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Topic: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling

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LittlePig

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #28 on: August 19, 2025, 06:41:05 AM »
I get the impression that before WW2,  conference scheduling was done more like non-conference scheduling is done now.  Schools today prefer to do an equal non-conference home and home series with schools with roughly equal gate attendance.  One of the key reasons Ohio St is playing Texas  is because both schools draw roughly equal crowds. 

I guess another factor is academic and cultural fit.  Big Ten schools in the past seemed to like scheduling home and home with Pac schools and certain independents  because they were considered similar academic and cultural institutions.  Schools in the south were not a cultural fit for Big Ten schools so they rarely played.. Finally it helps if your football team is at a similar level competively. 

Throw it all together,  I guess it can help explain why Ohio St and Michigan would still schedule home and home with old Pac schools that only draw 50k fans.
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847badgerfan

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #29 on: August 19, 2025, 07:54:28 AM »
Quote from: ELA on August 18, 2025, 10:45:59 PM
Season ticket demand will be through the roof
Cig still thinks he's at JMU I guess.
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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #30 on: August 19, 2025, 08:50:20 AM »
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Cincydawg

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #31 on: August 19, 2025, 08:53:05 AM »
I'm reminded of old SEC scheduling which was ... variable.  Georgia Tech didn't play either Mississippi team for decades, Bobby Dodd just wouldn't, and he could do that.

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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #32 on: August 19, 2025, 08:57:38 AM »
yup, a large factor in scheduling games is as simple as a relationship between athletic department administrators and/or coaches
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LittlePig

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #33 on: August 19, 2025, 09:06:57 AM »
Quote from: FearlessF on August 19, 2025, 08:50:20 AM
most have listened to Hayden Fry or his disciple Wild Bill Snyder
Although it is true that Hayden Fry did push to change Iowa's scheduling philosophy to schedule more cupcakes,  it was not as bad some remember.   He actually had many seasons under the old 11-game schedules where Iowa would still play 2 power conference schools along with 8 conference games.  
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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #34 on: August 19, 2025, 09:10:49 AM »
I remember a quote from Coach Fry, "never schedule a loss"

or maybe it was Bill Snyder that said he learned that from Hayden
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ELA

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #35 on: August 19, 2025, 09:45:20 AM »
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2025, 08:53:05 AM
I'm reminded of old SEC scheduling which was ... variable.  Georgia Tech didn't play either Mississippi team for decades, Bobby Dodd just wouldn't, and he could do that.
When I've done these season sims using old season schedules, I was surprised at how the SEC didn't really seem like a conference, as much as a loose scheduling agreement.  Probably why SEC fans scoff at Big Ten fans caring about the Rose Bowl.  There were years where teams would play 2 or 3 more conference games than other teams in the SEC.  And like you said, you could just not play some schools.
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Cincydawg

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #36 on: August 19, 2025, 09:52:13 AM »
Yes, the SEC was a very loose "confederation" back in the day, with no meaning "league office".  I know UGA would schedule 6 conference games (out of ten) and then mostly near pastries to be assured of a bowl game at maybe 8-2 or even 7-3.  They played South Carolina and Clemson a lot in the 60s and 70s when neither was very good.

You don't see Ole Miss or MiSU on their schedule much at all back then, or LSU or even Tennessee.  They played Alabama often then and lost badly.

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LittlePig

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #37 on: August 19, 2025, 10:00:15 AM »
Quote from: LittlePig on August 19, 2025, 09:06:57 AM
Although it is true that Hayden Fry did push to change Iowa's scheduling philosophy to schedule more cupcakes,  it was not as bad some remember.  He actually had many seasons under the old 11-game schedules where Iowa would still play 2 power conference schools along with 8 conference games.

I am doing this for my own curiosity, not to prove a point.  I looked up Hayden Fry's non conference schedules at Iowa

1979.  @Oklahoma (Big8),  Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8)

1980.  @Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8),  Arizona(Pac10)

1981 Neb(Big8),  @Iowa St(Big8),  UCLA(Pac10)

1982 @Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Arizona(Pac10)

1983 @Penn St(Indy),  @Iowa St(Big8),  9 conference games

1984 Iowa St(Big8),  Penn St(Indy),  @Hawaii(WAC),  9 conference games

1985 Drake(MVC), NIU(MAC),  @Iowa St(Big8)

1986 Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(MAC),  UTEP(WAC)

1987 Tennesse(SEC)-Neutral site,  @Arizona(Pac10),  @Iowa St(Big8),  Kansas St(Big8)

1988. @Hawaii(WAC),  @Kansas St(Big8),  Colorodo(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8)

1989 Oregon(Pac10),  @Iowa St(Big8),  Tulsa(IND)

1990 Cincinnati (IND),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Miami-florida(IND)

1991 Hawaii(WAC),  @Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(IND)

1992 NCSU(ACC)-neutral site, Miami-Florida(Big East), Iowa St(Big8),  @Colorado(Big8)

1993 Tulsa(IND),  @Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(Big West)

1994 CMU(MAC),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Oregon(Pac10)

1995 northern Iowa(I-AA),  @Iowa St,  NMSU(Big West)

1996 Arizona(Pac10),  Iowa St(Big12), @Tulsa(WAC)

1997  northern Iowa(I-AA),  @Iowa St(Big12),  Tulsa(WAC)

1998 CMU(MAC),  Iowa St(Big12),  @Arizona(Pac10)

Some thoughts on this later
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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #38 on: August 19, 2025, 10:04:16 AM »
Quote from: LittlePig on August 19, 2025, 10:00:15 AM
I am doing this for my own curiosity, not to prove a point.  I looked up Hayden Fry's non conference schedules at Iowa

1979.  @Oklahoma (Big8),  Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8)

1980.  @Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8),  Arizona(Pac10)

1981 Neb(Big8),  @Iowa St(Big8),  UCLA(Pac10)

1982 @Neb(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Arizona(Pac10)

1983 @Penn St(Indy),  @Iowa St(Big8),  9 conference games

1984 Iowa St(Big8),  Penn St(Indy),  @Hawaii(WAC),  9 conference games

1985 Drake(MVC), NIU(MAC),  @Iowa St(Big8)

1986 Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(MAC),  UTEP(WAC)

1987 Tennesse(SEC)-Neutral site,  @Arizona(Pac10),  @Iowa St(Big8),  Kansas St(Big8)

1988. @Hawaii(WAC),  @Kansas St(Big8),  Colorodo(Big8),  Iowa St(Big8)

1989 Oregon(Pac10),  @Iowa St(Big8),  Tulsa(IND)

1990 Cincinnati (IND),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Miami-florida(IND)

1991 Hawaii(WAC),  @Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(IND)

1992 NCSU(ACC)-neutral site, Miami-Florida(Big East), Iowa St(Big8),  @Colorado(Big8)

1993 Tulsa(IND),  @Iowa St(Big8),  NIU(Big West)

1994 CMU(MAC),  Iowa St(Big8),  @Oregon(Pac10)

1995 northern Iowa(I-AA),  @Iowa St,  NMSU(Big West)

1996 Arizona(Pac10),  Iowa St(Big12), @Tulsa(WAC)

1997  northern Iowa(I-AA),  @Iowa St(Big12),  Tulsa(WAC)

1998 CMU(MAC),  Iowa St(Big12),  @Arizona(Pac10)

Some thoughts on this later
yup, looks like Hayden got his scheduling worked out in 85 - probably had those early 5 seasons already scheduled when he took the job
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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #39 on: August 19, 2025, 10:05:09 AM »
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2025, 09:52:13 AM
Yes, the SEC was a very loose "confederation" back in the day, with no meaning "league office".  I know UGA would schedule 6 conference games (out of ten) and then mostly near pastries to be assured of a bowl game at maybe 8-2 or even 7-3.  They played South Carolina and Clemson a lot in the 60s and 70s when neither was very good.

You don't see Ole Miss or MiSU on their schedule much at all back then, or LSU or even Tennessee.  They played Alabama often then and lost badly.


so, they played  around 4 tough games a season similar to the Big Ten and Big 8
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Cincydawg

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #40 on: August 19, 2025, 10:09:08 AM »
Tough is relative of course, if your team is mediocre, a mediocre opponent is tough.

They didn't much play "Charleston Southern" or real pastries back then.  Nearly every opponent was "P5" or however many it was.  
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FearlessF

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Re: Big Ten Football Home Scheduling
« Reply #41 on: August 19, 2025, 10:16:21 AM »
referrin to the top teams, the ones in the running for AP top 5 finishes and hopes for a MNC

Ohio St & Michigan along with Nebraska & Oklahomo were often referred to as the big 2 in their respectively weak conferences

criticized often for playing a soft schedule besides 3 or 4 games
seems Bama could do something similar by merely scheduling lesser than opponents from the stronger SEC and avoiding the stronger programs 
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