Much has been written about the problems of the BCS system and the need/desire for a true playoff system. While I could write pages upon pages about my strong beliefs in the need for a playoff, I want to focus this post on the absurdity of non-conference college football scheduling. My proposal is a governing body that schedules non-conference games to create exciting early season match-ups and eliminates the joke scheduling that many teams employ to pad their win-loss record.
Schools typically play 12 games per season. Out of these 12 games, eight or nine are generally in-conference games that schools have to play. Outside the conference schedule, teams are free to schedule their remaining non-conference games however they see fit.
I understand smaller schools desire to play big conference opponents. It’s a great draw for their fans and gives the schools significant national exposure. I also understand the major conference schools desire to play a few ‘pre-season’ type games and essentially guarantee at least three wins on the schedule. Let’s take a look at the current AP Top 12, excluding BYU and Boise St since they consistently try to schedule big schools to compensate for their ‘weaker’ conferences:
#1 Florida – Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International, Florida State
#2 Texas – Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida
#3 USC – San Jose St, Ohio State, Notre Dame
#4 Alabama – Virginia Tech, Florida International, North Texas, Chattanooga
#5 Penn St – Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois
#5 Mississippi – Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana, UAB, Northern Arizona
#8 Cal – Maryland, Eastern Washington, Minnesota
#9 LSU – Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech
#11 Ohio St – Navy, USC, Toledo, New Mexico St
#12 Oklahoma – BYU, Idaho St, Tulsa, Miami
Looking at this list, only USC plays a schedule that I think is appropriate for the top teams in the country. Cal and Oklahoma also have respectable schedules. I completely understand opening the season with a cupcake opponent to basically get a pre-season game. Beyond the first game though, I think schools should be required to play teams from major conferences, with some discussion needed for the BYU, Boise St., Utah and TCUs of the world that have consistently shown an ability to play at a top level.
Florida is the currently consensus #1 team in the country. Based upon last season’s performance and Tim Tebow staying in college, I believe Florida is a great team. However, all we’ve seen out of them this year is beating up on Charleston Southern and Troy. I am much more impressed with Alabama beating a perennial power on a neutral site and USC beating a Top 10 team on the road than either Florida or Texas even though all are 2-0.
Looking at this issue from a financial perspective, I just read on ESPN.com that the USC/Ohio State game on Saturday night was the most viewed college football game in the history of ESPN, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4476531. Why aren’t the networks demanding better scheduling? Fans love it, advertisers love it, so why can’t college football figure it out?
The reality is the lack of a playoff system keeps this system in place. Teams know they realistically can’t lose more than one game if they want to stay in the mix for the BCS Championship game. It’s easier to defend a perfect season against a weak schedule than defend a couple losses against top teams. An eight team playoff would encourage teams to play better competition. Teams would know they could still make the playoff with one or two losses and having played real talent during the year would better prepare teams for the playoffs than beating up on borderline high school football programs. Playoff system aside though, more big games would be great for the sport, the fans and the companies and universities that print money off college football.
College football is one the best sports in the country and big games are loved by all fans. I truly hope the NCAA or the BCS or whoever is capable of regulating this, would push for scheduling rules that encourage more big early season games and A LOT fewer Louisiana-Monroe’s on the schedules of top teams.
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