Conference schedules

[UcMiami]

There is this idea out there that being in a P5 conference means you have a great conference schedule full of tough games, and therefore teams need weak OOC schedules so they don't overtax their delicate players. That may be true for the rank and file of P5 conferences but the reality for teams with FF aspirations is that conference schedules really aren't all that that big a deal. For teams like Baylor, ND, SC, or MD the conference schedule really is not a mine field - for a top 6 team playing team ranked outside the top 20 should not be that challenging:

ND - conference schedule includes three currently ranked teams: #12 Duke, #15 FSU, and # 22 MIA - so 2 top 20 games.

Baylor - 2 games each against #5 TX and #18 OK - 4 games

MD - 2 games against #9 OSU and #14 NW, and 1 against #24 MSU - 4 games

SC - 2 games each #7 KY and #16 TAMU, 1 each #13 TN, #8 MSST, #23 Miz - 6 games

The only schedule that looks significant is the SEC this year, though we'll see what happens with with some of the 'power house' teams once they get beyond the OOC part of their schedule - if form holds they will start trading home and home wins and losses with each other.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I don't think many coaches of really strong teams particularly schedule a weaker OOC than most other P5 teams. Certainly, there may be years where a less competitive OOC is attractive because of personnel, experience, realistic concerns, etc. but I can only think of a few teams that historically scheduled really really weak every year (North Carolina has always been the poster child in this).

It would be correct to say that some power teams can "afford" to schedule (slightly) weaker schedules because, if they play enough other teams in conference with "good" RPIs, and beat them, they are making their case, because, after all, the NCAA committee knows perfectly well who the "power" teams are.

For the tier of teams who need to be concerned about RPI, there is a narrow line, sometimes. A weaker OOC schedule may generate the wins, but if you really blow your strength of schedule you can get caught. This has happened many times, one that stuck with me was RU a few years back, when a really weak OOC combined with the transitional American really hurt RU's RPI and relegated RU to the WNIT. I'm sure that, being used to the oBE impact and strength, someone miscalculated the conference contribution to schedule strength.