am 2 months from finishing my doctoral degree in a clinical healthcare field (I am already fully licensed in my field and have been in a clinical setting for about 4 years, but decided to go back and get my doctorate while working full time). Therefore, telling me to go listen to my audio books (as if to say I am illiterate) only makes you look dumb and foolish...like telling Einstein, Davinci, or Dr. Howard P. House (look him up under the House Ear Institute) that they are dumb...please tell me that you didn't graduate from UT... If you did then I am glad I declined going there (I applied to only 3 schools when I was in high school... UF, UT, and U. of Miami, but chose to go to UF). If imbeciles like you went to UT, then I am glad I spent my money wisely going to UF!!!
  13. man29
    13. Posted by man29 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    Post # 13...Who cares what you went to school for !!! lol..that was dumb...we are here , you are here to talk about football..Nobody cares about ur brain..why? Cuz I will never know you anyway..lol..duhhh...Ur not Einstein !!! And if you were I still wouldn't care...If you don't know football who cares about you...Einstein doesn't know football !!! And when has any good athlethes ever said I want to go to florida to hit the books? lol...none...I went to school and played football for Texas 1999-2002...And I took a recruiting visit to univ of florida...And Texas was better than florida in all areas...Sorry ur wrong...U should have went to Texas..but they probably would have failed out anyway..lol...read that you book worm...this topic isn't for you...Go talk to your teacher or someone..
  14. Joshgator
    14. Posted by Joshgator Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    That slow brain of yours took an entire week to think of a comeback like that...Wow...I'm impressed!!! I would have guessed it would take a month!!! Just because I am highly educated does not mean that I don't know anything about football. I have been watching/playing it since I was a little kid. My across the street neighbor was the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, who became the defensive coordinator (and eventually head coach) of the Dallas Cowboys. I used to play football every day after school with his stepson. I have been following football since about the age of 4. I did not bring up my education as being relevant to football. Read the previous posts and you will see that weakhorn made a poor attempt to insult my intelligence: "maybe you missed the last greatest game in college football ever while you
    were listening to your stupid audio books go suck an egg loser to ole miss at home hook em horns! "
    I was only proving that moron wrong!!!! My previous posts had NOTHING to do with my education...they were completely about football until that dumb[profane] retard weakhorn made the aforementioned statement!!!
    Get a life and a brain!!!!

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