We haven’t exactly been saving the best for last here at asimsports. In fact, I’ve just been going in alphabetical order, or if you really want to use a big word to use at cocktail parties, lexicographical order.
So, here we go with the Southeastern Conference:
- Georgia (2 legit, 1 DI-AA): Oklahoma State, Western Carolina, Troy, @Georgia Tech. It pains me to say a team that has not traveled outside of the South for a non-conference game since 1965 when they visited Ann Arbor has the toughest OOC schedule in the SEC, but here it is. They are one of only 3 SEC teams to even play 2 BCS opponents of any sort, much less two legit BCS teams. Next year, however, UGA will actually be going to Arizona State with the return trip to Stillwater in 2009.
- South Carolina (2, 1): UL-Lafayette, South Carolina State, @North Carolina, Clemson. Actually going to UNC is a nice touch here – too bad UNC kinda sucks.
- Auburn (1, 1): Kansas State, South Florida, New Mexico State, Tennessee Tech. If you recall my statement from earlier about 3 SEC teams playing 2 BCS opponents, you’ll know it’s all downhill from here. There’s some marquee matchups below, sure, but still. Also, I was going to make fun of USF here, but then I remembered they’re probably better than Kansas State. Alas.
- Tennessee (1, 0): @California, Southern Miss, Arkansas State, UL-Lafayette. Zounds! A SEC team traveling not only out of the South, but clear across the damn country! Unbelievable! Of course, it rapidly goes off a cliff after Souther Miss with two Sun Belt teams, but hey.
- Louisiana State (1, 0): Virginia Tech, Middle Tennessee State, @Tulane, Louisiana Tech. Perhaps the best OOC matchup for the entire SEC is LSU-VT. Absolutely nothing after that, though. Also, “at” Tulane? I’m sure the Green Wave will be the ones filling the Superdome to capacity. Yeah.
- Alabama (1, 1): Western Carolina, Florida State, Houston, UL-Monroe. The FSU game is actually going to be in Jacksonville, a move I wholly commend. I’m all for neutral site marquee matchups and I hope that series continues.
- Mississippi State (1, 1): @Tulane, Jacksonville State, Alabama-Birmingham, @West Virginia. @WVU isn’t bad, but is overshadowed by the better and more interesting matchups above. Also, Miss State is really bad and probably got scheduled as a BCS conference patsy.
- Mississippi (1, 1): @Memphis, Missouri, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State. You know, I (and some other Tennesseans I know) consider Memphis part of Mississippi anyway, so is that really much of a road game? Between that and Mizzou is a nice attempt to make this look like a real schedule, but I know better. Also, 2 Louisiana schools and the UL-UM pick’em isn’t one of them? Shocking.
- Florida (1, 1,): Western Kentucky, Troy, Florida Atlantic, Florida State. Shame on you, UF. 2 Sun Belt teams, a DI-AA team that is moving to DI-A in football in 2009 because of Title IX. (You read that correctly.) If you didn’t have to play FSU every year, who would you play as the 4th team? (I firmly believe UM, FSU, and UF should all have to play each other.)
- Vanderbilt (1, 1): Richmond, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Wake Forest. The Vandy of the ACC meets the Wake Forest of the SEC! Exciting! At least they’re not being scheduled as a BCS patsy this year.
- Kentucky (1,1): Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Louisville, Florida Atlantic. Once again, if they didn’t have to play Louisville….
- Arkansas (0, 1): Troy, North Texas, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Florida International. 3 Sun Belt teams and a DI-AA Team. This may the worst schedule in major college football. I’m pretty sure there’s a Houston Nutt cellphone joke to be worked in somewhere, but I just can’t muster the spirit for it.
Well, that was depressing. Conclusions in the near future.
The Vandy of the ACC meets the Wake Forest of the SEC! Exciting! At least they’re not being scheduled as a BCS patsy this year.
Well, I’d argue pretty vehemently that if you’re just trying to slip into a bowl for the first time in a quarter-century, and if you play in a conference like the SEC, you’re kind of excused from the obligation to play exciting non-conference games. If you want to say we’re not really the best 6-6 team in the nation (happy thoughts!), I can live with that. What’s the risk, that we might lose BCS points?
BTW, I really dislike it when blogs make me post from my dead blogger account instead of adding a link to my live blog. You have a CAPTCHA; that should be good enough to keep out most spam.
Hrm.
I’ve followed Vandy football a lot in the past 5-6 years – growing up in Alabama they were usually on TV and then one of my friends from HS decided to go there.
While my comment there was probably a bit unwarranted, you’d have to admit to most people that’s not an exciting inter-conference matchup. As I said, though, it was nice to see Vandy look like they put together a schedule they actually wanted instead of being scheduled such that teams like Michigan can say they beat a BCS conference school.
Assuming they go 4-0 against this schedule (possible, Wake lost a fair amount of people from their team), they still play in the SEC East, where they only match-up favorably with Kentucky. They drew Ole Miss, UA, and AU from the west this year. While I’d love to see two SEC wins for them come against UGA and UA, I’d think their best chance is with Ole Miss and Kentucky.
And all that said, they still have a better OOC schedule than Arkansas. There’s a difference between the Vandy scheduling like they do and a program like Arkansas scheduling like they do.
Sorry about the log-in only thing. I’ll go to anonymous+CAPTCHA and see what happens. If that’s not enabled, feel free to pimp your website in a comment by itself.
Thanks for the reply. Sorry i sounded so grumpy. I always sound grumpy, maybe because i like spirited but respectful discussions. Thanks for replying in kind.
Incidentally, i just moved back to the land of All Saban All the Time.
I’m hoping to get a good blogroll of college-sports-related blogs to start filling some of the voids in message boards (particularly, the fact that message boards seem so…. ephemeral). Keep up the good work!
Thanks. I noticed on your real blog that you moved to Huntsville. I’d say more, but I posted about my sports proclivities way back when: http://sports.asimweb.org/2006/08/background.html
If I added to that, I’d add that I graduated in December and moved to California, meaning I’m going to have to get up at 8am in the fall and shell out some hard, hard cash to see all the games I’m used to seeing. :
Auburn’s playing West Virginia next year. I’m pretty excited (and surprised).