[NU Sports] Non-conference play

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

>The problem is we're not exactly scheduling non-conference powerhouses in
>either sport.  Let's take a look at the non-conference schedule this year.

Well, all four were coming into 2004 off of bowl seasons, and this year,
ASU will be bowling, Hawaii still could be and TCU came up a game short
(and Kansas isn't a slouch either ... ask Texas).

It's a respectable NC schedule, especially in a college football
environment than doesn't do anything to encourage strong games outside of
league play (if anything, they've discouraged it by taking away the
strength of schedule and quality wins part of the formula). We could
schedule cupcakes ala Minnesota and go 3-5 in league play and still make a
bowl. But we scheduled a moderate slate.

It hurts that we never even needed the Hawaii game to begin with on the
slate, but when you make those 10 years or so in advance, you never really
think that this game will decide a bowl fate. Without it, we're 6-5, 5-3 in
league play, and headed to Nashville. But we added the tourism game and it
bit us.

Another point about NU's NC schedule is that we almost always start on the
road and our home games are really at neutral sites because the students
aren't back in class in the first half of September.

I'd say our NC schedule is about right for us ... maybe a bit tougher than
need be given the current bowl politics where wins matter more than who you
play. The MAC games have bit us lately, but they're good for regional
rivalries and such.

If Walker is recruiting for the Big Ten more than overall, I don't
necessarily disagree with that. Sometimes we'll come up against option
teams (Rice, Air Force), sometimes against pass-happy Hawaii teams ... but
the conference games are still what matters most. You can plan for those a
lot more than what pops up outside Big Ten play every 2-3 years.

>Basketball is starting out with the same problem that kept us out of the
>tournament last year - losing non-conference games that we should win.  The
>non-conference schedule was not all that difficult to begin with and with
>the losses piling up before Thompson gains eligibility, our RPI is really

The difference is that the folks in charge in college hoops will take that
into account. Finishing strong matters ... not having Thompson in for these
early losses will be taken into account ... and our RPI should be better
than last year with Virginia, Seton Hall and Arizona State on the schedule.

But we're gonna have to really start to catch fire soon. I haven't seen any
games so far, but with four starters back, we shouldn't be losing the games
we have. At Colorado, maybe, but the rest? It'd be nice if the turnaround
came against Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this week ... our
league's looking better than expected with Iowa and Michigan turning in
surprising performances so far, but their league is just loaded at the top.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


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