The Football Scheduling Thread

[DrumNFeather]

We don't have a thread dedicated to discussing the Football scheduling for the Utes in the future.

Today it was announced that we will play @ Wyoming in 2020 and vs. Wyoming at home in 2025.

Here's where we sit for now:

2019

8/29 @BYU
9/7 Northern Illinois
9/14 Idaho St.

2020

9/5 - BYU
9/12 - Montana St.
9/19 - @Wyoming

2021

9/2 - Weber St.
9/11 @ BYU
9/18 @ SDSU

2022

@ Florida
9/10 - Southern Utah
9/17 - SDSU

2023

8/31 vs. Weber St.
9/9 @Baylor
Florida

2024

8/29 - SUU
9/7 - BYU
9/14 - Baylor

2025

9/6 - Wyoming

2026

9/5 - @Houston
9/12 - vs. Arkansas

2027

9/11 - vs. Houston

2028

9/12 - @Arkansas

[DrumNFeather]

Not totally thrilled that in many of our OOC games, we're hitting the road first, to say nothing of the opponents.

[sancho]

Well, at least I can go to a game in Laramie. It's only a few hours' drive.

But, yeah, not very exciting.

[concerned]

Not totally thrilled that in many of our OOC games, we're hitting the road first, to say nothing of the opponents.

Not totally thrilled? Not thrilled one iota is more accurate.

[Ma'ake]

Not totally thrilled that in many of our OOC games, we're hitting the road first, to say nothing of the opponents.

Hey, at least we're not playing night games... in November... in Laramie.

Notable games at Laramie:

1. With the attendance of 43 drunk / insane WYO fans as witnesses, Kautai Olevao and Wes Tufaga threw people around with bare arms, temperature at kickoff at 2F.

2. 2004 - Half the stadium's power goes out, causing Channel 4 to switch to Harry Potter (which they contractually couldn't halt when the game resumed), and Bill Marcroft announced Wesley Ruff's phone number on the air... a perfect story for Marcroft's last season.

The nice thing about playing G5 / MWC teams, is while we're getting our offense figured out, and Scalley's getting the full compliment of defensive pressure packages installed, we play teams that have decent talent, but our lines make the outcome a foregone conclusion, unless there's a series of massive screwups... which there pretty much never is.

[sancho]

The nice thing about playing G5 / MWC teams, is while we're getting our offense figured out, and Scalley's getting the full compliment of defensive pressure packages installed, we play teams that have decent talent, but our lines make the outcome a foregone conclusion, unless there's a series of massive screwups... which there pretty much never is.

I hope the offense is fully installed by the time we travel to Laramie in 2020.

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[SoCalPat]

I hope the offense is fully installed by the time we travel to Laramie in 2020.

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This is the tongue-in-cheek type of humor I'm fully incapable of delivering.

[Utah]

The OOC is by no means exciting...but that isn't a bad thing. Utah needs as many wins as possible every year. There is no downside to scheduling down.

[SoCalPat]

Hey, at least we're not playing night games... in November... in Laramie.

Notable games at Laramie:

1. With the attendance of 43 drunk / insane WYO fans as witnesses, Kautai Olevao and Wes Tufaga threw people around with bare arms, temperature at kickoff at 2F.

2. 2004 - Half the stadium's power goes out, causing Channel 4 to switch to Harry Potter (which they contractually couldn't halt when the game resumed), and Bill Marcroft announced Wesley Ruff's phone number on the air... a perfect story for Marcroft's last season.

The nice thing about playing G5 / MWC teams, is while we're getting our offense figured out, and Scalley's getting the full compliment of defensive pressure packages installed, we play teams that have decent talent, but our lines make the outcome a foregone conclusion, unless there's a series of massive screwups... which there pretty much never is.

I wouldn't call our 2020 roadie to Wyoming a foregone conclusion just yet -- anyone who can topple Boise State with a coach who kickstarted the dynasty Craig Bohl did at North Dakota State has to be taken seriously. But yeah, even after their greatest season in nearly 20 years, Wyoming was pretty bad on defense. My guess is it's either feast for famine for Wyoming by then -- Bohl could be the MWC's next Chris Peterson, churning out double-digit wins on a near-annual basis, or Bohl takes a better job (he'll eventually end up at Nebraska if he sees huge success at Wyoming and wants something more) and Wyoming sinks back to being a sub-.500 team with regularity.

[mUUser]

Sure don't want to stretch ourselves in any way do we? Yuck

[sancho]

Sure don't want to stretch ourselves in any way do we? Yuck

To be fair, we are stretched to the limit when you look at the entire schedule.

[SoCalPat]

Sure don't want to stretch ourselves in any way do we? Yuck

We're not beating down the door to play P5s, and apparently vice-versa. We're also in zero position to command one-offs against G5s -- think of all the H-H deals we signed with PAC 10 schools when we were in the MWC. Assuming otherwise on that puts you deep in the throes of Big Britches Syndrome. Even Chris Hill says it's a non-starter.

Once you accept those two matters as inevitables that aren't gonna change anytime soon, the Wyoming series looks a lot better. It's a program on the rise, we have a ton of history with them and it's an easy trip for fans. Those are all things that San Jose State and Northern Illinois are not, although there are recruiting benefits to SJSU that aren't part of this deal with Wyoming.

As far as scheduling sizzle goes on a 1-10 scale, if BYU is a baseline 5, and an FCS school is a 1, then this rates as a solid 6. By the time 2020 rolls around, if Wyoming is a steady 8-9 win team, it's a 7. If it reverts to the form it has known for much of the last 15 years, it can't get any worse than a 4. We can do much, much worse by dipping into the G5 pool, yet this is still a ways from scheduling a name P5.

We still have a spot open for 2020. Scheduling an FCS game here is obviously the huge favorite from an odds standpoint, but I'll always hold out hope that we can sign a P5 to a H-H where they come to SLC first.

[U-Ute]

If Wyoming is replacing the 1-AA games those years, I'm good with that.

Not sexy, but will play tough.

[Utah]

Of course they are. It's not clear that a tougher schedule is in our best interests.

Exactly.

[Utah]

Until a team with an equivalent or worse record than us is selected for the playoffs over us, this is the right strategy.

It's the smart strategy.

[Utah]

I love how the schedule up drum beaters are the first to call for coaches heads when the wins aren't there.

You get USC, UCLA, Colorado, and the Arizonas every year. You also get one or more of Washington, Oregon and Stanford.

Now, on top of that, what's more important? Playing another P5 school or more likely Hood of more wins, higher ranking, higher recruiting, higher prestige, etc?

It's really a no brainer. For the level of program we are, scheduling up is just dumb.

There is nothing to be gained and everything to lose. It's on the same level of idea as playing BYU every year.

It makes no sense.

[SoCalPat]

I love how the schedule up drum beaters are the first to call for coaches heads when the wins aren't there.

You get USC, UCLA, Colorado, and the Arizonas every year. You also get one or more of Washington, Oregon and Stanford.

Now, on top of that, what's more important? Playing another P5 school or more likely Hood of more wins, higher ranking, higher recruiting, higher prestige, etc?

It's really a no brainer. For the level of program we are, scheduling up is just dumb.

There is nothing to be gained and everything to lose. It's on the same level of idea as playing BYU every year.

It makes no sense.

Nobody's beaten up Kyle for losing to USC two years ago, or Washington last year. We beat him up for losing big games in November, or like Cal last year.

And as far as scheduling up goes, we're really talking about one game in our schedule. Which we can afford to do.

[DrumNFeather]

I love how the schedule up drum beaters are the first to call for coaches heads when the wins aren't there.

You get USC, UCLA, Colorado, and the Arizonas every year. You also get one or more of Washington, Oregon and Stanford.

Now, on top of that, what's more important? Playing another P5 school or more likely Hood of more wins, higher ranking, higher recruiting, higher prestige, etc?

It's really a no brainer. For the level of program we are, scheduling up is just dumb.

There is nothing to be gained and everything to lose. It's on the same level of idea as playing BYU every year.

It makes no sense.

I meant to respond to this point and never did. You won't ever see me calling for the Coach Whit's head. Ever. He's teflon as far as I'm concerned.

My whole point with scheduling is that I don't think you have to travel that far towards a respectable non-league schedule by just making a few small adjustments that would also help in recruiting as well. For example, instead of scheduling a team like SUU or Weber, you could schedule G5 teams from Texas, which would put players in front of their families on the road at least once during their time at Utah...so a Rice, a UTEP, a SMU. Teams that are all 95% win probability, that also help you put your team in a critical recruiting footprint. I of course understand we're doing this currently with SJSU and SDSU on the schedule, but we will typically make 1-2 trips to CA in league play anyway.

Same thing with mid-low tier P5 schools. If you really truly consider BYU to be your "A" game most of the time (which is flawed thinking, IMO) then why not search for your "B" game among the power 5.

[UtahsMrSports]

I meant to respond to this point and never did. You won't ever see me calling for the Coach Whit's head. Ever. He's teflon as far as I'm concerned.

My whole point with scheduling is that I don't think you have to travel that far towards a respectable non-league schedule by just making a few small adjustments that would also help in recruiting as well. For example, instead of scheduling a team like SUU or Weber, you could schedule G5 teams from Texas, which would put players in front of their families on the road at least once during their time at Utah...so a Rice, a UTEP, a SMU. Teams that are all 95% win probability, that also help you put your team in a critical recruiting footprint. I of course understand we're doing this currently with SJSU and SDSU on the schedule, but we will typically make 1-2 trips to CA in league play anyway.

Same thing with mid-low tier P5 schools. If you really truly consider BYU to be your "A" game most of the time (which is flawed thinking, IMO) then why not search for your "B" game among the power 5.

Agreed on all but UTEP. In El Paso, you are nearly as close (or further) to the recruiting hot beds of texas as you are to Denver. Sticking to the East and Central texas schools and I agree completely.

[DrumNFeather]

Agreed on all but UTEP. In El Paso, you are nearly as close (or further) to the recruiting hot beds of texas as you are to Denver. Sticking to the East and Central texas schools and I agree completely.

I was going with a Texas theme man...

[UtahsMrSports]

I was going with a Texas theme man...

I know. Ha! Growing up in East Texas and making the drive across the state every year to visit family in Utah drilled it into my head how ridiculously long it takes to drive across the state.

[Utah]

Also, where are you getting your SOS info from? Because of it is season ending, then the SOS is inflated due to a conference champ game and at least one playoff game.

Anyways, talk of playoffs is foolish at this point. You need top 10 recruiting classes for that. We aren't there yet.

Let's go win the south. Scheduling down helps us do that.

[SoCalPat]

Also, where are you getting your SOS info from? Because of it is season ending, then the SOS is inflated due to a conference champ game and at least one playoff game.

Anyways, talk of playoffs is foolish at this point. You need top 10 recruiting classes for that. We aren't there yet.

Let's go win the south. Scheduling down helps us do that.

Because scheduling down has worked so well for us in basketball, hasn't it?

[Utah]

Because scheduling down has worked so well for us in basketball, hasn't it?

Basketball and football are two different beasts and it isn't smart to compare them.

BTW, how has this scheduling strategy hurt us the last few years?

What teams have been ranked in every single college football poll?

Were we not top 10 and top 3 with our schedule?

We don't need to schedule up. We need to win games in Nov.

[Scorcho]

Basketball and football are two different beasts and it isn't smart to compare them.

BTW, how has this scheduling strategy hurt us the last few years?

What teams have been ranked in every single college football poll?

Were we not top 10 and top 3 with our schedule?

We don't need to schedule up. We need to win games in Nov.

completely agree!

and you can make a valid argument that a lighter OOC football schedule will leave the team more rested come November. I will give credence to Andy Phillips and Tom Hacket who both claimed the reason for Utah's late season swoons were due to mental and physical fatigue. They both believed that they were putting in more time that other PAC-12 schools.


OOC Schedules across the country:

Wisconsin - Utah State, FAU, BYU
Colorado - CSU, Texas State, Northern Colorado
Baylor - Duke, Liberty, Texas San Antonio
Penn St - Akron, Pitt, Georgia St
Oregon - Nebraska, SUU, Wyoming
Missouri - Missouri St, Purdue, Idaho

[DrumNFeather]

Chris Hill did mention yesterday on the Bill Reilly show that they need to reevaluate how they approach the football schedule moving forward. I feel like that alone allows SCP and I to sneak out of this discussion with the tag team titles on this issue...for now.

[SoCalPat]

completely agree!

and you can make a valid argument that a lighter OOC football schedule will leave the team more rested come November. I will give credence to Andy Phillips and Tom Hacket who both claimed the reason for Utah's late season swoons were due to mental and physical fatigue. They both believed that they were putting in more time that other PAC-12 schools.


OOC Schedules across the country:

Wisconsin - Utah State, FAU, BYU
Colorado - CSU, Texas State, Northern Colorado
Baylor - Duke, Liberty, Texas San Antonio
Penn St - Akron, Pitt, Georgia St
Oregon - Nebraska, SUU, Wyoming
Missouri - Missouri St, Purdue, Idaho

Baylor got left out of the playoff in 2014 precisely because of its weak non-con.

A lighter non-con? We played teams rated 36-127-131 in Sagarin and still faded in November. And we missed Stanford and Wazzu as well. Our SOS was 60th! Yet we still gagged in November. There's no valid argument that a lighter non-con would help.

[Scorcho]

Baylor got left out of the playoff in 2014 precisely because of its weak non-con.

2016 Washington Huskies non-conference schedule

Rutgers
Portland State
Idaho


2016 Alabama's non-conference schedule

USC
Western Kentucky
Kent State
Chattanooga


2016 Clemson

Auburn
South Carolina
Troy
South Carolina St


Ohio St
Bowling Green
Tulsa
Oklahoma

If you're in a P5, OOC doesn't seem to matter

[Utah]

Baylor got left out of the playoff in 2014 precisely because of its weak non-con.

A lighter non-con? We played teams rated 36-127-131 in Sagarin and still faded in November. And we missed Stanford and Wazzu as well. Our SOS was 60th! Yet we still gagged in November. There's no valid argument that a lighter non-con would help.

Baylor was left out because of no conference championship game, a shared title with another team and Ohio St beating the living snot out of someone.

Had Baylor and TCU played each other, the winner would have gotten in over Ohio State.

Baylor is not a good example.

Oh, and if I remember correctly, TCU's non-conference was garbage as well that year.

You never address this (because it doesn't fit your narrative) but what about Oklahoma and USC last year? Both scheduled up, both lost, and both were kept out of the playoffs because of it.

What happens is Oklahoma doesn't play Houston or Ohio State and goes undefeated? They are in.

What about USC? If they don't have that murder's row to start the season, play SJSU instead if Alabama, are they more rested and hold us off, and then you have two, one loss teams in the PAC-12 title game.

There is no argument for scheduling up.

What about Stanford a few years ago when they started the year vs Northwestern? If they beat up on Fresno St instead, they are in the playoffs.

I could go on and on.

[SoCalPat]

Baylor was left out because of no conference championship game, a shared title with another team and Ohio St beating the living snot out of someone.

Had Baylor and TCU played each other, the winner would have gotten in over Ohio State.

Baylor is not a good example.

http://www.espn.com/college-football...meId=400547868