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Non-conference Scheduling

M

MNclone

Well-Known Member
Apr 10, 2006
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Burnsville, MN
Why is the SEC the only conference to realize the advantages of scheduling an easy non conference opponent late in the season?
Here is a look at the 5 undefeated teams in the SEC West.

Week 10
LA-Monroe @ aTm
Week 11
Tennesee-Martin @ Mississippi St
Presbyterian @ Ole miss
Week 13
Samford @ Auburn
W Carolina @ Alabama

This gives these teams a chance to recover and regroup when all the other conferences are beating each other up.
When SEC teams play each other early, the losing teams have a chance to recover in the rankings as the season progresses. No one else has the time to recover from these late losses.
 
It's a good point, and I'm really glad Tulsa kind of gives us that opportunity. The main issue is our schedules are made apparently 200 years in advance so even if we wanted to change it wouldnt happen anytime soon.
 
Skidoosh said:
It's a good point, and I'm really glad Toledo kind of gives us that opportunity. The main issue is our schedules are made apparently 200 years in advance so even if we wanted to change it wouldnt happen anytime soon.
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I have always wondered why more conferences do not do this, even more surprised the networks have not demanded it. The SEC has some good conference match ups every single week, and that has to keep the networks happy. Id love to see Big 12 play start week 2 and go through week 15. Have at least 3 conference games each week with 6 weeks of having 4 conference games (I think that adds up right). Then work in bye-weeks with some non conference matchups each week throughout the season.
 
Maybe so you can get the kinks out early against non-conference teams. Hope to build some confidence in you team (with the thought of winning all 3-4 of those non-conference games before conference play) so then once you enter conference play you're confident and have had 3-4 scrimmages to figure out what works and what doesn't
 
I've been beating this drum for years. The day after ISU defeated OSU back in 2011, Alabama played a major league cupcake game.

Check through the schedules of the SEC going back 2009 and I can guarantee you will find plenty of these cupcakes in early to mid November. Got guys injured? Rest em. Got healthy guys? Give em a couple quarters worth of a scrimmage and stay sharp for the late season push.
 
Erik4Cy said:
ISU could learn a lesson from the SEC in scheduling non conf games...
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ISU has 3 non-conference games.......not 4. We have a yearly series with Iowa. So we have 2 non-conference games per year we can schedule. The Big 12 sets the Conference Schedule. So it is more of a Conference matter than an "ISU" matter.
 
Stormin said:
ISU has 3 non-conference games.......not 4. We have a yearly series with Iowa. So we have 2 non-conference games per year we can schedule. The Big 12 sets the Conference Schedule. So it is more of a Conference matter than an "ISU" matter.
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That and CPR is something like 13-6 in non con games. Take away losing to FCS schools, which should never happen, and it would be 15-4 with 3 loses to Iowa and one to Utah. The only thing ISU needs to do better, IMO, is schedule patsy FCS teams.
 
Omaha Cy said:
I've been beating this drum for years. The day after ISU defeated OSU back in 2011, Alabama played a major league cupcake game.

Check through the schedules of the SEC going back 2009 and I can guarantee you will find plenty of these cupcakes in early to mid November. Got guys injured? Rest em. Got healthy guys? Give em a couple quarters worth of a scrimmage and stay sharp for the late season push.
Click to expand...

Alabama and other SEC teams get credit for tough schedules to matter what. SOS reality that year was OKState #3, Baka #15. Most years the b12 and PAC have the toughest schedules. Media bad at doing its job though.
 
chuckd4735 said:
That and CPR is something like 13-6 in non con games. Take away losing to FCS schools, which should never happen, and it would be 15-4 with 3 loses to Iowa and one to Utah. The only thing ISU needs to do better, IMO, is schedule patsy FCS teams.
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Well then, good thing we have that deal with UNI for the next 50 years or whatever... blah.
 
Stormin said:
ISU has 3 non-conference games.......not 4. We have a yearly series with Iowa. So we have 2 non-conference games per year we can schedule. The Big 12 sets the Conference Schedule. So it is more of a Conference matter than an "ISU" matter.
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Media is great at their jobs. Keeping those in power with power.
 
If OU, Baylor or Michigan State scheduled an FCS team late in the year it would be the excuse the media was looking for to drop them and move up an SEC school. I get that the SEC West is a absolutely brutal but the last 3 or 4 years the SEC east is nothing special (Georgia and SC are routinely the most overrated teams in the country). That coupled with the fact they only play non division teams 1 or 2 times a decade makes for some pretty average schedules, especially for the teams in the East. Look at Mizzou last year, their schedule wasn't much different than Michigan State and was weaker than any of the big 12 schools.
 
heitclone said:
If OU, Baylor or Michigan State scheduled an FCS team late in the year it would be the excuse the media was looking for to drop them and move up an SEC school. I get that the SEC West is a absolutely brutal but the last 3 or 4 years the SEC east is nothing special (Georgia and SC are routinely the most overrated teams in the country). That coupled with the fact they only play non division teams 1 or 2 times a decade makes for some pretty average schedules, especially for the teams in the East. Look at Mizzou last year, their schedule wasn't much different than Michigan State and was weaker than any of the big 12 schools.
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I think an overrated Georgia team with Todd Girthly would still be tougher than playing the bottom half of the Big 12.
 
Omaha Cy said:
I've been beating this drum for years. The day after ISU defeated OSU back in 2011, Alabama played a major league cupcake game.

Check through the schedules of the SEC going back 2009 and I can guarantee you will find plenty of these cupcakes in early to mid November. Got guys injured? Rest em. Got healthy guys? Give em a couple quarters worth of a scrimmage and stay sharp for the late season push.
Click to expand...



Okie State thought we were their cupcake that night. Wrong!
 
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