From cupcakes to big dogs, ranking the non-conference skeds
We've created a vicious cycle in college football. Sure, we all love the fact that just about every game is on TV nowadays. And because coaches and athletic directors want their teams to look good on TV, they schedule a lot of limp fish opponents. Wins beget bowl games. Bowl games beget job security. Job security begets more money. Thus, more money is ensured by wins. You spin me right round baby right round, like a record.
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| Seeing programs like OSU and Texas collide is pretty rare these days. (Getty Images) |
But what about the fans? Do we really want to hear Fowler and Herbstreit break down another impending Monster State bloodletting over Cupcake Tech?
And tickets for these embarrassments? I say there should be a sliding scale for ticket prices that requires games with weak-sister opponents to be cheaper. So, if you wanna play a home game against a team with a hyphen in its name? OK, then the price of a ticket is $20. If you play a directional school, that's a $15 ticket. You wanna play a Division I-AA team (I refuse to use that stupid new name for this classification)? Fine, tickets are now $10 for that one. Division II opponent? Screw it, it's free. C'mon down and walk on into the stadium. Concessions are free, too.
So with that as a backdrop, here's a look at the preseason Top 25 schools and their respective non-conference schedules. Let's get out the red pen and grade how they did in scheduling and what these games mean to you and me as college football fanatics who have noticed the dearth of intriguing games in September the past few years.
1. GEORGIA
vs. Georgia Southern
vs. Central Michigan
at Arizona State
vs. Georgia Tech
Grade: C
First, let's give props to an SEC team agreeing to take a risk by going on the road into a tough environment. Nice work people, especially when you consider the last time UGA played a ranked non-conference team on the road in September was 1987 at Clemson (Knowshon Moreno was two months old at the time). CMU could be the best Mid-American Conference team out there ... not that I was thinking the Bulldogs' schedule makers were looking for the MAC's best when they devised their slate.
2. USC
at Virginia
vs. Ohio State
vs. Notre Dame
Grade: B
The Pac-10 is going to a full nine-game schedule, so each team plays every other team. (Novel idea huh? Every conference should downsize and follow suit.) So the Trojans will only play three non-conference games. USC at least tries to play tough teams. It can't help it that Notre Dame is awful now. But that showdown with the Buckeyes is going to be a real treat and the biggest intersectional showdown of national championship contenders this year.
3. OHIO STATE
vs. Youngstown State
vs. Ohio
at USC
vs. Troy
Grade: C-
Give the Bucks some credit as well, as they are following up on their epic battles with Texas from 2005 and 2006 with a home-and-home series with USC. If not for OSU, the non-conference battles of the recent past would be much more boring. But the remainder of their non-Big Ten slate is pretty awful. And yet, keep in mind their struggling with lowly Akron last fall as well. This gives hope to OU and Troy.
4. OKLAHOMA
vs. Chattanooga
vs. Cincinnati
at Washington
vs. TCU
Grade: C-
Look, they tried to have an interesting non-conference game last year. Remember the Miami matchup? Yeah, it was supposed to be an 80s flashback but gave us a 51-13 stinkpot instead. My guess is that Cincy, Udub and the Frogs will give the Sooners a better challenge. Still, not tough enough. But keep in mind that the Bearcats finished in the Top 25 last year. Still, this slate makes you wish that annual bloodbath with Texas was back as a non-conference game. I mean, if you're a Sooners fan, how can you get excited about a season opener against a team called Chattanooga?
5. FLORIDA
vs. Hawaii
vs. Miami (Fla.)
vs. The Citadel
at Florida State
Grade: C-
Isn't it strange to think that the toughest challenge in this group could come from Hawaii? I mean it is the only returning BCS team of the bunch. But we are all sure that Florida will thoroughly paste the Warriors, aren't we? Though this isn't your father's 'Canes and 'Noles, I still give the Gators a pat on the back for trying here. Renewing the rivalry with The U will probably pay dividends in a few seasons.
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| LSU will get a visit from Heisman hopeful Armanti Edwards and Appalachian State. (US Presswire) |
vs. Appalachian State
vs. Troy
vs. North Texas
vs. Tulane
Grade: F
To give these guys a failing grade is almost not severe enough. Former A.D. Skip Bertman loves money. And that's obvious by their eight home games, which promise 90,000-plus each Saturday in Tiger Stadium. But these four games should be half-price ... nay, third-priced tickets. Unless the defending national champs can insure us all that the game with the lower division national champs comes down to a last play field goal like last year's Michigan game. Otherwise, all Tigers fans deserve a letter of apology. Sorry Skip, you'll have to pay for the paper you write it on, too.
7. MISSOURI
vs. Illinois (in St. Louis)
vs. Southeast Missouri State
vs. Nevada
vs. Buffalo
Grade: D+
With the relative improvements of the two teams, that season-starter with the neighboring Illini has become one of the most intriguing non-conference games in the country. Juice Williams vs. Chase Daniel -- sweet. But you have to like the supporting cast around Daniel a little bit more. And don't fall asleep on Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick, he's a lightning bolt of action that could cause problems. The other games are mere scrimmages. But look at it from a coach's perspective, MU misses Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the Big 12 rotation. So a national title run could be in the cards.
8. WEST VIRGINIA
vs. Villanova
at East Carolina
at Colorado
vs. Auburn
Grade: B-
I don't know if Rich Rodriguez is the one to thank here (sorry at the mere mention there Mountaineers fans), but this is a pretty good selection of opponents. It's not often a BCS bowl team goes on the road and plays a decent mid-major team in its stadiums. Most big-money schools run away squealing like a little girl over the very thought of that. Not WVU. The Blue and Gold also make a trip to a football field 5,430 above sea level. Add to all that a visit to Mountaineer Field from an SEC team? Nice.
9. CLEMSON
vs. Alabama (Atlanta)
vs. The Citadel
vs. South Carolina State
vs. South Carolina
Grade: C+
Now THIS is how you schedule a game that will keep your team motivated in their pre-fall workouts. I like the pair of SEC matchups. With a senior-dominated team this season, you have to expect the Tigers to be able to handle the pressure in these matchups. 'Bama and South Carolina are on the way back on the national scene, but CU should be favored in both. The other two games? Suit up the junior varsity team. James Davis and C.J. Spiller could both go for two hundred yards plus in each of them.
10. TEXAS
vs. Florida Atlantic
at UTEP
vs. Arkansas
vs. Rice
Grade: C-
Get this, when was the last time Texas played UTEP? Ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Fifty years ago? How 'bout never. Strange, huh? And here the Longhorns are going on the road to play them, too. That's a nice olive branch to extend to a fellow Texas school. Even if it IS in another time zone. The Arkansas game could've been a lot more interesting if it had taken place last season with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones taking part. Talk about easing into their season, after these four gimmees, the Horns take a week off before starting Big 12 play at Colorado, followed by Oklahoma and Missouri.
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| Auburn-WVU: Now that should be a good one. (Getty Images) |
vs. Louisiana-Monroe
vs. Southern Miss
at West Virginia
vs. Tennessee Martin
Grade: C
Great Scott! That October 23rd trip to WVU should be a wicked-good showcase -- Thursday night. National TV. By the time that game comes around, we'll know better whether the Plainsmen are the SEC West heavies they're expected to be. They also get a week off beforehand, making it the first game of the "second half" of their season. But watch out for the Southern Miss game -- new coach Larry Fedora will be looking for a marquee win to introduce his tenure. And that's a trap game for a new quarterback (be it Kodi Bruns or Chris Todd) in a new system to face plant in.
12. WISCONSIN
vs. Akron
vs. Marshall
at Fresno State
vs. Cal Poly
Grade: D
Typical Big 10 slate, as they start the season with a sacrificial lamb from the MAC. And this isn't exactly a 2004-vintage MAC team in the Zips. This will be the third time in four years that UW has opened with a MAC opponent. New QB Allan Evridge should be able to handle the job after spending 2005 as the K-State starter. But game No. 3 is a trek most teams wouldn't dare make, to Fresno's boneyard. And how odd is that season-ender vs. D 1-AA Cal Poly? Maybe they'll need the break.
13. KANSAS
vs. Florida International
vs. Louisiana Tech
at South Florida
vs. Sam Houston State
Grade: D
Damn. The Jayhawks need to act more like their basketball brethren and play some higher quality non-conference opponents. The trip to Tampa will be pretty good. If you recall, the Bulls were actually the No. 2-ranked team in the country at one point last season. It'll be Matt Grothe vs. Todd Reesing. That game will provide KU the chance to prove that the only one-loss team in the BCS ranks from last year is better than their under-appreciated preseason ranking.
14. TEXAS TECH
vs. Eastern Washington
at Nevada
vs. SMU
vs. Massachusetts
Grade: D-
Excuse me, I'm having bad flashbacks. And this time it's not the peyote. But this looks more like one of those old Kansas State out-of-conference slates, doesn't it? And you know Mike Leach, he's not one to let up on an opponent when they're pinned down in a figure four leg-lock and screaming uncle. Remember last year's 75-7 embarrassment of Northwestern (La.) State? Get ready for more of that. For a team that some rags even have as a preseason Top 10er, the Raiders should challenge themselves more.
15. VIRGINIA TECH
vs. East Carolina (Charlotte)
vs. Furman
at Nebraska
vs. Western Kentucky
Grade: C-
I think there should be a law that a big BCS team should not be allowed to host a mid-major and then NOT return the favor. Or in the ECU case, play the next year's game at some neutral NFL field. (Then again, as I think of it, there ought to be a law against the BCS as well. But I digress.) A game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium would be more treacherous for the Hokies. By the way, any other season, roadies to Florida State and Miami would be pretty impossible. But this is the new millennium, you know?
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| Matthew Stafford and UGA will come to the desert for a barnburner. (Getty Images) |
vs. Northern Arizona
vs. UNLV
vs. Georgia
Grade: C+
Considering this team crumbled after its 8-0 start last year, including a 52-34 thrashing to Texas in the Holiday Bowl, the three games before Georgia comes to town will need to be confidence builders. But getting the Bulldogs to come to Sun Devil Stadium is a great coup. Dennis Erickson's crew face the usual risks with a high-profile team like UGA paying a visit. It could be a momentum builder for a national title run or a crusher for another middle-of-the-pack finish.
17. BYU
vs. Northern Iowa
at Washington
vs. UCLA
at Utah State
Grade: C-
Uh-oh. People are saying the Cougars have the best chance of anyone of being a BCS buster this season. And their non-conference docket isn't exactly full of potholes. Washington is in save-our-coach mode and UCLA is in year one of the Rick Neuheisel/Norm Chow experiment. So both are vulnerable ... or maybe both are out to prove something. Well keep this stat in mind: over the last two seasons, the Cougars are 20-0 after September 16th.
18. TENNESSEE
at UCLA
vs. UAB
vs. Northern Illinois
vs. Wyoming
Grade: C-
Ooh, this is good. A return to the scene of where Peyton Manning nearly got ambushed 11 years ago. And on opening day at that. Standing ovation for Phil Fulmer and company, they're one of the few SEC teams that has gambled in the non-conference, scheduling home-and-homers with the likes of Notre Dame, Syracuse and Miami in recent years. The other three are of the name-your-own-score variety.
19. ILLINOIS
vs. Missouri (St. Louis)
vs. Eastern Illinois
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
vs. Western Michigan
Grade: D+
Again, big time hip-hop-hoorays for that renewed rivalry with the Tigers, pin-pointing an ascent to respectability for both programs. Weird to think that four years ago, both Ron Zook and Gary Pinkel were on coaching hot seats and both are flourishing now. But a loss to Mizzou here will expose the fact that Zook needs to pull better opponents than these directionalized/hyphenated tomato cans. Especially if the Big 10 wants to get any respect nationally.
20. OREGON
vs. Utah State
at Purdue
vs. Boise State
Grade: C-
I marked this "C" down in pencil because this could easily transfer to a D-grade since both the Boilermakers and Broncos appear to be on a down cycle. Maybe it's just a C-for-effort kind of thing. In this day and age, it's admirable for any team willing to trek across the country to play another BCS team. But October will bring USC, UCLA and Arizona State in consecutive weeks, so even the lucky timing-factor of the non-conference will catch up with the Ducks eventually.
21. SOUTH FLORIDA
vs. Tennessee-Martin
at UCF
vs. Kansas
at Florida International
at North Carolina State
Grade: B-
Points for diversity. Points for challenge. Points for intriguing road trips. Strong work. I wonder how much the energy-infusing Jim Leavitt had to do with this? Love the Friday night showcase game with Kansas. What a treat for college football junkies everywhere. Another thing that's cool to point out here: I'd like to see too-big-for-their-britches Miami and Florida State take a roadie to FIU. No wonder USF is becoming the second best program in the state. They're winning good karma points.
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| If McNabb were back with the 'Cuse, Penn State's schedule would be OK. (Getty Images) |
vs. Coastal Carolina
vs. Oregon State
at Syracuse
vs. Temple
Grade: D+
I readily admit, this grade would be a lot better if Syracuse was worth its salt like back in the Donovan McNabb days, because they join the Lions as the two most intriguing teams in the Northeast -- with the possible exception of Boston College. Gotta love the intersectional matchup with Oregon State as well. Still, as weird as this may sound, remember when the Lions played better schedules as an independent? It may be time for JoePa U. to secede from the Big 10 so the Earth can return to its axis.
23. WAKE FOREST
at Baylor
vs. Ole Miss
vs. Navy
vs. Vanderbilt
Grade: C+
Most any other season, this non-ACC slate may just be Wake trotting out as sacrificial lambs. But this is the Jim Grobe-era Deacons, and he may be the runner up to Bill Snyder in the Coach of the Century voting. As a team that has recently gone to a BCS bowl, they aren't afraid to open away from home -- albeit it is just Baylor, but you get my drift here. And they also get a chance to rub an SEC nose in the dirt when the Rebels visit. In ACC play, they get conference favorite Clemson at home. This could be a Deacons-type year.
24. MICHIGAN
vs. Utah
vs. Miami (Ohio)
at Notre Dame
vs. Toledo
Grade: C+
That's a tough home opener for the Rich Rodriguez-era in Ann Arbor, since the Utes are expected to be possible BCS busters. And look, give the Maize and Blue SOME credit, if they're going to play a pair of those weak sister MAC teams, at least they're going to face off with two of the better teams in the conference. The Red Hawks should be especially good on defense. This will be a young Michigan team, especially on offense, so the non-conference won't be stringent, but a test none-the-less.
25. FRESNO STATE
at Rutgers
vs. Wisconsin
at Toledo
at UCLA
Grade: A
C'mon, can anybody really beat the slate put together by Mr. "Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere" himself, coach Pat Hill? What's not to like about this guy's attitude and this team's ambition? This slate rules. And Hill's attitude permeates the entire campus too, as witnessed by the school's baseball national championship team. My only question is, how the heck did they entice the Big Red from cheese country to come out to the Raisin Valley? Either way, that's so cool.
