Who's
afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
The nation's worst non-conference schedules...
Since its beginning, non-conference schedules in the Big XII
have been at a borderline I-AA level, which makes sense given
the difficulty of the league plus the fact this was one of
the first leagues to initiate a conference championship game.
Even though the North Division has recently taken a major
step back (not one squad in the preseason AP Top 25), the
Big XII continues to finish dead last by a good margin when
rating its competitive edge with everyone else’s. Texas
Tech wins the cupcake award with the nation's worst non-conference
schedule (FIU, Sam Houston State, Indiana State). Washington
State (Pac Ten) is right on their heels with the nation's
second worst schedule (Idaho, Nevada, Grambling).
The
SEC...anytime, anywhere.
No one can knock the big boys from the SEC. The nation's toughest
conference also continues to schedule the second toughest
non-conference schedule when compared to their other BCS partners.
The
Pac Ten doesn't need a Conference Championship Game?
OK, so the Pac Ten is void of a championship game. But they
do make up for it by competing against the nation's toughest
non-conference schedule (when comparing BCS-aligned conferences).
Three of this league’s better cross-conference games
highlight the road to the national championship, and all in
the first half of September: Arizona State at LSU, Oregon
State at Louisville, Oklahoma at UCLA.
No
one is dodging the MAC.
Putting a quality Mid-American foe on your schedule is rarely
a good idea, but it never scared the Big Ten. MAC teams will
win on any Saturday when a BCS team does not bring its "A"
game. It's a no-win situation...a victory yields nothing but
a "you're supposed to win against them", and a defeat
results in "what's going on?” speculations. However,
the MAC continues to grab big name opponents as they sit atop
these rankings, thanks in a big part to the Big Ten. And why
should the Big Ten have any fear? After all, they were 11-0
versus MAC competition in 2004.
Ball
State - Best In The Nation
The Cardinals should not be short this year when it comes
to balancing the football athletic budget. Paychecks for road
visits to Iowa, Auburn and Boston College should be a nice
bonus...well not when all are eventually found in the loss
column. But they do get recognition here for scheduling what
they have control over...putting together the nation's toughest
opponents.
|