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
March 28th, 2024 at 12:29 PM ^
Haha, shut up and eat your $10 pretzel!
March 28th, 2024 at 11:32 AM ^
Looking at future schedules our OOC buy games are with teams we've never played before: Fresno State, Arkansas State, New Mexico, UTEP (and a rematch of the 1901 Buffalo game where we scratched out a 127-0 win.)
Given the presence of East Carolina, and Colorado State in recent schedules, teams we also never faced, I would say someone in the athletic department is making the decision to add these teams to our list of schools played. If there is a fun power team on the conference I can support that.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:50 AM ^
Michigan played Colorado St in a bowl game in the mid 90s.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:31 PM ^
Yep - add Middle Tennessee State to that list, however.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:47 AM ^
Makes me think we were smart, played easier OOC games the last three years when 1 or 0 losses were the only results that would get us to the playoffs. Now with expansion losing one OOC game doesn’t tank you, and a win really bumps you up
March 28th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^
Most teams are playing 10 P5 schools. Bama plays 9. Props on UGA for always having one big opponent and GT. PSU and OSU both have one season as lame as our last 2. I'm glad to see our last 2 look like an anomaly.
Anyhow my main takeaway is, Bama's schedule is easier over the 2 year period.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:06 PM ^
Villanova LOL
March 28th, 2024 at 12:13 PM ^
From the perspective of how the college football season has always had escalating tension as it progresses, the SEC late season non-con cream puff game has always been something to snicker at.
However, from a coaching perspective, I can see some value:
Those freshman your redshirting? Let's see how they've progressed since weeks 1 and 2, etc... .
And now, with the expanded length of a playoff run, resting starters, getting depth players a bit more experience at that spot in the schedule looks rather advantageous.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:16 PM ^
PSU is very soft OOC over the next 5 years. Which, I don't like. But I have no power to change that either.
FWIW, here are the better OOC games scheduled by the B1G's better programs in future years:
- Michigan: 2024, 2027 Texas. 2025, 2026 Oklahoma. 2032, 2033 Notre Dame.
- Ohio State: 2025, 2026 Texas. 2027, 2028 Alabama. 2030, 2031 Georgia.
- USC: Annual Notre Dame. 2024 LSU. 2025, 2026 Ole Miss.
- Oregon: 2024, 2025 Oregon State. 2025, 2026 Oklahoma State. 2027, 2028 Baylor.
- Washington: 2024-2028 Washington State. 2029, 2030 Tennessee.
- Wisconsin: 2024, 2025 Alabama. 2026, 2027 Pittsburgh. 2026 Notre Dame. 2028 Utah.
- Michigan State: 2024, 2025 Boston College. 2026, 2027 Notre Dame.
- Nebraska: 2024 Colorado. 2025 Cincinnati. 2026, 2027 Tennessee. 2028, 2031 Arizona. 2029, 2030 Oklahoma.
- UCLA: 2024 LSU. 2025, 2026 Georgia. 2027, 2028 Auburn.
- Penn State: 2024 WVU. 2027, 2028 Syracuse.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:18 PM ^
honestly i'm all for light non conference schedule. but i'd be game for some sort of agreement with the SEC.
first two games of season play teams like in the MAC, 3rd game every team in the Big Ten is matched against a team in the SEC based on last years conference standing #1 plays #1 2v2...etc. would be a good first step to basically creating a BIG/SEC breakaway for football.
with the increasing challenges within conference... i see no reason to go crazy out of conference. everyone said that about us this year... how'd that work out? Avoid that early L.
Its fair to assume that all teams in both mega conferences are going to have at least one L.. why would you go out of your way to schedule out of conference matchups that screw htings up.
Yes, playoffs are expanded, but there's still a cutoff, unlike bball where anyone with a pulse in a big conf typically makes it.
Its great for viewing... but doesn't seem smart. Playing Texas and USC in 2 of our first 4 games seems pretty rough. Then it doesn't get much easier since we play @OSU and @Wash, and against Oregon.
And there are a few other teams in there that want a piece of us too
Villanova???! Wtf this ain’t basketball
Penn State, Oregon, and Texas. Why bother playing those games? Just pay the teams and do an untelevised scrimmage so we don't have to watch these soulless bloodbaths.
I’m all for playing a weak OOC schedule. It might be chicken shit, but we already play an additional conference game compared to the sec and it allows us to get significant playing time to the younger guys which was key in developing our depth the last couple of years.
What is UCLA doing?
March 29th, 2024 at 12:14 PM ^
SEC schedules are not bad.