OT: Football - upcoming OOC schedules for select B1G and SEC teams- your thoughts
A note about Penn State's '25 OOC schedule - adding FIU - caught my eye and provoked a thought about upcoming seasons. So, here's what's published about OOC schedules for select teams over the next two seasons. What do you think. Your thoughts?
Select B1G Teams:
Michigan
- '24: Fresno State, Texas, and Arkansas State
- '25: New Mexico, @ Oklahoma, and Central Michigan
Ohio State
- '24: Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall
- '25: Texas, Ohio University, and UConn
Oregon
- '24: Idaho, Boise State, and @ Oregon State
- '25: Montana, Oklahoma State, and Oregon State
Penn State
- '24: @ West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Kent State
- '25: Nevada, Florida International, and Villanova
USC
- '24: LSU (neutral - Las Vegas), Utah State, and Notre Dame
- '25: Ole Miss, Georgia Southern, and @ Notre Dame
Select SEC teams:
Georgia (SEC's eight game conference schedule = four OOC games)
- '24: Clemson (neutral - Atlanta), Tennessee Tech, UMass, and Georgia Tech
- '25: @ UCLA, Austin Peay, Charlotte, and Georgia Tech
Alabama (SEC plays four OOC games)
- '24: Western Kentucky, South Florida, @ Wisconsin, and Mercer
- '25: @ Florida State, ULM, Wisconsin, and Eastern Illinois
Texas (SEC plays four OOC games)
- '24: Colorado State, @ Michigan, UTSA, and ULM
- '25: @ Ohio State, San Jose State, UTEP, and Sam Houston
LSU (SEC plays four OOC games)
- '24: USC (neutral - Las Vegas), Nicholls, UCLA, and South Alabama
- '25: @ Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky, and TBD
Ohio State’s schedule is for candy asses.
You don’t need to play a difficult schedule when you’re JUST SO DAMN TOUGH!
March 28th, 2024 at 11:07 AM ^
PSU's is even worse
March 28th, 2024 at 11:20 AM ^
That's just a blanket statement of recognition for what Frames has spent years establishing.
Given our out of conference schedule the last two seasons, we hardly are in a position to judge.
What really pissed me off about our 2022 and 23 OOCs was that we had a home and home with UCLA on the schedule and we replaced them with like Northern Illinois and UConn.
LOL, given our OOC schedule the last few decades compared to many other programs including osu, I didn't give two turds about the criticism of the ooc schedule! Then given we played the same number of power conference teams in the regular season of all but one or two sec teams and acc teams, refused to give even one turd... Then given the annual sec scrimmage week against fcs schools..
March 28th, 2024 at 10:40 AM ^
Stop giving away your turds
March 28th, 2024 at 12:21 PM ^
Would be a problem in North Korea
You get a turd, he gets a turd, everyone gets a turd... I'm all out of turds and ....Sing along, stay with me
March 29th, 2024 at 12:20 PM ^
Just like your UCLA matchup that was canceled, Ohio State’s matchup with Washington that was supposed to have been this season was canceled. But nobody has been scheduling tougher OOC than OSU and we have Texas, Alabama, and Georgia already scheduled. Although, honestly, with all of the conference realignment, I’m not 100% convinced that all of those will happen. And more likely from the SEC side.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:28 PM ^
Very much in agreement about not being able to talk, although I’m ambivalent on the need for better non-con games. Unless somehow we could get Notre Dame back, which isn’t happening until we play a series in the 2030s (perhaps if the ACC dissolved).
Can't wait for all the "Well we can't play ourselves" excuses to rain down.
That'll be somewhere in between "We're a tough team" and "ARGH CONNER STALLIONS CHEATERZZZZZ BRING THE HAMMER"
March 28th, 2024 at 11:25 AM ^
Hire Mel Tugger. He is quite open about his desire to play with himself. He'll grab ahold of this problem like no other; morning, noon and night. He's tireless and has the free time.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
In a 12-team playoff system, scheduling anyone but the weakest possible opponents for OOC play seems foolhardy. You can safely assume the Big Ten will be a gauntlet and have at least two, probably three qualifiers for the playoffs. Why play a tough game OOC and risk a loss?
March 28th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
I get the point - protect your path to the playoff, because the conference schedule will get you in. But this is a pussy's view of the world. I didn't like it the last couple of years, I won't like it going forward. Howevs... Having Texas and Oklahoma on the next two schedules is not like planning 3 (or 4) total cupcakes (aka - PSU and OSU's '24 path, among others).
I will say that Alabama schedule's nicely out of conference, save for the 4th cupcake before Auburn.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:01 AM ^
Totally TOTALLY agree. From a fan perspective, it sucks. Like, why even watch the first few weeks of the season? They're glorified scrimmages at best, and at worst, well, *nods knowingly at App State.*
March 28th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^
I watch it on tape delay. No commercials too, which is nice.
I watched one game last year mostly live. This year there are 5 I may watch live. It'd going to be glorious. And given our schedule I think it's pretty likely we could lose 2 and still make the playoffs.
You have a problem with a pussy's view of the world?
March 28th, 2024 at 12:10 PM ^
Given conference consolidation, OOC games will mean less. It'll all be candy ass OOC schedules because many conference games today would have been OOC games last year.
That said, OSU are a bunch of candy asses.
Ohio State’s schedule is for candy asses.
It sure is weak.
...but I guess that's what championship schedules are made of.
I think we should give some props to at least the select SEC teams you listed for scheduling at least one big(ish) OOC game each year. Meanwhile, OSU in 2024 and PSU in both years have putrid OOC schedules.
With Michigan having had a similarly putrid OOC schedule last year, however, I guess we shouldn't point and laugh.
Our 2022 and 23 OOC schedules were awful, borderline offensive to the fans. I get that with the stronger conference schedules (and soon to be bigger playoff), strength of schedule doesn't matter quite as much, but still. I'd like to see one P5 opponent on the OOC each year.
Your points are fair - and, the upcoming seasons will meet that perspective of - "at least one P5 opponent" in the OOC. This is what's published for Michigan's schedule - of P5 teams. There's nothing noted after the '27 season.
- '24 - Texas
- '25 - @ Oklahoma
- '26 - Oklahoma
- '27 - @ Texas
- '33 - Notre Dame
- '34 - @ Notre Dame
Yeah, and we had Notre Dame in 18 and 19, we had Washington in 21 (and would have in 20 except for Covid), we had Utah in 2014 and 2015, heck we had OreSt and BYU in 2015 too.
It's just that there's a clear degredation of the OOC that went along with the 9 game B1G schedule not getting better, that led to a lot of uninteresting games the last couple of years. Having a 9 game conference schedule doesn't count for a lot when that's just Indiana, Rutgers, THIS version of Nebraska, etc.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
KC to AA Plane Tickets for 4: $1200.00
(2) Hotel Rooms: $500.00
(4) Tickets Together for USC) $1,000.00
Care Rental and Fuel/Parking $300.00
Food: $600.00
MDEN: $400.00
As I budget 4K for one game for 4 (probably low) the investment to see Michigan lose to a Texas not so much. The upside of scheduling USC is the better chance of winning and the iconic history.
However I see zero upside in this new conference of taking on a difficult OOC schedule with the top of the former PAC12 now in the fold.
Pay 4K or more to see Michigan lose - or be a local putting even more into season tickets. Watching wins > tough schedules.
I have made that long drive back from South Bend to Chicago after an ND loss - BRUTAL!
Seems like we could at least play mediocre teams instead of crappy teams. It's not like we would lose and would better prepare us for Big 10 play, I think. Maybe 1 crappy team and 2 mediocre teams?
I expect our good OOC games this year and next year will not continue going forward.
UNLV and Bowling Green were both at least mediocre - they made bowl games; UNLV even made it to their conference championship.
You want better opponents? Be willing to give up more home games. The nine-game conference schedule has made it much more problematic to do that.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:10 AM ^
I agree. Let's schedule Vanderbilt every year.
Ohio State as a football program is soft is really the only thing that stands out to me.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
Not "just" soft - new and improved - "Ultra Soft".
I didn't even know Villanova had a football program.
I think they're FCS.
Villanova is FCS for football.
Dupe - deleted
March 28th, 2024 at 11:45 AM ^
Ya but c'mon you know they'd beat Rutger, and lose to I-wa (No O) by only 2 (i.e. 2-0).
March 28th, 2024 at 12:10 PM ^
They are Vanillanova...
I will see myself out.
Penn State is afraid of Pitt.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
Over the next five seasons - Penn State and Michigan are only scheduled for regular conference play in the '26 and '27 seasons.
As for this season - the more notable PSU games are: hosting UCLA, Washington, and Ohio State, and they'll travel to play USC and Wisconsin.
It seems the schedulers want a number of B1G games in prime time to draw viewership that correlates to advertising revenue.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:27 PM ^
Penn State's OOC scheduling has a lot to be desired, but --- no, that's not it.
They're only playing 1 decent or better home-and-home OOC every 2 years: and Pittsburgh isn't going to get that on an annual basis.
Iowa plays 1 decent or better home-and-home OOC every 2 years too: they play Iowa State annually and there's a lot of Iowa folk who want out of that. Not because they fear Iowa State. But because they'd prefer some more variety.
In state rivalry games are always tougher than they should be for the favorite.
PSU does not want to give Pitt a chance a credibility and in state recruiting pressure.
It’s like don’t schedule service academies. Nothing to gain.
I get it, you have your narrative (and I suppose I have mine) ---- but Pittsburgh's a credible program regardless. They won the ACC very recently (2021), and that's despite not having a win over PSU in that season or any of the 4 prior.
PSU will play Pittsburgh again at some point, just like the did in the late 2010s. PSU does GAIN from playing them (it's always good to connect with the western PA fanbase directly). They just aren't going to do it annually.
I think the real solution is smaller conferences and that way we keep traditional matchups and rivalries but have room for variety - and all in the OOC scheduling.
Now if only Fox and ESPN consulted me before realigning CFB
March 28th, 2024 at 10:17 PM ^
I’m not disrespecting Pitt. But they are a step down from PSU. Like MSU is to UofM and to a much further extent Cincinnati and OSU. If you added either Cincinnati or Pitt to the Big Ten for example it would probably raise their programs and create some headaches for their in state big brothers.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:16 AM ^
To me, the ideal schedule has one P5 opponent and one local/regional program. While the marquee matchup won't always be at the Big House, we should be playing at least one directional Michigan or MAC school at home on an annual basis to share the limelight and the wealth.
One thing that strikes me as terrible for football fans is the pattern of having all tomato cans at home when the P5 matchup is away. It seems like a lose/lose approach.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
These schedules were set in part before the playoff changes, so the prevalence of many cupcakes presumably reflects the old reality of a loss knocking you out.
In the new era you may well get in at 9-3 so the disincentive to schedule real opponents isn’t as strong.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:02 AM ^
I think that for all the "but they ain't played nobody!" talk we got last year (largely from buckeyes, even if it backfired after the sign stealing drama), that's a pretty GD weak schedule.
And even their B1G schedule is fairly soft considering how strong this conference is now.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:11 AM ^
I have long had a lot to say about SEC scheduling, especially their chickenshit insistence on only playing 8 conference games, however...
They have adapted into a solid OOC template for most teams:
- 1 P5 opponent
- 1 FCS opponent
- 2 G5 opponents
That certainly beats the days when they had 3 G5 and 1 FCS and refused to play other P5 teams unless it was a lopsided regional/state rivalry game. I believe this is actually an SEC directive that all teams should/must(?) schedule like this.
BUT... B1G teams often play 1 P5 and 2 G5 (and rarely the FCS - PSU?) but replace that weakest opponent with a conference game. And the SEC G5 games tend to be the lowest divisions possible or even the lower schools in the better conferences.
In the era of a 12-team playoff, I hope there is some better equivalent for football like Kenpom/Torvik that can get us an accurate analytical comparison for these unequal schedules. Is there such a thing at the moment for football?
March 28th, 2024 at 11:21 AM ^
The excuse in the past is playing these weaker teams is a way for them to earn some big money. I can't deny the truth of that. Of course at the same time it provides an easier path to the playoffs for the larger schools.
My main problem with this is UM(ect) make you pay premium for subpar games. If I go to minor league games I expect to pay minor league prices.