I wouldn't dispute the potential of getting good games the first 3-4 weeks of the season. It's what happens in October and November when you feel the crunch. BYU's got it great those first couple of weeks. You can see how creative they have to be in the middle and the end.

Where I don't see UConn having it quite so good is that BYU has both good working relationships with the pre-MWC WAC teams, and something established with Utah State and Utah. The Holy War is back at the end of the season...even if it wasn't, BYU could probably get away with Utah State around that time...does UConn have similar options? Because UMass can probably go anywhere on the calendar...

Quote:Because UConn football isn't drawing with those names on the schedule.

UConn people might not be showing up to their own games, but the other side tends to be good for theirs. That shouldn't be discounted, because you could go with a Sun Belt or MAC school, and now NOBODY is showing up. At least with the others, even if the locals aren't thrilled, the other team's fans are.

That's the trap of scheduling, isn't it? At Penn State, you saw (a decade or so ago, at least) the Nits load up on G5 or FCS fluff, and those 100-110K+ gates weren't happening. That's not on EIU, Indiana State, or some other scrub...that's on Penn State for failing its fans, scheduling games people don't want to pay to see. Penn State folks may not love all of the Big Ten schools who are on the schedule, either...the other schools' fans still show up, though. Penn State can try to shove the local connection Youngstown State, Akron, and Kent State have all they want (this was a common area Paterno used to recruit); you can't make people care about that stuff if the teams from there aren't good for the fight.