Scheduling

[UConn07]

Still no word on any opponents for 2014. This could be a disaster. We talk about being forced to schedule home and homes with Ohio and Western Michigan, but what's gonna happen in 2014? Same thing? I'm on board with throwing out a 1 time away game with a couple top schools to fill the schedule. No more MAC's. UConn needs games to make a name for themselves year in and year out. There was not 1 game on that schedule this year. Yes, Michigan next year, but we need more of that. Tennessee in 2015 and 2016 but Virginia and Maryland aren't going to cut it.

 

[Rumrunner]

Since UMass wwill be the highest attended non conference game this year (counting upcoming Buffalo one), they seem like a no-brainer.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

I have this argument with my father almost daily.

Even bama doesn't schedule bama for every OOC game.

It should be:
1 FCS team (norf state, fordham, etc...)
1 FBS doormat (buffalo, umass, etc...)
1 BCS Name (Maryland, Virginia, Vandy, NCST, UNC etc...)
1 Big BCS Name (Mich, Tenn, ND, etc...)
The Conf schedule

There's obviously some room there, 2 big names would be cool...but look at most teams. They schedule the same way. This season FSU had 2 games against FCS teams (this is why they have the "#1 defense in the country")

For the record, i think games against Ohio, WMU, Hawaii, etc... are basically a no win. Non BCS teams that we could lose to, but should beat, provide us with nothing but a possible headache. and there's no reason to play them away.

Just my opinion

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Do we even know at this point if we're playing an 8 or 9 game conference schedule next year?

 

[freescooter]

I have heard 8 league games next year, but don't know if that is official. I have also heard that the league is thinking of asking everyone to play a non-league league game either next year or the following year for marketing purposes such as they are. sort of like when UConn played BC, Rutgers Miami VT in its pre-Big East days...

 

[freescooter]

I have this argument with my father almost daily.

Even bama doesn't schedule bama for every OOC game.

It should be:
1 FCS team (norf state, fordham, etc...)
1 FBS doormat (buffalo, umass, etc...)
1 BCS Name (Maryland, Virginia, Vandy, NCST, UNC etc...)
1 Big BCS Name (Mich, Tenn, ND, etc...)
The Conf schedule

There's obviously some room there, 2 big names would be cool...but look at most teams. They schedule the same way. This season FSU had 2 games against FCS teams (this is why they have the "#1 defense in the country")

For the record, i think games against Ohio, WMU, Hawaii, etc... are basically a no win. Non BCS teams that we could lose to, but should beat, provide us with nothing but a possible headache. and there's no reason to play them away.

Just my opinion

I don't disagree with this generally. I think it is how you should try to schedule, though obviously in any given year a BCS doormat can rise up and be better than expected (see last year's Vandy) and a BCS name brand can be worse (I'm talking about you Arkansas). Plus scheduling "Big names" isn't all that easy. there are a limited number of them and they tend not to want to play away from home very often, So I think you might have to replace "Big names" with higher end but not the biggest name teams (Example: You can't get Ohio State, you might get Iowa. You can't get Florida, but you might get South Carolina). Personally I would like to see us get a few series with Big 10 teams and maybe an occassional matchup with Big 12 members.

 

[UConn07]

I don't disagree with this generally. I think it is how you should try to schedule, though obviously in any given year a BCS doormat can rise up and be better than expected (see last year's Vandy) and a BCS name brand can be worse (I'm talking about you Arkansas). Plus scheduling "Big names" isn't all that easy. there are a limited number of them and they tend not to want to play away from home very often, So I think you might have to replace "Big names" with higher end but not the biggest name teams (Example: You can't get Ohio State, you might get Iowa. You can't get Florida, but you might get South Carolina). Personally I would like to see us get a few series with Big 10 teams and maybe an occassional matchup with Big 12 members.

If Syracuse can schedule a top flight team year in and year out, there's no reason UConn can't either.

 

[ruskin]

I would bet teams from outside the Big 4 conferences (and marquee ACC teams) will not be considered for the playoffs if they play an FCS team.

 

[freescooter]

They have series with Penn State & Notre Dame, but Penn State will be a shell of its former self. Then they have a 1-1 with Penn State in 2020 and 2021. But not a lot of stuff scheduled in between. We have Michigan, and home-home with Tennessee over the same period as they have at Penn State and Penn State at the Meadowlands. basicxally Syracuse did the deal UConn rejected with Notre Dame. 2014 ND at Meadowlands, 2015 @South Bend, 2016@ Meadowlands, 2017@ND. they did a similar deal with Penn State for the out years. Which they will try to spin as being for their "New York fans," but was really giving up a home game to play a name team in a neutral site. I suspect that both games will draw better than USC but that could depend on where Syracuse and Penn State are at those particular points. Notre Dame will draw well regardless.

 

[freescooter]

I would bet teams from outside the Big 4 conferences (and marquee ACC teams) will not be considered for the playoffs if they play an FCS team.

don't believe that because that was part of the deal the NCAA cut with the FCS teams a couple of years ago to keep them from moving up en mass. They would get to play 1A teams in payday games and those would count for bowl eligibility every year instead of once every six years. the "big 4" conferences don't want to see leagues like the CAA and the Big Sky upgrade and start making various demands for shares of bowl proceeds and so forth. And I think they really do worry about what happens if Eastern Washington goes unbeaten with an upset of Washington and Villanova does the same thing in the East after knocking off Virginia Tech. so it is easier to pay them off by letting them schedule 1A programs and letting those wins count.

 

[ZooCougar]

My preferred OOC (assuming an 8 game conf schedule)

Syracuse or BC
FCS (preferably in a later week, not week one on a Thursday night)
BCS level, Top 25 type team
Army

 

[SubbaBub]

My preferred OOC (assuming an 8 game conf schedule)

Syracuse or BC
FCS (preferably in a later week, not week one on a Thursday night)
BCS level, Top 25 type team
Army

BC
Low level AQ
Mid to high level AQ
MAC level school.

This will mean 6-7 home games each year and 2-4 OOC wins. If you want to rotate in a guarantee game to assure 7 home games or facilitate a neutral site game, fine. We should not be playing FCS schools anymore, the Conference schedule will be too weak.

If we can't go at least 4-4 in the NNBE every year, something is wrong. 7-5 should be our worst case scenario after this year.


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[ZooCougar]

BC
Low level AQ
Mid to high level AQ
MAC level school.

This will mean 6-7 home games each year and 2-4 OOC wins. If you want to rotate in a guarantee game to assure 7 home games or facilitate a neutral site game, fine. We should not be playing FCS schools anymore, the Conference schedule will be too weak.

If we can't go at least 4-4 in the NNBE every year, something is wrong. 7-5 should be our worst case scenario after this year.


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I could go for that, but we have to find 4 FBS level opponents to schedule on a home and home basis. Now that the the conference has been relegated, that will get harder and harder.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

My preferred OOC (assuming an 8 game conf schedule)

Syracuse or BC
FCS (preferably in a later week, not week one on a Thursday night)
BCS level, Top 25 type team
Army

Only thing I'd change is bagging the FCS school and playing UMass instead. I actually would like to see us playing Army again. I know they stink, but they're regional and that is an easy and very enjoyable road trip to make.

 

[ZooCougar]

Only thing I'd change is bagging the FCS school and playing UMass instead. I actually would like to see us playing Army again. I know they stink, but they're regional and that is an easy and very enjoyable road trip to make.

That is a good idea. The only thing is that at some point we would have to play at their place, and the FCS game would always be at home.

UMass is a perfectly acceptable substitute for Army.

 

[spsct]

My preferred OOC (assuming an 8 game conf schedule)

Syracuse or BC
FCS (preferably in a later week, not week one on a Thursday night)
BCS level, Top 25 type team
Army

To combine what you said with what Jimmy said...

Rotating Syracuse and BC (home and home)
FCS
BCS level type 25 (project that 5 years out!)
Rotating Army and UMass (home and home)

Gives us 2 AQ, 1 FCS, and 1 MAC game each year... Would give us 6-7 home games plus some games with local opponents.

If we actually get to a level where our schedule affects our ability to make a top 4-8 playoff then we can revisit it.

If BC and Syracuse remain at the level that they currently are, we may consider something else... (Some Big 10 or ACC)...

I actually like how we are scheduling outside of the 24 game series with Buffalo... This year is also an anomaly with the replacement of WV with Temple.

 

[freescooter]

I don't have too much problem with that idea of scheduling.
I do like to keep regional games and I don't love playing ACC teams all the time, though I would make an exception for BC Syracuse, Pitt rather than UNC, NC State, Virginia et al. Assuming we go 4 non-conference games, my schedule would go something like:
Regional opponent--BC/Syracuse/UMass in some sort of rotation. You want to throw Army in there too that's fine
Interesting low BCS/CUSA type opponent. By interesting I mean someone like Tulane or Minnesota or Mississippi---someone you've heard of but isn't necessarily very good. Also somewhere you wouldn't mind playing if you did a return game.
BCS opponent of note-I would hope that we can avoid having an NCState-type our "big" non-conference game most of the time. Let's see if we can keep bringing in Big 10/SEC/Big 12 teams. I may have been in a minority but I found Iowa State to be an interesting opponent. Not a great one, but way more interesting than another ACC opponent. Felt the same about Baylor a few years ago.
MAC/Sunbelt/1AA (choose from Maine, Villanova, URI, UNH, Delaware, Stoneybrook ...Texas Southern me no Texas Southerns please). But not Buffalo...ever ever again.
I really want to see a regional flavor to our schedule but I'd be concerned with BC, Syracuse, UMass, Army would be too regional.

 

[ZooCougar]

Playing regional ACC games is the way to go. For one, our fans actually travel to them. Our alums are mainly on the East Coast. Why should we go play where none of our Alums are?

I've been to away games at Duke and UVA, people traveled there. I've also been to away games at places like Ohio and Indiana. To quote Tobias from "Arrested Development", "There were dozens of us!, dozens". How many people traveled to Waco? Or Ames?

Add to this the fact that we'll be playing Conference Games in San Diego, Boise, Dallas and Houston soon. Our opportunities to see conference away games (At least one third of the schedule), are diminishing rapidly, or at least getting more difficult and expensive.

 

[freescooter]

Playing regional ACC games is the way to go. For one, our fans actually travel to them. Our alums are mainly on the East Coast. Why should we go play where none of our Alums are?

I've been to away games at Duke and UVA, people traveled there. I've also been to away games at places like Ohio and Indiana. To quote Tobias from "Arrested Development", "There were dozens of us!, dozens". How many people traveled to Waco? Or Ames?

Add to this the fact that we'll be playing Conference Games in San Diego, Boise, Dallas and Houston soon. Our opportunities to see conference away games (At least one third of the schedule), are diminishing rapidly, or at least getting more difficult and expensive.

Fair points Zoo...problem is you can end up with a year like this where NC State is our best non-conference game and it is a snore fest as far as the fans go...But I think we both agree that nany thing is better than going to Kalamazoo or Kent or friggin' buffalo again (though I htink we have 1 more game there next year).