Isola wrote:

mormonrasta wrote:

Cougy_Monster wrote:

In a 12 game season, the NCAA should require 6 home and 6 away games (or 6 home, 5 away and a neutral site) to be bowl eligible. This lopsided scheduling for the "power" schools is lame. If they had as much confidence in their team as the media does they wouldn't have a problem playing away games.

It's not confidence in the team it's $$$$. Stadium revenue is BY FAR the #1 revenue source for major football programs. It makes BCS money look like chump change.

I highly doubt that Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Texas, etc. are afraid to travel to smaller programs. They just don't want to play in a stadium with only 35,000 people or less when programs like that pack in 80-100,000 people. They lose MAJOR revenue by taking on smaller schools.

I agree that money is a big reason why they schedule extra home games, as if they need the extra cash. It is not small wonder that most college coaches suck at the college level. Nick Saban found out that his success at LSU had less to do with his coaching ability as it did built in advantages to large schools.

The again, I would not support the idea of BYU playing road games at some dinky MAC or Sun Belt School. I think they need to thin the FBS.

Good points. The built-in advantages are taken for granted in the big picture but when it's SEC powerhouse against BIG 10 powerhouse all else is equal and it's style of football and good coaching that wins out.

Most importantly, why should big programs be forced to schedule smaller programs? Because it's fair?

MajorCougar wrote:

The reason that Florida (I use them as an example, because they are one of the most blatant "offenders") is because they know they can get practically every OOC game AT HOME. They "feel" that because the Conference schedule is tough, that they don't have to risk a loss when they have 4 guaranteed wins.

When was the last time Florida played anyone of significance (other than FSU) OOC?

I did a little research for the last 10 years of Florida football (since 1998) and aside from FSU, they have played Miami (FL) twice. Thats it as far as non-BCS OOC games. Thye have played alot of directional schools (EMU,WMU,UCF before they went to the Big East,NE La, WKy, WCarolina) They have played some semi-tough teams depending on the year, though the teams were not necessarily "good teams" the year Florida played them such as UAB, Marshall, So Miss, La Tech and Troy; and then the patsies like SJSU, MTSU,FAMU, Ohio, Ball State Fighting Letterman's, and the Citadel. I think you'll find similar slates for most "big name" schools as well as those that thrive of the success of top-tier teams simply because of their conference affiliation (see Kansas State, Duke, Baylor et al.) It seems to be a perk of being in the Big Money Club...you can schedule patsies and everyone seems to not care by and large.

Conosticator wrote:

I'm wondering if the real reason we are playing USU is to help them stay D1 eligible? The NCAA requires (for the D1 FBS) an avg home attendance over any consectuive two year period of 15,000. Playing BYU at home in alternate years and selling out that game will probably be the only thing keeping USU in D1.

Former Utah State Athletic director Randy Spetman had a good relationship with Tom Holmoe probably factors more than anything on why BYU is willing to travel to Logan in 2008 and 2010. From purely a college athletics business perspective it only makes sense for BYU to insist that Utah State play all games in the series in Provo, the same holds true for Utah to insist that all future games with the Aggies be played in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Both schools do financially much better by playing the Aggies in the bigger stadiums they call home
But Utah State still has more political power both with BYU's Board of Trustees and Utah's Board of Regents and legislative committees than many can ever imagine. There has been little doubt on my mind that for BYU, Tom Holmoe has been told by one prominent and high ranking trustee who is a USU alumnus, that he must agree to; "Play Utah State in Logan or else!" One reason Tom Holmoe's predecessor was booted back in 2004 was Val Hale's inablity to work with some trustees at BYU as I see it. This one trustee in particular is very difficult to work with at times, and in the observation of many still thinks BYU should operate the way they did in the Ernest L. Wilkinson era (1951-1971). Chris Hill no doubt faces similar heat from state higher education regents and legislators up at Utah.

i remember an article with tom holmoe where he was working with Boise st. to make a four year schedule plan. I thought that went through, but perhaps they are still working on it. Out of the 5 teams in our conference that still have yet to win a football mwc title (AFA, unlv, sdsu, wyo., and unm) we should trade one of them for BSU

TimO wrote:

i remember an article with tom holmoe where he was working with Boise st. to make a four year schedule plan. I thought that went through, but perhaps they are still working on it. Out of the 5 teams in our conference that still have yet to win a football mwc title (AFA, unlv, sdsu, wyo., and unm) we should trade one of them for BSU

Let's go for a 2'fer -- WYO & UNLV for BSU.