Once you get over the amusement of Tommy Tuberville complaining that power conference schools are still scheduling cupcake games – yes, that Tommy Tuberville – you will be shocked, shocked to learn that the advent of the new CFB playoff hasn’t changed things too much on the scheduling front.
Since presidents officially approved the four-team playoff on June 27, 2012, about 73 percent of the games scheduled by the Power 5 conferences (plus Notre Dame and BYU) are outside the power conference structure — games against schools from the American, Mountain West, C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt conferences or FCS.
Combing through scheduling announcements from the last 25 months showed that 45 of the 300-plus games involving those power schools were to play FCS opponents, with another 78 for C-USA (40) or Sun Belt (38) teams.
That total of 123 games comprises about 40 percent of the games found, while dwarfing the 83 or so games scheduled between two power-conference schools.
Big schools scheduled 35 American matchups, 31 apiece with the Mountain West and MAC, and three with Army /Navy.
Why should anyone be surprised by that? Until a school or a conference gets smacked in the face by a real world consequence to scheduling weak sister games, why would there be any motivation to change what’s worked so well for so long?
Get The Picture 
73% of non conference games (sic)
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Let’s hope that happens. I’m still concerned about a 11-1 Ohio State with a joke of a schedule, getting a spot ahead of a 2-loss SEC team with one of the tougher schedules in the country.
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Until I see otherwise, I am convinced a 2 loss SEC Champion is in the mix.
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Ivy is right. If OSU is 11-1 they will get the nod if for no other reason than they are all pulling for any conference other than the SEC. I think we saw the last two SEC teams play for the championship. As an aside, I didn’t think Alabama belonged there after losing to LSU in the regular season. I didn’t think Spurrier deserved that second shot at FSU either when he won the NC. Hard to beat a team twice. And while I am on my soap box, Georgia was ripped off with that “they didn’t win the SEC” nonsense. TGIF! And I hope those damn trolls are done for a while. I was beginning to feel like I was in a Hobbit movie. It would be one thing if they were clever trolls but the clowns trolling lately are downright azzhats!
just sayin’
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+1 Agree totally. I hate to see the regular season de-valued like it was with FU and Bama getting another shot at a team they had beaten in the regular season. Bama knew what they were playing for in Tusky that year and blew it. After all other conference champs are in, there may be a spot for a rematch game on occasion but it should be earned by beating another conference champ. A better playoff system will make the regular season mean something and give each conference representation. Schedules may also get better since that might determine the Wildcard spots.
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We’ve had a rematch for the MNC twice in the last twenty years, which you claimed DEVALUED the regular season. Doesn’t it stand to reason that with more teams in the “playoff,” we’ll see a higher percentage of rematches?
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So what we need is a football version of the Sweet 16? Kinda…? Is that what you’re saying?
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Yes, we would continue to see some but in a playoff they would have to win out with more than just one repeat game to win a title. Meant more as fun for the antis who have always claimed a playoff would devalue the regular season.
I believe a playoff enhances the regular season because you have something to play for and you hold your destiny in your own hands, not some computer geek or voter. The wildcards would still have to be at the mercy of subjective, biased methods but winning your own conference is within your control. We all have to keep in mind, no playoff will determine who is the very best team in CFB, just who deserves the title of champions. Fans in all sports will still argue the case of who was the best, but having a legit system to give everyone a guaranteed chance to play for the title makes for a true, undisputed champion.
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unless it’s Georgia.
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Even if it did have an impact in the selecting playoff, you aren’t going to see those teams that have no chance at the playoff but are on the bubble of bowl-qualification worried. In the short term they’ll take the extra (probable) win and the extra home game every time. The big 5 conference doormats, on the other hand, will be calculating where their point of indifference is – i.e. how much $$$ must Alabama pay Indiana for a two-game set in Tuscaloosa before IU gives up their home game against IUPUI.
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All I know is that UGA always plays one from a power conference, and more often than not plays at least 2. I think that folks that gripe about the UGA schedule will gripe about anything.
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With four non-conference spots on the schedule UGA fans should expect more than GT as an option. We should have at least one high quality OOC opponent each season, one decent OOC Power Conference game, then Tech, and one cupcake game. If they don’t ban 1AA teams totally, they should limit teams to playing just one per season.
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Until our rivals do this consistently, UGA would be foolish to do this every year….IMHO…
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I understand your point but I am more about a great football experience than manipulated titles. Winning the SEC is the ultimate for me until we get a satisfactory playoff that rewards winning your conference above all else. Then you can have both.
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I agree with you and the Old Ball Coach..win the SEC and let the chips fall where they may.
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Some day Tech will have another George O’Leary instead of a genius as a head coach, a fact which makes Jim Donnan somewhat wistful
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CJD win over UT when they tore down the goal post, his victory against the Gators, Auburn in overtime, and this Tech game…my favorite from his tenure.
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Bobo!
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Yep, never gonna be able to please everyone. Some folks want an entertaining home schedule. Some folks want a schedule that gives us the best shot at getting to the playoff. Some folks think those two things are not mutually exclusive. Some folks thing they are.
It’s been an interesting debate up here on the local sports talk, the afternoon drive guy steadfastly maintains that teams should schedule as easy as possible if they want to be in the national title picture. His point is, it’s better to be 11-1 against an easy schedule and at least be in the discussion than to be 9-3 and all you have to brag about is how tough your schedule was as you get ready for your mid-level bowl game. A lot of people call in on both sides of the issue (I’m up in Greenville, so it’s mostly Clemson & SC fans around here). Been a fun debate to listen to though.
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You can bet the sportscasters and talking heads will be doing all they can to keep a second SEC team out. The answer for the SEC is for the coaches to get together and speak out everytime a mic is in front of one of them and the message should be….The Big Ten IS full of cupcakes and OSU plays more cupcakes on its OCS….You have to fight propaganda with propaganda and that’s what this whole thing will come down to…who can spew it the most, the best and the farthest…and we’ve got some champions of propaganda in the SEC (just a reminder that Georgia got screwed by the comments of at least one other SEC coach with the conference champ remarks)…And SOS is a master (not “baiter…”quipster”) whom the media loves to interview and quote remarks from…So if the SEC will just stick together and constantly remind everyone of the weakness of OSU’s and other pretenders’ schedules, it just might make the difference.
But I’m siding with Ivey here….the whole thing was changed for the benefit of OSU and maybe a couple of other teams….BTW…Ohio is a HUGE TV market for sports….Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Cincinatti, Dayton, lots of people up there drinking the coolaid…they will tell you in a minute that the Big Integer is as good or better than the SEC..and with a straight face (or a pissed off face, usually.)
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Everyone except the fans and the TV networks wants/needs the cupcakes. The university wants the opportunity to entertain donors. The AD wants the revenue without the return trip. The coach wants the win to pad the record and ensure bowl eligibility. The players who don’t get many chances to play in a real game want the opportunity to step on the field for the sacrifice they make. The fans don’t want to see the baby seal clubbing or especially see the baby seal do the clubbing (see GSU/UF). The networks would rather show compelling match-ups. Until a team’s OOC schedule keeps them out of the playoff or the networks pay for big time OOC games, we’re going to see the same thing year after year.
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