Comparison of non-conference schedules

[Iowafan]

Looking at a comparison of non-conference schedules between Connecticut and Notre Dame and the team records as of today Monday, December 5 I was surprised because I thought Notre Dame had a lot of weak teams as compared to Connecticut. They may not have been ranked teams but they certainly were not poor teams either. Here is what I discovered.


Connecticut Notre Dame

Florida State 8-1 Fordam 6-2
Baylor 9-1 Central Michigan 6-2
LSU 6-2 Green Bay 6-1
Dayton 3-5 UL Lafayette 1-8
Chattanooga 4-6 Washington 8-1
DePaul 5-2 TCU 5-2
Texas 2-4 Iowa 6-3
Notre Dame 8-0 Valparaiso 4-4
Kansas State 8-0 Connecticut 7-0
Ohio State 6-3 DePaul 5-2
Nebraska 3-5 Toledo 6-1
Maryland 8-0 Michigan State 7-2
South Carolina 6-1 Chattanooga 4-6

My feeling is Connecticut's schedule is tougher just that Notre Dame didn't schedule all softies. Looking forward to Connecticut to win on Wednesday !!

 

[Plebe]

It's true that, outside of the Valparaiso game, ND's hasn't scheduled any of the most blatant "cupcakes" (i.e., teams that finished last year outside the RPI top 150), but I'd also say that their nonconference schedule, except for the UConn game, is void of any top-10-caliber teams. I consider Washington and DePaul to be on a second tier just outside the top 10.

The opponents' win-loss records are misleading because they would give the impression that (for example) Central Michigan, Fordham, and Toledo are much better than Chattanooga, Dayton, and Texas, which I doubt is the case.

 

[Carnac]

It's true that, outside of the Valparaiso game, ND's hasn't scheduled any of the most blatant "cupcakes" (i.e., teams that finished last year outside the RPI top 150), but I'd also say that their nonconference schedule, except for the UConn game, is void of any top-10-caliber teams. I consider Washington and DePaul to be on a second tier just outside the top 10.

The opponents' win-loss records are misleading because they would give the impression that (for example) Central Michigan, Fordham, and Toledo are much better than Chattanooga, Dayton, and Texas, which I doubt is the case.

Agreed. Let's see who their wins were against first. I'm guessing low unranked mid-majors. I was right. Here's Central Mich's (6-2) schedule:

Notre Dame - lost
Furman
Elon - lost
Oakland
Utah Valley
North Dakota St.
Loyola (Chi)
UIC

Before you become impressed by a team's won-loss record, look to see who they beat first.

 

[Iowafan]

Agreed. Let's see who their wins were against first. I'm guessing low unranked mid-majors. I was right. Here's Central Mich's (6-2) schedule:

Notre Dame - lost
Furman
Elon - lost
Oakland
Utah Valley
North Dakota St.
Loyola (Chi)
UIC

Before you become impressed by a team's won-loss record, look to see who they beat first.

Thanks for digging deeper and sharing what you found. I appreciate you pointing out that a record is only as good as the teams you play.