[NU Sports] Football Scheduling

[Evans Schoeman]

Rivals has an interesting piece on scheduling at

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=900048.

In it, the case is made that having "quality" non-conference opponents
enhances the chances of getting to the championship game.  Cal, Arizona
State, and tOSU are given as examples.

Fitz is quoted in the article as saying:

"It's in our best interest to play schools that are academically similar to
us," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Those games give us the
opportunity to compete. And we want to have as many home games as possible."


That's reasonable. But soft non-conference schedules could cost the
Wildcats, or any other team with a similar approach to scheduling, to miss a
shot at the national championship. 

"At the end of the day, if you have a Big Ten championship I believe you'll
be in a great game," Fitzgerald said. 

Good news for our future schedules, as we're seeing the likes of Rice,
Vandy, Stanford, and BC return.