Who plays the toughest Non Conference games year in and year out?

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C

cats gone wild

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2,651 posts
Sep 7, 2010 6:56 PM
Who you got? This has been huge talk lately about Boise, SEC teams, and with OSU every year.

As for my team...LSU is really starting to schedule tough OOC games. They got UNC and WVU this year and next year they have WVU and Oregon. LSU just picked up Oregon for next season to be played in Texas.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/blogs/tigertracks/102370569.html
Sep 7, 2010 6:56pm
C

cats gone wild

Senior Member

2,651 posts
Sep 7, 2010 7:03 PM
And oh yeah, who plays on average.....the toughest schedule year in and year out?
Sep 7, 2010 7:03pm
DeyDurkie5's avatar

DeyDurkie5

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Sep 7, 2010 7:13 PM
It's definitely not LSU
Sep 7, 2010 7:13pm
karen lotz's avatar

karen lotz

TuTu Train

22,284 posts
Sep 7, 2010 7:13 PM
Toughest non conference games? Notre Dame. :cool:
Sep 7, 2010 7:13pm
C

centralbucksfan

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5,111 posts
Sep 7, 2010 7:15 PM
Why even do this thread? I mean its gotta be LSU! Then probably ND at #2! No brainers!
Sep 7, 2010 7:15pm
karen lotz's avatar

karen lotz

TuTu Train

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Sep 7, 2010 7:18 PM
centralbucksfan;475153 wrote:Why even do this thread? I mean its gotta be LSU! Then probably ND at #2! No brainers!


Are you that dense that you didn't realize my Notre Dame comment was a joke? Notre Dame didn't bite at the offer to have games televised by the BTN.
Sep 7, 2010 7:18pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

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Sep 7, 2010 7:24 PM
Definitely LSU. No brainer!
Sep 7, 2010 7:24pm
C

cats gone wild

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Sep 7, 2010 7:27 PM
Ummm, this is a serious thread. Feel free to add something valuable to this topic.
Sep 7, 2010 7:27pm
C

centralbucksfan

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Sep 7, 2010 7:30 PM
cats gone wild;475167 wrote:Ummm, this is a serious thread. Feel free to add something valuable to this topic.

Well then...I would say up until this year, it was USC and it probably isn't close after that.
Sep 7, 2010 7:30pm
E

enigmaax

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4,511 posts
Sep 7, 2010 7:41 PM
centralbucksfan;475169 wrote:Well then...I would say up until this year, it was USC and it probably isn't close after that.

And it depends on whether you are limiting the conversation to elite teams or everybody. It is really hard not to view them differently. I think USC played the most BCS schools and never scheduled an FCS school. Most other teams are about the same - one good/great game or two mid-level BCS games while the rest are cupcakes that may include an FCS school.

There are probably some teams that aren't very good who played tougher schedules than anyone, but they didn't have any notable wins so people don't really remember it.

Texas' OOC schedule last year stands out as being incredibly bad (no BCS schools) and Penn State's wasn't anything to write home about (they didn't leave there - Syracuse was their toughest test). Most of the time, there isn't a lot of difference.
Sep 7, 2010 7:41pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

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Sep 7, 2010 7:45 PM
I would be willing to bet it's one of the teams that gets beat up by the BCS schools.
Sep 7, 2010 7:45pm
ptown_trojans_1's avatar

ptown_trojans_1

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Sep 7, 2010 7:49 PM
I'd also mention USC, with trips to VT, UVA, Hawaii, OSU, Minn this year, and Auburn I think over the past 5 or so years. Also, add in Fresno St every once in a while as well. Not to mention ND every year.
OSU's is also mentionable, with Texas, USC, Miami, UCLA, in the last ten years with Tenn, VT ( I think) and Navy upcoming.

Oregon, Oregon St. and of course Boise usually have one good game a year.
Sep 7, 2010 7:49pm
krambman's avatar

krambman

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3,606 posts
Sep 7, 2010 8:12 PM
Ohio State's recent and upcoming OCC BCS opponents:

1999
Miami (FL) (at East Rutherford)
UCLA

2000
@Arizona

2001
@UCLA

2002
Texas Tech
Washington State

2003
Washington
North Carolina State

2004
@ North Carolina State

2005
Texas

2006
@ Texas
Cincinnati*

2007
@Washington

2008
@ USC

2009
USC

2010
Miami (FL)

2011
@ Miami (FL)
Colorado

2012
Cincinnati
Cal

2013
@ Cal

2014
Cincinnati
Virginia Tech

2015
@ Virginia Tech

2016
@ Oklahoma

2017
Oklahoma

2018
@ Tennessee

2019
@ Tennessee

*OSU also played Cincinnati in 1999, 2002, and 2004, but UC didn't join the Big East and become a BCS school until 2005.

Now I'm not saying that it's the toughest by any means, but they have scheduled at least one major top level BCS opponent out of conference nearly every year since the BCS came into being. I also someone mention who they thought OSU has on their upcoming schedule, so I figured I would tell you exactly who they have on their upcoming schedule.
Sep 7, 2010 8:12pm
Little Danny's avatar

Little Danny

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Sep 7, 2010 8:21 PM
Fresno State. Pat Hill has earned a reputation of playing anyone, anytime, anwhere. I know they have faced many BCS opponents on the road without a return trip back to Fresno. In the past five years they have played @USC, @LSU, @Wisconsin (Wisky did play them again in Fresno), @Oregon, @Oregon State, @Washington, @Rutgers, @Illinois, @UC, @ Texas A&M and Kansas State.
Sep 7, 2010 8:21pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

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Sep 7, 2010 8:22 PM
I still don't understand OSU scheduling the Cal series.
Sep 7, 2010 8:22pm
grodt's avatar

grodt

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Sep 7, 2010 8:32 PM
IMO, any school that schedules a 1-AA team cannot claim to play the "toughest schedule".
Sep 7, 2010 8:32pm
redfalcon's avatar

redfalcon

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Sep 7, 2010 8:40 PM
As much as I hate them, I really don't see how it can be any other school than USC.
Sep 7, 2010 8:40pm
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ernest_t_bass

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Sep 7, 2010 8:41 PM
Coldwater
Sep 7, 2010 8:41pm
fiction's avatar

fiction

USA American

347 posts
Sep 7, 2010 9:31 PM
Florida State always schedules pretty well (playing UF every year helps).

2002 -- Iowa State, Miami, Florida
2003 -- Colorado, Miami, Florida
2004 -- Miami, Florida
2005 -- Syracuse, Florida
2006 -- Florida
2007 -- Colorado, Alabama, Florida
2008 -- Colorado, Florida
2009 -- BYU, USF, Florida
2010 -- Oklahoma, BYU, Florida
Sep 7, 2010 9:31pm
Pick6's avatar

Pick6

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Sep 7, 2010 10:17 PM
looking at that,I think FSU wins it.
Sep 7, 2010 10:17pm
krambman's avatar

krambman

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Sep 7, 2010 10:23 PM
grodt;475249 wrote:IMO, any school that schedules a 1-AA team cannot claim to play the "toughest schedule".

Ok, then Notre Dame wins. I believe that are the only school that has never scheduled an FCS opponent.
Sep 7, 2010 10:23pm
E

enigmaax

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Sep 7, 2010 10:33 PM
krambman;475390 wrote:Ok, then Notre Dame wins. I believe that are the only school that has never scheduled an FCS opponent.

Maybe never ever. Not sure, but I was trying to think of who both USC and UCLA play. I don't recall either of those schools playing FCS schools, but its really just a recent memory.

But here are UCLA's non-conference games of the past few years...solid:

2010 - @ Kansas State, Houston, @ Texas
2009 - SD State, @ Tennessee, Kansas State
2008 - Tennessee, @ BYU, Fresno State
2007 - BYU, @ Utah, Notre Dame
2006 - Utah, Rice, @ Notre Dame
2005 - @ SD State, Rice, Oklahoma
Sep 7, 2010 10:33pm
darbypitcher22's avatar

darbypitcher22

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Sep 7, 2010 10:35 PM
Fresno State looks like they ran a pretty legit gauntlet there
Sep 7, 2010 10:35pm
Mulva's avatar

Mulva

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13,650 posts
Sep 7, 2010 10:59 PM
Louisiana-Lafayette has to be up there.

2006: @LSU, @ Texas A&M, @ Houston
2007: @ South Carolina, @ Tennessee
2008: @ Southern Miss, @ Illinois, @ Kansas State
2009: Kansas State, @ LSU, @ Nebraska
2010: @ Georgia, Oklahoma State, @ Mississippi
Sep 7, 2010 10:59pm