Saturday, August 25, 2007

Big Ten Scheduling Ripped on Gameday


You know it is almost game week when you turn on ESPN and you see Reese, Lee and Kirk and hear the familiar "College Gameday" theme song.

As I sit hear watching the "College Gameday" season preview, there is not much discussion of the Spartans, but there is much discussion of the Big Ten.
The Big Ten just got ripped for some of the scheduled going on this season - Michigan playing Division I-AA Appalachian State; Ohio State playing Youngstown State, and; Wisconsin playing The Citadel - and I could not agree more.

As much as MSU fans dislike Michigan and other programs in the Big Ten, you have to respect them for what they do year in and year out. And it is an absolute shame to see these top tier programs playing I-AA teams.

That is why I believe strength of schedule must play a role in determining who plays in the BCS Championship game. When Auburn was left out of the mix a few years ago, I had no problem with it because they played a terrible out-of-conference schedule. These schedules are determined years in advance, so some of it is the luck of the draw as to which teams are stronger during the year you play them, but Michigan and Ohio State should never scheduled I-AA teams. I would much rather see the Big Ten teams schedule MAC teams from their states or region than I-AA teams.

We all should be Big Ten fans, but that doesn't mean building bloated records against teams my high school could beat.

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