Out of conference schedule

[Bruininthebay]

http://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/108406/the-six-toughest-pac-12-nonconference-schedules-in-2017

 

Interesting article about the out of conference schedules of Pac 12 teams.  The article ranks USC the most difficult, then UCLA, then Stanford.  Cal and ASU are fourth and fifth, while Oregon has the sixth best schedule.  I agree with them, and note that  four Pac 12 schools aren't playing an FCS team this year.

 

Here are my rankings for the bottom half

 

#7 - Oregon State (Portland St, Minnesota, @ Colorado State )

 

#8 - Washington (@Rutgers, Montana, Fresno State)

 

#9 - Utah (North Dakota, @ BYU, San Jose State)

 

#10 - Colorado (Colorado State, @ Texas State, Northern Colorado)

 

#11 - Arizona (Northern Arizona, Houston, @ UTEP)

 

#12 - Washington State (Montana State, Boise State, Nevada )

 

 

 

[Scscsc89]

Come on people -- at least play ONE power 5 team.

[All Hail]

Why is Arizona and Washington state lower than Colorado. Colorado doesn't play a single decent team while Arizona plays Houston and Wazzu plays what should be a very good Boise state team.

 

I think Washington and Colorado easily have the two worst OOC schedules. Neither of them play anybody decent and no, you do not get credit for playing Rutgers just because they are technically a power 5 team. Rutgers has been the worst team in any power 5 conference for a decade and counting.

[Bruininthebay]

I think a no FCS scheduling requirement is a higher priority than a Power 5 requirement.  BYU v. Utah is a 'must watch' rivalry in my opinion and Colorado - Colorado State should get to be a better rivalry.

Washington State's out of conference is complete garbage.  No road games?

[All Hail]

I think a no FCS scheduling requirement is a higher priority than a Power 5 requirement. BYU v. Utah is a 'must watch' rivalry in my opinion and Colorado - Colorado State should get to be a better rivalry.

 

Washington State's out of conference is complete garbage. No road games?

Wazzu plays Boise State, who is the best team on that list save for maybe BYU. Road games against Texas State Don't count as road games. That team is awful.

[Bruininthebay]

Why is Arizona and Washington state lower than Colorado. Colorado doesn't play a single decent team while Arizona plays Houston and Wazzu plays what should be a very good Boise state team.

 

I think Washington and Colorado easily have the two worst OOC schedules. Neither of them play anybody decent and no, you do not get credit for playing Rutgers just because they are technically a power 5 team. Rutgers has been the worst team in any power 5 conference for a decade and counting.

I posted the topic to generate discussion.  I guess it depends how good you think Boise State, Colorado State and Houston are.  I'm higher on Colorado State versus Houston because of a returning coaching staff. 

 

The post Chris Peterson boise state team has been worse each successive year.  Whatever pipeline Chris Peterson had to Boise now heads to Seattle and both Wyoming and Colorado State are probably better teams in the Mountain division of the MW.  the great thing is that I can be proven wrong on the field when Colorado State and Boise State tangle again next year.

[trickydlck]

I posted the topic to generate discussion. I guess it depends how good you think Boise State, Colorado State and Houston are. I'm higher on Colorado State versus Houston because of a returning coaching staff.

 

The post Chris Peterson boise state team has been worse each successive year. Whatever pipeline Chris Peterson had to Boise now heads to Seattle and both Wyoming and Colorado State are probably better teams in the Mountain division of the MW. the great thing is that I can be proven wrong on the field when Colorado State and Boise State tangle again next year.

Boise State hasn't even played for their G5 conference championship the last two years. They are definitely not the same Boise State.

[Scscsc89]

and no, you do not get credit for playing Rutgers just because they are technically a power 5 team.

Tell that to ESPN & the selection coommittee.

 

But hey, I'm all for culling the herd

[win2bfree]

Rutgers has been the worst team in any power 5 conference for a decade and counting.

 

Rutgers has been to 7 bowl games in the last decade, while Cal has managed only 5.

[EastCoastFan]

Petersen inherited this schedule.  Udub faces Auburn and Michigan in the next couple of years, and most years haven't been scheduled yet.

 

As for Colorado, they're getting back to their old approach to scheduling majors.  Home and homes with Nebraska (four games), Texas A&M, KSU, TCU, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota are all locked in and coming up.

 

Utah's future schedules are light (no Power Five until 2023), which could hurt them.  In contrast, Oregon State has Ohio State, Oklahoma St., and Boise St. coming up, quite a challenge.

[KUGRDON]

Petersen inherited this schedule.  Udub faces Auburn and Michigan in the next couple of years, and most years haven't been scheduled yet.

 

As for Colorado, they're getting back to their old approach to scheduling majors.  Home and homes with Nebraska (four games), Texas A&M, KSU, TCU, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota are all locked in and coming up.

 

Utah's future schedules are light (no Power Five until 2023), which could hurt them.  In contrast, Oregon State has Ohio State, Oklahoma St., and Boise St. coming up, quite a challenge.

Good info.

[azgreg]

Why is Arizona and Washington state lower than Colorado. Colorado doesn't play a single decent team while Arizona plays Houston and Wazzu plays what should be a very good Boise state team.

 

I think Washington and Colorado easily have the two worst OOC schedules. Neither of them play anybody decent and no, you do not get credit for playing Rutgers just because they are technically a power 5 team. Rutgers has been the worst team in any power 5 conference for a decade and counting.

 

Were getting there. We have BYU, Texas Tech, Mississippi St, Kansas St, Nebraska, and Virginia Tech on future schedules.

[Mano]

Petersen inherited this schedule.  Udub faces Auburn and Michigan in the next couple of years, and most years haven't been scheduled yet.

 

As for Colorado, they're getting back to their old approach to scheduling majors.  Home and homes with Nebraska (four games), Texas A&M, KSU, TCU, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota are all locked in and coming up.

 

Utah's future schedules are light (no Power Five until 2023), which could hurt them.  In contrast, Oregon State has Ohio State, Oklahoma St., and Boise St. coming up, quite a challenge.

 

Utah is handicapped by some unethical members of state legislature retaliating against Utah with unnecessary audits and such if they do not schedule BYU ( a private, religious institution ) every year.

[EastCoastFan]

Utah is handicapped by some unethical members of state legislature retaliating against Utah with unnecessary audits and such if they do not schedule BYU ( a private, religious institution ) every year.

 

That's a challenge, although most observers would see BYU as a decent opponent and that wouldn't hurt the Utes.  However, games over the next couple of years with Northern Illinois, North Dakota, Southern Utah, Weber St., Idaho St., and San Jose St. wouldn't all have to have been scheduled.

[Mano]

That's a challenge, although most observers would see BYU as a decent opponent and that wouldn't hurt the Utes.  However, games over the next couple of years with Northern Illinois, North Dakota, Southern Utah, Weber St., Idaho St., and San Jose St. wouldn't all have to have been scheduled.

 

It is not that BYU is not a decent opponent or that I never want them to play again, it is that the Utah athletic department should be able to have the flexibility to schedule whoever most benefits them and there should be no government influence to coerce them to play a private, religious institution. The two years Utah took BYU off the football schedule, they added Michigan, and if the opportunity arises again for such a series, Utah should have the freedom to do so without threat of retaliation from BYU fans in the legislature. Utah's current OOC scheduling philosophy is one cupcake money game, one MWC type game, and one "A" game against a P5 opponent or BYU. You may not agree with that philosophy, but that is what those in charge of the program feel is most beneficial for Utah and where the program is at. They should not be interfered with by the legislature, particularly when the program is as successful as can be expected,  based on fandom, which they clearly were.

[Scscsc89]

Once BYU joins the Pac-12, it will relieve Utah of this problem.

 

 

 

 

 

;-]

[Mano]

Once BYU joins the Pac-12, it will relieve Utah of this problem.

 

 

I am guessing Cal and Stanford would have more of a problem with that than Utah would.

[EastCoastFan]

It is not that BYU is not a decent opponent or that I never want them to play again, it is that the Utah athletic department should be able to have the flexibility to schedule whoever most benefits them and there should be no government influence to coerce them to play a private, religious institution. The two years Utah took BYU off the football schedule, they added Michigan, and if the opportunity arises again for such a series, Utah should have the freedom to do so without threat of retaliation from BYU fans in the legislature. Utah's current OOC scheduling philosophy is one cupcake money game, one MWC type game, and one "A" game against a P5 opponent or BYU. You may not agree with that philosophy, but that is what those in charge of the program feel is most beneficial for Utah and where the program is at. They should not be interfered with by the legislature, particularly when the program is as successful as can be expected,  based on fandom, which they clearly were.

 

No doubt it's a problem to be forced to play BYU.  However, the problem with what you say is that BYU isn't a P5 team, it's more of a MWC team, and getting more that way every year (just look at their recruiting.)  That leaves the Utes with future schedules with BYU/Idaho St./ Northern Illinois and BYU/Weber St./Northern Illinois.  If the Utes ever win the Pac-12 championship, they will be on thin ice for a selection into the National Playoff, something that almost caught Udub this year.  You also lose a lot of recruiting edge if all you can tell kids is that your out of conference schedule includes Provo and a couple of never-heard-ofs.  Don't blame the legislature.  Grab a real P5 team on the schedule and treat BYU like what they are, an ex-patriot member of the MWC.,

[Possumslayer]

Lmao

[Mano]

No doubt it's a problem to be forced to play BYU.  However, the problem with what you say is that BYU isn't a P5 team, it's more of a MWC team, and getting more that way every year (just look at their recruiting.)  That leaves the Utes with future schedules with BYU/Idaho St./ Northern Illinois and BYU/Weber St./Northern Illinois.  If the Utes ever win the Pac-12 championship, they will be on thin ice for a selection into the National Playoff, something that almost caught Udub this year.  You also lose a lot of recruiting edge if all you can tell kids is that your out of conference schedule includes Provo and a couple of never-heard-ofs.  Don't blame the legislature.  Grab a real P5 team on the schedule and treat BYU like what they are, an ex-patriot member of the MWC.,

 

That is the problem with scheduling BYU, they are not a P5 team, but not a MWC team either, and it is always an emotional instate rivalry game. Scheduling BYU and a good P5 team the same year is difficult and hits the depth of a team like Utah ( particularly with the cheap shot artists BYU has been in the past decade ). I was almost hoping that they would get their Big 12 invite so Utah wouldn't have to deal with this (but the schadenfreude I enjoy from them being relegated to independent insignificance is pretty delicious).