Randy Peterson: Will soft scheduling hurt Big 12?

[43rd Parallel]

AN EXCERPT:

Not only is most of the Big 12 playing soft out-of-conference schedules, but marquee nonconference games are essentially nonexistent. Aside from Texas at Notre Dame, it's pretty bare — unless you call TCU-Minnesota, OU-Tennessee, Texas Tech-Arkansas, Kansas-Rutgers and West Virginia-Maryland games that will capture the country.

LINK

 

[Woody in Helvetia]

AN EXCERPT:

Not only is most of the Big 12 playing soft out-of-conference schedules, but marquee nonconference games are essentially nonexistent. Aside from Texas at Notre Dame, it's pretty bare — unless you call TCU-Minnesota, OU-Tennessee, Texas Tech-Arkansas, Kansas-Rutgers and West Virginia-Maryland games that will capture the country.

LINK

Yes Baylor and TCU have scheduled weak schedule but this writer seems to want heavyweight matchups every week. The is nothing wrong the this list of games( TCU-Minnesota, OU-Tennessee, Texas Tech-Arkansas, Kansas-Rutgers and West Virginia-Maryland and he left out Iowa-Iowa State ). You are not going to get too many more great matchups that what is listed there. Everyone of those out of conference teams went to bowls last year. Yes Baylor, KState, TCU and Okie State should have found a Power 5 bowl team to play also.

And his comment on Kansas and Iowa State having tougher strength of schedules - That is because they to not have to figure their own pitiful record into the formula.

 

[GoWVU]

Yeah, most of this columnist's complaints in that piece are poorly-reasoned potshots at a convenient target of the moment.

For example, in TCU's defense that schedule looks very balanced and reasonable when viewed at the time(s) it had to be assembled. They announced the Minnesota home-and-home in early May 2013 after the Frogs had just completed a so-so 7-6 first season in the Big 12.

The Iron Skillet rivalry with SMU has been played for about a century. I'll bet this writer is also one of the people decrying how conference realignment has killed long-time rivalries. If so, then TCU was in a no-win situation in his eyes no matter what they had done.

 

[Tallmadgeers]

It's all cyclical. Two years ago the Big 12 was second only to the SEC. Last year the Pac-12 was second only to the SEC.

The weakest Power-5 conference, over the long haul, is the ACC. If Florida State has a bad year, there's no on to take up the slack.

The SEC has Alabama, Auburn as perennials. The Big 10 has Ohio State and the next school up. The Big 12 has half the conference as potential national powers in any season. The Pac-12 has Oregon, USC. The ACC has Florida State or nothing.

I'LL BE BACK AS CUYAHOGA FALLS EERS AS SOON AS MY FEEBLE BRAIN CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO MANEUVER THE OBSTACLE COURSE.

 

[Clyde0926]

AN EXCERPT:

Not only is most of the Big 12 playing soft out-of-conference schedules, but marquee nonconference games are essentially nonexistent. Aside from Texas at Notre Dame, it's pretty bare — unless you call TCU-Minnesota, OU-Tennessee, Texas Tech-Arkansas, Kansas-Rutgers and West Virginia-Maryland games that will capture the country.

LINK

The Big 12 does need to improve the OOC portion of our schedules but it's only a few teams hurting the conference's perception.

 

[Tallmadgeers]

The Big 12 does need to improve the OOC portion of our schedules but it's only a few teams hurting the conference's perception.

It would help the perception of the Big 12 tremendously in 2015 if WVU beats Maryland, TCU beats Minnesota, Texas Tech beats Arkansas, Kansas beats Rutgers, Oklahoma beats Tennessee, Texas beats Notre Dame and California, Iowa State beats Iowa again. If that happens, a 1-loss Big 12 champ would make the national playoffs, even without a conference title game.

We can hope. The Mountaineers can start that ball rolling.

I'LL BE BACK AS CUYAHOGA FALLS EERS AS SOON AS MY FEEBLE BRAIN CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO MANEUVER THROUGH THE OBSTACLE COURSE.