+- CSNbbs (https://csnbbs.com)
+-- Forum: Active Boards (/forum-769.html)
+--- Forum: Lounge (/forum-564.html)
+---- Forum: College Sports and Conference Realignment (/forum-637.html)
+---- Thread: Ideal Schedule for Your School (/thread-737361.html)
Ideal Schedule for Your School - ohio1317 - 05-13-2015 11:00 AM
I posted this on the Big Ten board, but figured it would fit well here too (and I changed it around a bit). Let's assume that all conference realignment, divisional changes, etc are done for awhile. What would your ideal schedule?
For me with Ohio State, I'd like something like this:
Week1: weak non-conference
Week 2: Stronger non-conference, but still one and done
Week 3: Marquee non-conference home and home (no neutral site games).
First Conference Game: Rutgers or Maryland
Early October: Game vs. someone expected to be very good in conference from opposite division
Late October: Penn State
Next to last week: Illinois (when on the schedule)
Final weekend: Michigan
The rest should rotate fairly evenly.
Reasoning:
1. I tried to divide up the big games, although it's obviously impossible to tell beforehand which games will end up being big. I think the early October would be good to be our semi-locked team from the other division. For the first 6 years of parity based scheduling, that will mean Nebraska. After that, it would be Wisconsin or Iowa.
2. I put Penn State down for late October as it's a game that should be a good divisional game in many years and I didn't want it quite at the beginning of the conference schedule. It's been a night game more often recently so makes sense in October though.
3. There is little history between Ohio State and either Maryland or Rutgers. I want them somewhat separate on the schedule for that and I think starting conference play with one or the other regularly might help bring some more attention to them.
4. Illinois is Ohio State's only trophy game and a historical rival (even if that's largely forgotten). I like the idea of Ohio State playing Illinois and Michigan playing Minnesota the weak before the Game when either is on the schedule. It also puts something back on traditional rivalry weekend which the Big Ten abandoned to start playing on Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago.
RE: Ideal SLet' - Wedge - 05-13-2015 11:14 AM
I'll guess that when the new Big Ten TV deal is done, the TV rightsholder will ask the conference to schedule at least a couple of appealing conference games in September, like the SEC does. Ohio St-Penn St could be one of those games, or Michigan-Penn St, or any of those three playing Nebraska or Wisconsin.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - ohio1317 - 05-13-2015 11:31 AM
They have talked about conference games earlier in the year. I hate the idea, but it's going to happen. I think there can be a balance between no conference games before non-conference play is over and what some SEC schools have to go through though (where they play multiple conference games in first few weeks). If we must go down that route, I'd probably make it so that each team must play one (and only one) conference game in the first 3 weeks of the year. I'd avoid any expected big match-up in those 3 weeks though. While it might be good TV for a week, you don't want games that are very likely to shape the conference race happening too early or it removes a lot of interest later (see Florida State-Clemson games in recent years).
Schedules are out through 2019 and early non-conference games are there, but limited. Penn State and Rutgers kept their early season date this year and last. I know Ohio State plays Indiana on the first or second week of the year in a few years. A few other games are scattered about, but I don't remember the details. That said, enough non-conference games are out there that they probably were more limited in choices.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Wedge - 05-13-2015 11:45 AM
Early-season conference games against good opponents can also give you a huge boost in the polls, as they did for Ole Miss last year. The same thing could happen this year -- LSU, Miss St and Auburn all play each other in September. If one of those three sweeps the other two, they will likely move right into the top 5 or close to it. Or maybe the winner of Alabama-Georgia gets that boost by winning their early games vs. the other plus Alabama beating Ole Miss or Georgia beating South Carolina. Or both of those happen, and then the SEC has two teams locked into the top 5 in early October.
And, just like last year, that will, in turn, either benefit that team or teams later in the season, or benefit any SEC team that beats them (because that team will get "credit" for beating a top 5 team).
The net effect is that the SEC has gamed the polls by smartly designing their conference schedule. Other P5 conferences should do the same, IMO.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - YNot - 05-13-2015 11:56 AM
(05-13-2015 11:45 AM)Wedge Wrote: Early-season conference games against good opponents can also give you a huge boost in the polls, as they did for Ole Miss last year. The same thing could happen this year -- LSU, Miss St and Auburn all play each other in September. If one of those three sweeps the other two, they will likely move right into the top 5 or close to it. Or maybe the winner of Alabama-Georgia gets that boost by winning their early games vs. the other plus Alabama beating Ole Miss or Georgia beating South Carolina. Or both of those happen, and then the SEC has two teams locked into the top 5 in early October.
And, just like last year, that will, in turn, either benefit that team or teams later in the season, or benefit any SEC team that beats them (because that team will get "credit" for beating a top 5 team).
The net effect is that the SEC has gamed the polls by smartly designing their conference schedule. Other P5 conferences should do the same, IMO.
And, the SEC v. FCS matchups mostly occur in November, when there isn't likely going to be significant movement in the polls and allows for a virtual week of rest before the last SEC matchups or the SEC-ACC matchups. And, if there is movement in the polls, they've ensured themselves a win, so that the only direction they move is upwards.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - ohio1317 - 05-13-2015 11:56 AM
Done right it can help (although can also backfire), but I'm still far more interested in the effects on the conference race and that's one thing I don't want settled till late. There's been way too many years where the potential for a divisional crown to be all but settled (and sometimes officially settled) before really getting into November is there. It's especially bad in the SEC East given the last two weeks of the year often don't involve a conference opponent for many teams.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Wedge - 05-13-2015 12:34 PM
(05-13-2015 11:56 AM)ohio1317 Wrote: Done right it can help (although can also backfire), but I'm still far more interested in the effects on the conference race and that's one thing I don't want settled till late. There's been way too many years where the potential for a divisional crown to be all but settled (and sometimes officially settled) before really getting into November is there. It's especially bad in the SEC East given the last two weeks of the year often don't involve a conference opponent for many teams.
That can be a downside. There was an SEC East team last year or the year before, that played its last conference game on November 8 or 9 -- their last 4 weeks went conference game, FCS game, bye week, ACC rivalry game. In 2015, all of the SEC East teams with ACC rivalry games play their last SEC game on November 14. I wouldn't want that.
But still, if one of those teams wins the SEC East and has fewer than 2 losses, then the scheduling looks really smart, because it's November 14 and they already have clear sailing ahead of them; if they beat their ACC rival and win the SEC title game they're assured of a place in the playoff. In contrast, possible contenders in other conferences have more difficult schedules to get through in November. USC, for example, if they win the Pac-12 South, has a last three of Oregon-UCLA-Pac-12 title game; Mich. St. would finish Ohio St-Penn St-Big Ten title game.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - EvilVodka - 05-13-2015 12:55 PM
LSU ideal schedule:
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana-Monroe
Tulane
Louisiana-Lafeyette
BYE
BYE
BYE
Alabama
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - BewareThePhog - 05-13-2015 12:56 PM
The mid-to-late November non-conference game against smaller schools like Alabama employs is very smart scheduling. Late in the year you have a chance to both rest banged-up starters as well as get valuable playing time for 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string players. That can be valuable for the end-of-season push as well as bowl season.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - goofus - 05-13-2015 01:04 PM
not everybody agrees with me, but I would prefer getting the cupcakes off the schedule. 6 home games, 6 away, 10 conference games total.
so for Iowa
so 10 games against BigTen, every BigTen team except Rutgers, MD and Indiana.
1 game against Iowa St
1 game against random P5 team, lets say Mizzou.
week1: Iowa St
week2: Mizzou
week3: Purdue
week4: Mich
week5: Penn St
week6: NW
week7: Ohio St
week8: ILL
week9: Mich St
week10: Minn
week11: Neb
week12: Wisc
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Wedge - 05-13-2015 01:06 PM
(05-13-2015 12:56 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote: The mid-to-late November non-conference game against smaller schools like Alabama employs is very smart scheduling. Late in the year you have a chance to both rest banged-up starters as well as get valuable playing time for 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string players. That can be valuable for the end-of-season push as well as bowl season.
That's another good point. Ohio State used a third-string QB in the playoff games; Oregon used two second-string WRs. Getting backups into games in November could be very useful for contending teams.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Soobahk40050 - 05-13-2015 01:11 PM
TN fan. (I'll cheat and say let's go to Hawaii for a 13th game). I've always been in favor of no-FCS, and fewer G5 except for regional games:
1) @Hawaii
2) Virginia Tech @ Bristol
3) Georgia Tech (an old rivalry)
4) Southern Miss/MTSU
5)Florida
6) BYE
7) @ Georgia
8) Alabama
9) Memphis
10) @ LSU
11) BYE
12) @South Carolina
13) Mizzou
14) Kentucky
15) @ Vandy
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - ohio1317 - 05-13-2015 01:28 PM
The late creampuffs can help a national title run once you get there, but I still say that's a wash, as that puts harder games earlier. Teams take time to gel and you always have upsets in the first few weeks of the year that would be very unlikely to happen later in the year. Given risks either way, I'd rather take the one and done games at the start of the year where I can be excited about football returning than toward the end, when we've already seen big contests and they feel very anti-climatic.
I will agree though that too many tough games together can be an issue. That's why I tried to spread them out on Ohio State's schedule still.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Love and Honor - 05-13-2015 01:31 PM
Miami
Week 1: FCS home
2: Buy game away (preferably against a Big Ten school)
3: Home/away against UC
4. Home (if visiting UC)/away (if we host UC) against a weak P5
5-7: MAC (mostly home games)
8: Bye
9: Weeknight MACtion
10-13: MAC (mostly away games)
Ten years ago Miami had home-and-homes with P5 schools pretty often against schools like Northwestern, Syracuse, and Vanderbilt. We even had home games scheduled with Kentucky, Mizzou, Colorado, and Boise State up through 2012 until our awful AD f'd the whole thing up (it's a long story) and we hosted none of them when it was all said and done. Now our football program has been weak for so long that no P5 wants to come to Oxford, so instead we just do home-and-homes against G5 schools like Marshall and WKU which isn't really that bad.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - loki_the_bubba - 05-13-2015 01:32 PM
Texas
ATM
SMU
TCU
Baylor
Arkansas
Texas Tech
Houston
LSU
Someone
Someone
Someone
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - HuskieJohn - 05-13-2015 02:05 PM
NIU...
Even year
Week 1 - Away game vs P5 or high level G5 team (1-1)
Week 2 - Home opener vs G5 team (1-1)
Week 3 - Away game vs G5 team (1-1)
Week 4 - Home vs P5 team (1-1)
Odd year
Week 1 - Away game vs P5 team (1-1)
Week 2 - Home opener vs G5 team (1-1)
Week 3 - Away game vs G5 team (1-1)
Week 4 - Home vs P5 or high level G5 team (1-1)
Its best if one of the away games was either in a destination city that was easy/inexpensive to fly to from Chicago OR is was within a 6hr drive.
As for our conference schedule our top games (as they look 9mo away) get cherry picked by ESPN first and placed in November to be on Tues or Wed night. Accepting that reality I would like to see no team getting 2 home games on a weeknight in November. Also no 2 teams should have to play on a weeknight and not be on real TV (aka not ESPN3.com).
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - DavidSt - 05-13-2015 02:11 PM
(05-13-2015 12:56 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote: The mid-to-late November non-conference game against smaller schools like Alabama employs is very smart scheduling. Late in the year you have a chance to both rest banged-up starters as well as get valuable playing time for 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string players. That can be valuable for the end-of-season push as well as bowl season.
Sometimes it hurts as well. Ask the Gators about Georgia Southern? The year before, Alabama played them, and Southern exposed them that other schools could not.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - Kaplony - 05-13-2015 06:00 PM
For Clemson pretty much what we are doing except eliminate us having to go to the worthless NE every year.
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - krux - 05-13-2015 06:08 PM
For Louisville I'd like to see something like this.
1. WVU (loved the budding rivalry in the Big East)
2. Cincy (Obvious reasons)
3. NC State
4. Syracuse
5. Indiana (regional rival and fulfills the need for a cupcake)
6. FSU
7. Wake
8. Clemson
9. UVA
10. BC
11. ACC crossover game (preferably Miami, VT, Pitt or UNC in order)
12. Kentucky
RE: Ideal Schedule for Your School - All Rams All The Time - 05-13-2015 06:12 PM
At the risk of sounding like a He1nous sock puppet:
week 1 - regional FCS
2 - someone from PAC or BigTX
3 - Wyoming
4 & 5 - two from Minn, Wisc, Mich, MichSt
6 & 7 - two from Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue
8 & 9 - two from OhioSt, PennSt, Rutgers, Maryland
10 - Nebraska
11 - Iowa
12 - Kansas
I like the PAC or BigTX schools. We currently play Colorado annually, and I'm not bound to that matchup. Anyone from PAC/BigTX would suffice.
Gotta play Wyo -- 106 meetings, and we play for a kickass trophy (The Bronze Boot)
B1G quads of 4, division rivals the last 3 games of the regular season. I imagine NE-IA would be their preferred rivalry game in the quad, so bring on the Jayhawks!