Weak Teams on Schedule Have Texas Fans Over a Barrel

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.