[NU Sports] 12th game blues

[Brad Wilson]

Steven is correct: the 12th game was sold in part as a
rivalry-reviver that would allow more schedule
flexibility. But ... Penn State-Pitt nixed.
Miami-Florida, nyet (Miami does fight, er, play
Florida INTERNATIONAL; oh goodie). Texas-Arkansas, no
way.

And few seem to be adding good non-league games -- NU
certainly is somewhat guilty of that, of course.

Now that I-AA games count for bowls every year, expect
to see a lot more of them, even if Auburn's skedding
of The Citadel a while back cost it a spot in the BCS
championship game.

Given that a total joke sked could cost a team a spot
in a BCS game, I'd expect the powers to try and feast
on low-level I-A teams, and this is what seems to be
happening; even Michigan, for years one of the tougher
skedders, appears to have joined the MAC. But then
Lloyd Carr said a couple of years ago that tough
non-con games were hurting his team's poll stance and
the like, so what can we expect?

Note, though, that USC's non-con slate has been
terrific lately (Kansas State, Arkansas, Fresno State,
Nebraska, N*** D*** of course) and that does seem to
have hurt them much ... 

bw



"Happy are those who see beauty in the modest spots where others see nothing." -- Camille Pissaro

"Quis ipsos custodes custodiet?" -- Juvenal


       
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