College Football Scheduling Issues

My favorite thing to watch on TV every year is college football. This is no different than any other red blooded American male. There are matchups I look forward to every week as I pointed out last week. It is really good to see exciting matchups all season long. These great matchups are always exciting to see and it is terrific to see some of the powerhouses step out and schedule elite out of conference competition. However, this does not always happen.

This year even my beloved Seminoles have fell victim to this trap. Usually, the Seminoles have some very strong out of conference opponents, but this year they play two FCS schools (well Texas State is really Sun Belt and not FCS, but I am still calling the Noles out!). This is not uncommon either for a powerhouse team. Half the SEC does it every year, by actually scheduling two FCS schools. Does that excuse the Seminoles weak schedule? No! It does however raise a question of how to get better football games. I answered that question with one, two, three posts last year. None of those are completely necessary though because all you have to do is make this type of scheduling illegal.

I have no problem with a team playing one cupcake early, but it should only be one game and it should only be allowed in the first or second week of the season as a tune up game. We want and we deserve better matchups as the American consumer. Florida State scheduling two games against such weak opponents should not have the 40th best preseason schedule according to the NCAA method. This schedule should be ranked much lower with those caveats. Sure, being in a power conference helps that ranking, but with two horrible teams there, it should be at least lower half, you would think. The schedule isn't ranked that low though and that is a problem.

Had any team that is guilty of this been only allowed to schedule 1 FCS opponent, that is about 50 or so better football games right there off the bat. (It would have also made scheduling SEC opponents easier. FSU does have matchups with Mississippi and Alabama in the next few years and they are trying to add a date with Auburn.) That is change I think everyone supports. Well except maybe the University of Florida....

The other power team in the state never plays anyone decent out of conference other than Florida State. In fact, the SEC as in general has been pathetic. Out of the SEC's 14 teams they are playing a combined 3 road games in Power 5 stadiums. Combined for the whole conference 3 road games in power 5 stadiums. One of those games is a rivalry matchup (Georgia v. Georgia Tech). 3 power 5 road games!

To get even more serious let's look at the Florida Gators real non-conference resume. The Florida Gators have not scheduled a non-conference game outside of the state of Florida since 1991! Since 1991! That means that they haven't really been tested outside of the SEC other than against Florida State. They haven't played someone since 1991 outside the conference and they don't even play Miami on any kind of consistent basis. Absolutely pathetic! That 1991 game was a loss to Syracuse by the way. Their last win in a non-conference road game was 1989 against Memphis State when I was 2 years old. That Memphis State team was 2-9. The last win for UF outside of the state in a non-conference regular season matchup against a team with a winning record came in 1947 against NC State. You read that correctly 1947. This team has the most pathetic history of scheduling opponents and more can be read about it here.

What about this year though?

This year, there are 88 teams with worse schedules in FBS than the Seminoles according to the NCAA method. That is just sad considering that FSU has two FCS opponents and Wake on the schedule for 2015. It needs to change, but before it is, lets look at the teams with the 10 worst schedules from Power Conferences.

10. Missouri Tigers SEC (73/128)
9. Oregon State Pac 12 (78/128)
8. UCLA Bruins Pac 12 (82/128)
7. Baylor Bears Big 12 (T-88/128)
6. Oklahoma Sooners Big 12 (T-88/128)
5. Kansas State Wildcats Big 12 (91/128)
4. TCU Horned Frogs Big 12 (93/128)
3. Wisconsin Badgers Big 10 (95/128)
2. Iowa Hawkeyes Big 10 (100/128)
1. Duke Blue Devils ACC(SOS 102/128)

Looks like the Big 12 has some explaining to do! Four of the 10 worst schedules in Power 5 are from Big 12 schools. Those with poor schedules include contenders Baylor and TCU. Let's see if that is brought up around playoff time.

Meanwhile the top 3 schedules according to the NCAA method belong to...
1. Washington Huskies PAC 12
Non-conference opponenets: Boise State, Sacramento State, Utah State

2. Arkansas Razorbacks SEC
Non-conference opponents: UTEP, Toledo, Texas Tech, UT-Martin

3. Miami Hurricanes ACC
Non conference opponents: Bethune Cookman, Florida Atlantic, Nebraska, Cincinatti

Not the most daunting non-conference schedule, but not cake either. Compared to the toughest non-conference schedule in my opinion belonging to Virginia....
UCLA, Notre Dame, William and Mary, Boise State!

Now, that is a non-conference schedule!

They don't all have to look like Virginia's schedule this year, but the state of college football would be a lot more exciting if they did. If every non-conference schedule looked a little bit more like Virginia's, we would be sitting pretty this year football fans. We sure would be sitting pretty. There will still be exciting matchups for sure, but we will get a lot of clunkers like Florida State v. Texas State thrown in there. That is a shame, that is an issue, and that should change.

Kudos to the Virginia Cavaliers though!

Until next week,

-Noland

The Day After The Sugar Bowl

After Charlie Strong's brilliant coaching job against the hated Gators (a team he used to coach for), my brother in law posted this off of a Seminoles message board and I thought I would share.

"

THE DAY AFTER THE SUGAR BOWL

It was the day after the Sugar Bowl
And all through the land
Not a Gator was chomping
... Not a single fan.
The beat down had happened
But not by the script
The Cardinals were winners
The Gators got whipped.
... The game wasn't close
From the very first play
And it only got worse
For the Gators that day.
But how could this happen?
Bad luck or bad dream?
The Gator fans will tell you
They're the much better team.
But not on that day
And what does it mean
The Gators got beat
By a Big East team.
Oh, there is no joy in Gainesville
The fans are all blue
Their heads are hung low
As they cry boo hoo hoo.
But all is not sad
To the north there's elation
They're doing the Warchant
In Seminole Nation."

 

Welcome to the ACC Louisville. You will fit nicely.

 

-Noland

Giving Bradley Beal A Fair Shake

If you know anything about me and my sports interests, you would know that I love the Seminoles and loathe the Gators. I just cannot stand the University of Florida, like most Seminole fans. Because of this, I sometimes get a little biased against Florida athletes, especially when it comes to the draft. However, I can usually tell when a player kills us and look past it. For instance, I knew Al Horford was going to be an animal inside and I think Mike Zunino is going to be a solid major leaguer. I was not so sure about Bradley Beal though. I did not want the Wizards to take him.

Then I took a closer look...

While I still would have traded down, Beal was the right choice for the Wizards. He was the best player in the draft, and it was at a position of need. The Wizards need a guy that can knock down shots and Beal is that guy. Additionally, Beal wants to be a Wizard. After reading about his pre-draft workout on Wizards Extreme, I warmed up to the idea of Bradley Beal in a Wizards uniform. I still wasn't sold after the workout like most Wizards fans, but I was a lot more receptive. Then the day of the draft came and I was upset about the non trade, but welcomed Beal to the team. Then came the interview following the pick.

Following that interview, I realized that despite being a Gator, Bradley Beal has a good head on his shoulders. Beal had class and seemed mature, despite one year in college. I am still skeptical of the pick, but Beal may work out very well for the Wizards. It is good to have him join the team.

-Noland

Who Will the Noles Play in the CWS?

So we know the Noles are in and we are all excited. There are 8 teams that play in the College World Series though. Who are the other 7? Well only a few have been announced yet, but I thought I'd post some pics from the victory first. If you want one of the shirts posted, head to Seminoles.com and click on the shop. You will find them easily.

You can tell by the shirts that there are 5 teams who advanced and that there are three to still be decided. Unfortunately, our rivals and the current #1 overall seed, the Florida Gators advanced. The #2 team was UCLA and they also advanced. We were the #3 overall seed. Any time the top 3 teams advance it looks like chalk city, but as Lee Corso says "not so fast my friends."

Cinderella has also joined the dance. Stony Brook who was a 4th seed in a regional which is basically a 16th seed has advanced to the College World Series. Not just that, but they look hungry. They knocked Miami out and won the Coral Gables Regional. From there they went to the Baton Rouge Super Regional and knocked out the #7 overall LSU Tigers. What a huge win for the Stony Brook team. Just a few years ago Stony Brook was Division 3. Now they are 1 of 8 teams left. In case you were wondering, Gausman (the Orioles 1st rounder) won game 1 for the Tigers in relief and then lost game 2 as a starter.

The other team to advance already was the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona was a #1 seed, but not in the top 8 national seeds. So they are somewhere between 9-16. If you do the math, Arizona would have been matched up with UNC who was #7 so that would put Arizona @ #10 in this tournament. Therefore, 4 top 10 teams have advanced so far and we can get 3 more.

#5 Oregon is currently tied with the Cinderella Kent State @ 1 game a piece. Will another top 10 get in or will we have two Cinderellas.

Two time defending champion and #8 South Carolina is up one game on Oklahoma. Oklahoma would love to knock out the reigning champs. Meanwhile, SC would love the three-peat.

Finally, #3 Baylor is taking on SEC powerhouse Arkansas. While Arkansas is a 2 seed, they are more than capable of taking down Baylor. That series is tied at a game a piece. This could be the positive news that Arkansas is desperately looking for following the Petrino scandal.

-Noland

Why the Florida Gators Stink

That is not the actual title of the sportingnews article, but I like it better. The once popular magazine and website had an article about why the demise of the Florida football program happened. They seemed to place most of the blame on Urban Meyer. It is a pretty interesting read so I recommend you check it out.

Several things stand out. You cannot let the inmates run the asylum and that is apparently what happened. You also can't sell your soul for winning. If winning is all that matters, you will lose yourself along the way. This could be why Meyer had so many health problems towards the end in Gainesville. It also is a horrible reflection on Urban Meyer if true. Especially if he is trying to negatively recruit against Florida and a mess he helped create in order to get recruits at Ohio State. If Meyer is truly doing that than it shows a complete lack of class.

It also shows that for some reason certain schools do not seem to get negative attention. Can you imagine if FSU had at least 30 players arrested in just 6 seasons? Before you go insulting Bobby Bowden think about how long he was at FSU. Meyer was at UF for 6 seasons and had over 30 players arrested, that is deplorable. He had special rules for some athletes, that is also deplorable.

This article also makes Percy Harvin out to be the biggest prima donna in the NFL. Harvin looks like the most selfish brat to put on a football jersey in this article. There is no justification for how he acted if true. It helps allow you to see one reason the Vikings have gone downhill since Harvin's arrival.

The faking injuries to cover up failed drug tests is the biggest blow to UF if true. That is just blatant disregard for the law and the student body of Florida. Absolutely horrible. You need to read the article it is crazy stuff. Somehow I don't see ESPN giving this one too much coverage though. Don't think ESPN will do too much investigating.

-Noland

Transfer Rules Are Dumb

Well the actual transfer rules are not dumb, but when you consider coaches they are dumb. Why do 18-22 yr old kids have to stay at a school, when the coach is allowed to leave freely? Why can they not follow coaches when they leave or go to the school they want? If Maryland fires the Fridge his players should get to go where they want without having to sit out a year. If the players have to sit out a year so should the coaches that leave mid contract. All the players at UCONN had a coach not take a flight back with them at UCONN and they have to stay while he gets to go through the motions in a BCS game and then not fly back with the team?

This whole Randy Edsall story really frustrated me. He bailed on UCONN to go to Maryland to replace a good man in Friedgen and both teams players were stuck. Before Edsall left UCONN and didn't take the flight back and didn't tell his team he was leaving, he made Jordan Todman tell his team that he was leaving for the NFL Draft. Are you kidding me? If that isn't being hypocritical and trying to be a bully, I don't know what is. The guy is nuts.

So it is no wonder that Edsall had 23 players send transfer requests. You read that right 23 players. Including their quarterback O'Brien. However, in order to let him out of his scholarship, Edsall said he can't go to the ACC, he can't go to anyone on the schedule, and he can't go to Vanderbilt. Ok, I get the first two, but why Vanderbilt? Because Vanderbilt is where the man that recruited O'Brien went to become the head coach. Danny O'Brien should be able to go play for that man without sitting out any time. O'Brien will be able to play right away though at Wisconsin though so I guess that is something.

Another Maryland transfer Max Garcia has to sit out a season. Garcia will transfer to Florida and have 2 years of eligibility remaining after he transfers. Look I hate the Gators, cannot stand them, but this isn't right. Garcia did not see Edsall as a man of integrity and it is difficult to fathom how anyone could after what he did at UCONN and how 23 players are leaving. It stinks to see him choose Florida, but it is his decision and he is a young kid. He should not have to sit out when the circumstances clearly changed since he got to College Park.

I have no problem with an assistant coach leaving to become a head coach somewhere, but if a head coach leaves he should have to wait until the end of his contract or sit out a year before he leaves. Maybe that will stop some of these insane 9 year extensions from being signed. The transfer rules need serious tweaking in the NCAA. It would certainly be easier though if schools and coaches had more integrity and loyalty.

-Noland

No. 1 FSU Hosts No. 4 Florida Shortly

Florida State Baseball has one of their biggest games of the year as the newly ranked #1 Seminoles face the Florida Gators tonight. FSU is 27-5 on the year, while the hated Gators are 25-7. The game will take place at beautiful Dick Howser stadium in Tallahassee, FL. They have played twice this year and unfortunately Florida has won both times, but now FSU is #1 and not the turkeys from Gainesville. The last time the Gators beat FSU in Tallahassee was 2009. Let's hope that Florida State makes it happen tonight in order to remain the number one team in all the land. Scott Sitz is on the bump for the Noles. Hopefully, Mike Martin will add to his 1,700 career wins. Martin will be recognized before the game for his win total.

-Noland

Seminole Football Update

I probably will not go more than a day on most occasions without talking about my Alma Mater. I bleed garnet and gold and my team is pretty awesome in all sports. We even won the ACC in basketball this year. This update will focus on spring practice and a key Seminole opponent as well.

Yesterday, the team held their 2nd scrimmage. Jimbo Fisher was upset about the scrimmage thinking the first practice was better than the second practice. He said their was no consistency on offense and it was "a very poor scrimmage." Fisher did say that he wanted to watch the film though and that they did make some nice plays. To get a full practice report on the scrimmage yesterday, head here. It is not too far away. That opening game at this place is less than 5 months away!

In other related news our key rival suffered a humongous loss yesterday. Ronald Powell, the leader in sacks last year for the Florida Gators, tore his ACL in practice yesterday. You never want to win that way or see that happen to somebody, but what a huge loss for the Gators. Let's hope he is back by November so those turkeys have no excuses.

-Noland