Weak Teams on Schedule Have Texas Fans Over a Barrel

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Austinist or anyone else in the Ist network.

A little after 8 o'clock on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns will be cruising to a victory over outmatched Louisiana-Monroe. Colt McCoy and most of UT's other stars will be resting on the sidelines while subs and first-year players mop up in what is little more than an organized scrimmage. And as you consider leaving early to get a jump on the crowd at Rio Rita, you'll ask yourself, "I paid $65 for this?".

Why does Texas choose some of the weakest schools in the country as non-conference opponents? This year's crop is ranked 83rd, 98th, 108th, and 111th out of 120 schools.

The simplest answer is because they can. As long as the team is successful, UT can bring in pushovers and fans will pack the stadium. The best way to protest high ticket prices to boring games is not to attend, but that's not going to happen. The program is such a juggernaut now that demand for tickets is far outstripping supply.

Not every school takes that approach. North of the Red River, Oklahoma is playing a non-conference schedule that includes a Top 25 team (BYU), a nationally-known opponent (Miami), an in-state rival (Tulsa) and a single identifiable patsy (Idaho State).

Pretty clever of the Sooners. There's a good chance that OU will win all four of those games, probably even as high as 90 percent. There's a 99 percent chance that Texas will win its four non-conference games. But for an extra 9 percent of the risk, the Sooners gain much more in national respect and strength-of-schedule ratings, which figure into BCS rankings. College football expert Phil Steele says OU plays the third most difficult schedule in the country. As for Texas? They have the 40th most difficult. It would be a lot worse if not for the bruising Big 12 schedule.

So you don't want to risk losing. OK. The key is to follow the Sooners' model and play schools with a nationally recognized name, but that are not close to you in quality. Pull in a mid-level team from the Big Ten or ACC, like Iowa or Maryland, set up a home-and-home series and instantly upgrade the looks of your schedule. It sure beats paying ULM $850,000 to come to Austin for a beating, then paying Florida Atlantic $900,000 next year for the same privilege.

Yes, the devil is in the details and it's more complicated than you think. Both sides need to agree to the deal terms, schedule dates, etc., often years in advance. And sometimes even the best-laid plans go astray, as when Arkansas pulled out of this year's planned matchup with Texas because the Razorbacks had a chance to play Texas A&M at the new Cowboys Stadium and they didn't want to play two Big 12 opponents in the same season.

There are some glimmers of hope in the future. Texas plays UCLA in Austin in 2010, then travels to Los Angeles to play the Bruins in 2011. A similar home-and-home arrangement is in place with Ole Miss in 2012 and 2013. But those years' schedules are still dotted with weaklings like Rice, Wyoming, Florida Atlantic, and Central Florida.

It may take another four to five years before Texas is able to break out of its current poor scheduling rut and begin to face some name-brand teams early in the season. Until then, fans are stuck watching September blowouts while plotting their early exits and first drink orders.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jeff Beckham in Other on September 3, 2009 12:46 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Ryan

Looks like OU's schedule wasn't such a great idea after all.

frijoles

Last year Texas was in a tie situation with Oklahoma.

BCS Standings will ensure that Texas is not rewarded for it's weak scheduling. Same as last year.

Grape Ape

Again, we lost. That was the problem.

toddal

Hey Grape Ape...a quick question. Did it "get us to a NC" last year? I thought not. This is a valid piece both from the level of entertainment being offered for exorbitant ticket prices and also from the affect a weak schedule can have on the ridiculous BCS rankings. Yes it's unfortunate that Utah and Arkansas are cowards. But the other 3 games scheduled still fit the patsy model so again, this article has plenty of merit. Hook em!!!

Grape Ape

Uh...we lost a game. That's why we didn't go the BCS Championship. It had nothing to do with weak scheduling, it had to do with losing to an inferior team.

Grape Ape

There are 200,000+ people alone in this city who don't read Austinist and are big fans of UT football that don't even go to the games that don't care about this piece. And there are another 200,000+ people who don't like UT in Austin that know how the BCS works better than you. UT should go undefeated and if they do, should play for a NC. If you don't think the AD and the $120M have thought about that when scheduling games you are sadly mistaken. Does it look like a blah season? Yes. Does it get us to a NC, yes. That is all that is needed.

oh steph

I think the Crown & Anchor is a safe bet. Now that that's put to bed, I hate having to constantly remind myself that in the end, college sports are as much about money as the big leagues.

ElmoreRigby

Good article. But I doubt any UT football fans are regulars of 'Rio Rita'. I can think of about 100 other bars you'll see more Burnt Orange in on Saturday night.

Jeff Beckham

You're probably right. I was trying to think of a place where UT football fans and typical Austinist readers might intersect. Is there such a place?

kenneth1

I don't think there are any places where Austinist readers & UT fans will "intersect" on gameday. Posse East on Duval has cheap pitchers, but it will be a sea of burnt orange & testosterone on Saturday. I doubt you'll be seeing Spike Gillespie quaffing Shiner there.

One thing I might add is that UT also had a verbal agreement for a two-game series with Utah in '09/'10, but they backed out. That, plus the Arkansas situation, is what led to this year's horrible schedule. It'll improve.

Random

I can’t decide which is worse – these games or NFL preseason. I’d rather them schedule a top tier FCS squad like Appalachian State or Texas State than a low tier FBS team.