Ranking the Non-Conference Schedules

[Mike Furley]

I used to have season tickets to OSU home games for a number of years but I eventually gave them up when they kept going up in price while the quality of the match ups kept getting worse. I checked out the non-conference opponents of the other Big Ten teams and they were equally as weak. Now that the name of the game is to get to seven wins for a bowl appearance, it seems most teams are making sure they can get four wins from out of conference first.

Rank the schedules:

Wisconsin: N. Illinois, Fresno St, Wofford, @ Hawaii

Purdue: Toledo, @ Oregon, N. Illinois, Notre Dame

Penn State: Akron, Syracuse, Temple, E. Illinois

Ohio State: Navy, Southern Cal, @ Toledo, New Mexico State

Northwestern: Towson, E. Michigan, @ Syracuse, Miami (OH)

Michigan St: Montana St, C. Michigan, @ Notre Dame, W. Michigan

Michigan: W. Michigan, Notre Dame, E. Michigan, Delaware State

Minnesota: @ Syracuse, California, Air Force, S. Dakota State

Illinois: Missouri, Illinois State, @ Cincinnati, Fresno State

Indiana: E. Kentucky, W. Michigan, @ Akron, @ Virginia

Iowa: N. Iowa, @ Iowa St, Arizona, Arkansas St


I think Illinois has the best schedule. The worst schedule is a toss up between Penn State and Northwestern. As bad as I thought Ohio State's schedule was before I had seen the others, I think it sadly is among the tops in the Big Ten. Michigan's schedule is a big drop off from over the past two years and I think is in the bottom of groupings.



Here's how I rank them:

1. Illinois
2. Purdue
T-3. Ohio State/Wisconsin
T-5. Minnesota/Iowa
T-7. Michigan/Michigan State/Indiana
T-10. Penn State/Northwestern

[amazinblue]

Furley,

You take out USC and OSU's at the bottom of the list. As I've said before, I value and appreciate teams that have a solid OOC schedule. Navy, Toledo, and New Mexico State? I mean - come on....

And, please do me a favor and bash RR for putting the schedule together. Since, I'm pretty sure the entire schedule (with the exception of Delaware State) - was set at least a year before he arrived in Ann Arbor.

[Mike Furley]

As for OSU's schedule, I agree its not stout, but relative to the rest of the league, its not bad - which speaks to how bad the rest of our league schedules.

USC - You acknowledge is a premier opponent.

Navy - Yes, a service academy. However, may I remind you that Navy has a six game consecutive bowl streak. That's six games better than some schools.

Toledo - Yes, a MAC school. However, we scheduled the only MAC school that has an active winning streak against Big Ten teams.

New Mexico State - Yes, they want 3-9 last season. I'll leave it at that.



I have no cause for bashing RR or the U of M schedule. The entire league has a weak non-conference schedule.

[Wolvrin704]

The league has to do better as a whole at scheduling better competition. I see nothing wrong with scheduling one MAC school so as to allow in state talent a chance to play in the Big school stadium and it doesn't mean you have to schedule the USC's, or Texas's of college football. But you can schedule a Clemson, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, etc....You can even schedule lower echelon schools like a Mississippi or Arizona St and that would be better than EMU or Delaware St or any of the other equally low quality opponents.

Its bad enough the conf is hurting from issues such as being down due to graduation, coaching turnovers, no play in the last 2 weeks of the season, and getting killed in the bowls.

[Mike Furley]

The league has to do better as a whole at scheduling better competition. I see nothing wrong with scheduling one MAC school so as to allow in state talent a chance to play in the Big school stadium and it doesn't mean you have to schedule the USC's, or Texas's of college football. But you can schedule a Clemson, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, etc....You can even schedule lower echelon schools like a Mississippi or Arizona St and that would be better than EMU or Delaware St or any of the other equally low quality opponents.

Its bad enough the conf is hurting from issues such as being down due to graduation, coaching turnovers, no play in the last 2 weeks of the season, and getting killed in the bowls.


I agree that I'd like to see a non-conference schedule with the likes of the teams you mentioned, but with the current realities of college football being what they are, I don't know if its possible.

Big schools like OSU & Michigan need the 8 home games for revenue to support the other 35 varsity sports and various construction projects. Then too, we want our teams to make he best bowl ($$$) possible.

As long as we can get our 8 home games and pick up three assured wins out of our four non-conference games, there doesn't seem to be much incentive to act contrarily - especially so for the mid-range schools at the other BCS conferences who just want to get to 7 wins.

Schools like OSU & Michigan aren't going to do a home & away series with Ole Miss, Kansas State, or Wake Forest. Those schools know they will only get an ass kicking if they travel to our place so realistically they have to go 7-4 with their remaining schedule to make a bowl. I'm guessing the payout from us doesn't offset their combined revenue from their own home game and a bowl invitation.

Yet another reason for a playoff system.

[byebyelloyd]

As for OSU's schedule, I agree its not stout, but relative to the rest of the league, its not bad - which speaks to how bad the rest of our league schedules.

USC - You acknowledge is a premier opponent.

Navy - Yes, a service academy. However, may I remind you that Navy has a six game consecutive bowl streak. That's six games better than some schools.

Toledo - Yes, a MAC school. However, we scheduled the only MAC school that has an active winning streak against Big Ten teams.

New Mexico State - Yes, they want 3-9 last season. I'll leave it at that.



I have no cause for bashing RR or the U of M schedule. The entire league has a weak non-conference schedule.

USC seems like a good game unless, of course Ohio state loses, which without bias, and yes discounting my ongoing conversation with 1nutsack, i'm very capable of, i just don't believe they will win. pryor still can't throw behind a rebuilt O line against a monster USC defense doesn't bode well at all. i see a fairly low scoring loss. yes, OSU gets some credit for scheduling the series, but that and $6 will get you a small cup of coffee at starbucks, if you're into drinking that garbage.

[Mike Furley]

USC seems like a good game unless, of course Ohio state loses, which without bias, and yes discounting my ongoing conversation with 1nutsack, i'm very capable of, i just don't believe they will win. pryor still can't throw behind a rebuilt O line against a monster USC defense doesn't bode well at all. i see a fairly low scoring loss. yes, OSU gets some credit for scheduling the series, but that and $6 will get you a small cup of coffee at starbucks, if you're into drinking that garbage.


Michigan's OOC schedule the last two years should have been considered among the toughest in the nation with Oregon and Utah both appearing on it, but it just happened to coincide with Notre Dame falling off the face of the Earth. This year there's only Notre Dame, and they still stink. Not trying to throw darts, it just is what it is.

Ohio State has USC and two jokes, and then filled the 12th game with Navy. Navy is about as good as you can ask when you are trying to fill your final game and everyone else already has thier other eleven games filled. If OSU could trade in the New Mexico St game for a halfway decent team, another BCS team or a traditional power from a non-BCS conference, it would then be worth it. I just don't have any desire to plop down a lot of dough to head over to the stadium for four to five hours and watch a game where the outcome is not really in doubt.

It seems OSU's strategy of scheduling one premier game lets the AD & Tressel think they have license to schedule crap for the other three games, and so that's what they are doing.

[Rockie]

OSU, UM, PSU and Illinois wants to play all ten other teams in the Big Ten, it is the other six that don't want to. I have actually heard that Wisconsin is now on board, so they only need one more team for this to pass. However, if this happens, Michigan will than void the Notre Dame contract, cause Michigan has an out clause on the contract if the Big Ten goes to 10 game schedule.