Most Common post-WWII non-B1G opponents for each B1G team

[medinabuckeye1]

While I am indeed jealous of schools that have fixed out of conference rivalries, OSU doesn't really have a "no-brainer" candidate. West Virginia would probably be the closest thing, but they should be playing Pitt every year. Pitt would be okay, but they should be playing Penn St and/or W Virginia. Notre Dame would be sweet obviously, but they have already been taken ten times over. Poaching that rivalry out of Michigan's back pocket would be satisfying, but highly unrealistic. Kentucky is Kentucky, so that one won't work obviously. Even though they are in the big bad SEC.  Cincinnati would be okay if they ever find their way back into a P5 Conference, which is unlikely. The rest of Buckeye Nation would hate it of course, but not me.

I do find it aggravating that some schools have a perfect OOC candidate, but just don't schedule it for whatever reason. aTm-Texas, Nebraska-Oklahoma, etc.

As another tOSU fan, I'm not jealous of the schools that have fixed OOC rivalries.  I do like a few of those but I'm also happy with tOSU's longstanding tradition of playing a different "marquee" opponent every year.  I like the variety of playing:

• Boston College:  2026-27
• Texas:  2025-26, 2005-06
• Washington:  2024-25, 2007, 2003, 1993-5
• Notre Dame:  2022-23, 1995-96
• Oregon:  2020-21
• Oklahoma:  2016-17
• VaTech:  2014-15
• California:  2012-13
• Miami, FL:  2010-11
• USC:  2008-09
• NCST:  2003-04
• UCLA:  1999, 2001
• Zona:  2000, 1997
• Mizzou:  1997-98
• Pitt:  1993-96

More importantly, I REALLY don't want a "forced" annual OOC rivalry.  UNL/OU, aTm/Tx, USCe/Clemson and others make sense geographically and the schools are at least relative equals.  Forcing Ohio State into an annual rivalry with WVU, Pitt, or Cincy would be horrible IMHO.  

[MarqHusker]

Nebraska does have aTm on their list and Texas should be on there as well (my mistake, will fix).  
Nebraska's most frequent 1946-present opponents are:

• Three B1G teams that they frequently played prior to joining the B1G (MN-31, PSU-16, IA-14)
• UCLA (not sure why-13)

The rest of their Big12 mates are:

• aTm 13 games
• Texas 13 games
• Baylor 11 games
• TTech 11 games

Nebraska's B1G-W mates are:

• MN:  31 games
• IA:  14 games
• UW:  11 games
• NU:  9 games
• IL:  8 games
• PU:  6 games

Nebraska has always scheduled one, or more Pac 8/10/12 (or 'western') team nearly every season since about 1967.  I remember '91 was Utah St, Colorado St, Washington and Arizona St.)  it just so happens UCLA has been scheduled more than any of the others.   I think Wash and ASU are both at about 10 games or so.   The only teams I can't recall them ever playing in the regular season in that time are Arizona and Stanford, though they've bowled against each of them.  I think AZ is on the schedule next decade.

[betarhoalphadelta]

I know this makes it a lot harder to run the numbers, but I kinda feel like we should only include OOC games against teams who weren't part of the conference the team was in at the time.

Rutgers, Maryland, and Nebraska shouldn't count OOC games against the teams from the ACC/B12 from the years they were in those conferences. Those weren't OOC games. 

And frankly, if a team like Notre Dame joined the conference, I'd still count all the games that Purdue/MSU/UM had with them over the last 70 years as OOC games, even though they'd then be "conference" opponents. They weren't in-conference at the time, so those were true OOC games.

[Brutus Buckeye]

As another tOSU fan, I'm not jealous of the schools that have fixed OOC rivalries.  I do like a few of those but I'm also happy with tOSU's longstanding tradition of playing a different "marquee" opponent every year.  I like the variety of playing:

• Boston College:  2026-27
• Texas:  2025-26, 2005-06
• Washington:  2024-25, 2007, 2003, 1993-5
• Notre Dame:  2022-23, 1995-96
• Oregon:  2020-21
• Oklahoma:  2016-17
• VaTech:  2014-15
• California:  2012-13
• Miami, FL:  2010-11
• USC:  2008-09
• NCST:  2003-04
• UCLA:  1999, 2001
• Zona:  2000, 1997
• Mizzou:  1997-98
• Pitt:  1993-96

More importantly, I REALLY don't want a "forced" annual OOC rivalry.  UNL/OU, aTm/Tx, USCe/Clemson and others make sense geographically and the schools are at least relative equals.  Forcing Ohio State into an annual rivalry with WVU, Pitt, or Cincy would be horrible IMHO.  

Yeah, and that's why we don't have one. No helmet team in a bordering state except Notre Dame who is already accounted for. 
As far as the schedule rotation, a fixed rivalry would only gobble up one of the three NonCon games. You could still have that kind of a rotation with another one of the non-Conference slots. 
Although being in the B1G East, I guess we have Maryland and Rutgers as fixed non-Conference rivalries. 

[MarqHusker]

Nebraska's (true OOC at the time, post-1946) would then be (Excludes bowl games, otherwise Miami/FSU)

1946-present (regular season only)

Minnesota (23) (only Mizzou and OU have beaten Nebraska more than Minnesota, most beatings 1900-1960 though 3-18 since 1963)
UCLA (12) excludes one bowl game
Penn St (10)
Oregon (8)
Arizona St (7) excludes one bowl game
Washington (7) excludes one bowl game
Iowa (7)
Pittsburgh (7)
Miami (6) excludes six bowl games
Oregon State (6)

[medinabuckeye1]

I know this makes it a lot harder to run the numbers, but I kinda feel like we should only include OOC games against teams who weren't part of the conference the team was in at the time.

Rutgers, Maryland, and Nebraska shouldn't count OOC games against the teams from the ACC/B12 from the years they were in those conferences. Those weren't OOC games.

And frankly, if a team like Notre Dame joined the conference, I'd still count all the games that Purdue/MSU/UM had with them over the last 70 years as OOC games, even though they'd then be "conference" opponents. They weren't in-conference at the time, so those were true OOC games.

It depends on what you want the numbers for.  If you want a list of most frequent OOC games then yes, this is inaccurate.  It is both overinclusive and underinclusive:

• It is overinclusive because it includes a slew of games like Nebraska/Oklahoma which was a conference game when played.  
• It is underinclusive because it does not include games like PSU/tOSU (Pre-1993) and PSU/UMD (pre-2014) that were OOC when played.  Specifically, Ohio State and Penn State played seven times between 1946 and 1992.  All of those were OOC games (one was a FiestaBowl) so Penn State is actually tied with Mizzou and California as Ohio State's eighth most frequent OOC opponent since 1946.  Similarly, Penn State and Maryland played 31 times between 1960 and 1993.  If you counted those it would put Maryland in PSU's top-5 and PSU in Maryland's top-10 even when including Maryland's former ACC rivals.  

On the other hand, I was thinking of this as a list of past rivalries that are not current conference rivalries that could be considered for renewal (ie, OU/UNL).  In that sense, including UNL/OU games from when they were in the Big8 and Big12 together makes sense and including tOSU/PSU games from before PSU joined does not.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

Thanks. I agree with you that it's both underinclusive and overinclusive, and that the real key, as you ask, is "what you want the numbers for."

For your own purpose--identifying potential future rivalries which could encompass previous conference foes--it does make perfect sense. That's a future-looking reason for the number.

I was looking at it more for how often teams built rivalries with teams they weren't required to play. That's more of a past-looking reason for the number.

[medinabuckeye1]

I was looking at it more for how often teams built rivalries with teams they weren't required to play. That's more of a past-looking reason for the number.

I do find that somewhat interesting but it is a LOT more work to put together because you have to look at each school's opponents individually and ascertain which games were, as you put it, "not required to be played".  This also touches on @ELA 's earlier question about bowl games.  Bowl games are effectively "required to be played" as opposed to scheduled regular season games where the schools get to decide who they want to play.  

[medinabuckeye1]

My analysis, potential annual OOC rivalries for each B1G school:

Rutgers:
I would say Syracuse.  Most of Rutgers' other frequent past opponents are either no longer D1A (Bowl subdivision) like Colgate, Princeton, etc or are minor teams like Temple, Army, etc.  IMHO Syracuse would be a great annual OOC game for the Scarlet Knights.  Since 1946 Rutgers is 12-24 in 36 games against the Orange (most were BigEast games) so Syracuse has the upper hand but Rutgers has won one out of three so it isn't completely lopsided and it is a 4 hour drive which is close enough for students/fans to make the trek.  .  

Maryland:
I would say Virginia.  Virginia isn't Maryland's most frequent opponent since 1946, they are fourth behind NCST, Clemson, and Wake but Charlottesville is a lot closer to College Park than those alternatives as just a 3 hour drive.  

Penn State:
This one is obvious, Pittsburgh.  OTOH, I can understand why a lot of Penn State fans might not want Pittsburgh as an annual rival.  It might be bad for business generally to treat Pittsburgh as an equal.  If not Pitt though, it would be between Syracuse and West Virginia and those don't seem any better.  

Ohio State:
There really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Ohio State.  USC is the most frequent OOC opponent since 1946 but they are on the West Coast and already tied in with Notre Dame.  Pitt is the most frequently scheduled opponent (because 8 of the 20 games against USC were Bowls).  

Michigan:
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Wolverines are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Michgian.  After ND, Michigan's next most frequent OOC opponents are Navy then four Pac schools.  

Michigan State:
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Spartans are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical OOC rivals for Michigan State.  After ND, Michigan State's next seven most frequent OOC opponents since 1946 are Marquette, three directional-Michigan schools, and three Pac schools.  

Indiana:
This one is obvious, Kentucky.  

Purdue:  
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Boilermakers are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical OOC rivals for Purdue.  

Northwestern:
I don't see ONE obvious OOC rival for the Wildcats but I really like Northwestern's trend of playing other great academic schools from P5 conferences (ie Stanford, DOOK).  I'd love to see them set up a rotation where they play Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt etc.  

Illinois:
This one is obvious, Mizzou.  

Wisconsin:
There really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Wisconsin.  Their most frequent OOC opponents since 1946 are Marquette and then a collection of mostly local minor schools and non-local Pac schools.  

Iowa:
I'm not a fan of the Iowa/Iowa State annual rivalry because I think it treats ISU as an equal which is not good for the Hawkeyes.  If we remove that one though there really aren't any logical replacements except perhaps Mizzou but I already claimed them for Illinois.  

Minnesota:
I'd say Washington.  Husky Stadium is a 25 hour drive from TCF Bank Stadium but I think that Minnesota and Washington are the two northernmost P5 schools and other than WSU in Pullman there aren't any P5 schools located in between these two.  The Cougars would be an alternative but the Gophers have a fairly limited history with Washington State (6 games since 1946 including one Holiday Bowl).  

Nebraska:
This one is obvious, Oklahoma.  Technically the Cornhuskers have more games since WWII against Mizzou, Kansas, ISU, KSU, and Colorado but without the need to look it up I'm confident that those series are substantially more lopsided than the Cornhuskers' series against Oklahoma which also has some VERY memorable past games.  If Oklahoma isn't possible then I would consider Colorado before Nebraska's four most frequent opponents since WWII (Mizzou, ISU, and the two Kansas schools).  

[ELA]

Michigan State:
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Spartans are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical OOC rivals for Michigan State.  After ND, Michigan State's next seven most frequent OOC opponents since 1946 are Marquette, three directional-Michigan schools, and three Pac schools.  

I've thought for a while that Kentucky would be a fun one.  They've played so many times over the past 20 years in big basketball games, and have gone head to head on a ton of 3* OH recruits as well.  I agree that beyond Notre Dame there isn't really one that makes a ton of sense, but I would get pretty into an annual thing with Kentucky.  I've long thought MSU should schedule some home and homes with the schools they frequently play in big basketball games, but never play in football.  Along with Kentucky; UNC, Duke, Kansas, etc...

[medinabuckeye1]

I've thought for a while that Kentucky would be a fun one.  They've played so many times over the past 20 years in big basketball games, and have gone head to head on a ton of 3* OH recruits as well.  I agree that beyond Notre Dame there isn't really one that makes a ton of sense, but I would get pretty into an annual thing with Kentucky.  I've long thought MSU should schedule some home and homes with the schools they frequently play in big basketball games, but never play in football.  Along with Kentucky; UNC, Duke, Kansas, etc...

In the same vein, I have argued before that I think Ohio State should schedule BB games against other schools that are similarly good at both sports.  

It is pretty obvious that the average Ohio State fan is a "football first" fan so I think there would be more fan interest in BB games against schools that have names instantly recognizable to football fans.  

In general, for both MSU (vs UK, KU, UNC, Dook) and tOSU (vs TX, OU, UCLA, etc) I think those make more sense as occasional games not every-year rivalries.  

[Brutus Buckeye]

My analysis, potential annual OOC rivalries for each B1G school:

Rutgers:
I would say Syracuse.  Most of Rutgers' other frequent past opponents are either no longer D1A (Bowl subdivision) like Colgate, Princeton, etc or are minor teams like Temple, Army, etc.  IMHO Syracuse would be a great annual OOC game for the Scarlet Knights.  Since 1946 Rutgers is 12-24 in 36 games against the Orange (most were BigEast games) so Syracuse has the upper hand but Rutgers has won one out of three so it isn't completely lopsided and it is a 4 hour drive which is close enough for students/fans to make the trek.  .  

Maryland:
I would say Virginia.  Virginia isn't Maryland's most frequent opponent since 1946, they are fourth behind NCST, Clemson, and Wake but Charlottesville is a lot closer to College Park than those alternatives as just a 3 hour drive.  

Penn State:
This one is obvious, Pittsburgh.  OTOH, I can understand why a lot of Penn State fans might not want Pittsburgh as an annual rival.  It might be bad for business generally to treat Pittsburgh as an equal.  If not Pitt though, it would be between Syracuse and West Virginia and those don't seem any better.  

Ohio State:
There really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Ohio State.  USC is the most frequent OOC opponent since 1946 but they are on the West Coast and already tied in with Notre Dame.  Pitt is the most frequently scheduled opponent (because 8 of the 20 games against USC were Bowls).  

Michigan:
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Wolverines are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Michgian.  After ND, Michigan's next most frequent OOC opponents are Navy then four Pac schools.  

Michigan State:
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Spartans are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical OOC rivals for Michigan State.  After ND, Michigan State's next seven most frequent OOC opponents since 1946 are Marquette, three directional-Michigan schools, and three Pac schools.  

Indiana:
This one is obvious, Kentucky.  

Purdue:  
This one is obvious, Notre Dame.  However, if the Irish and/or Boilermakers are uninterested in having this as an annual rivalry then there really aren't any logical OOC rivals for Purdue.  

Northwestern:
I don't see ONE obvious OOC rival for the Wildcats but I really like Northwestern's trend of playing other great academic schools from P5 conferences (ie Stanford, DOOK).  I'd love to see them set up a rotation where they play Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt etc.  

Illinois:
This one is obvious, Mizzou.  

Wisconsin:
There really aren't any logical annual OOC rivals for Wisconsin.  Their most frequent OOC opponents since 1946 are Marquette and then a collection of mostly local minor schools and non-local Pac schools.  

Iowa:
I'm not a fan of the Iowa/Iowa State annual rivalry because I think it treats ISU as an equal which is not good for the Hawkeyes.  If we remove that one though there really aren't any logical replacements except perhaps Mizzou but I already claimed them for Illinois.  

Minnesota:
I'd say Washington.  Husky Stadium is a 25 hour drive from TCF Bank Stadium but I think that Minnesota and Washington are the two northernmost P5 schools and other than WSU in Pullman there aren't any P5 schools located in between these two.  The Cougars would be an alternative but the Gophers have a fairly limited history with Washington State (6 games since 1946 including one Holiday Bowl).  

Nebraska:
This one is obvious, Oklahoma.  Technically the Cornhuskers have more games since WWII against Mizzou, Kansas, ISU, KSU, and Colorado but without the need to look it up I'm confident that those series are substantially more lopsided than the Cornhuskers' series against Oklahoma which also has some VERY memorable past games.  If Oklahoma isn't possible then I would consider Colorado before Nebraska's four most frequent opponents since WWII (Mizzou, ISU, and the two Kansas schools).  

Aside from the anti-Cyhawk rhetoric, I agree with all of this. 
Northwestern: Nailed! 

[FearlessF]

Nebraska's (true OOC at the time, post-1946) would then be (Excludes bowl games, otherwise Miami/FSU)

1946-present (regular season only)

Minnesota (23) (only Mizzou and OU have beaten Nebraska more than Minnesota, most beatings 1900-1960 though 3-18 since 1963)
UCLA (12) excludes one bowl game
Penn St (10)
Oregon (8)
Arizona St (7) excludes one bowl game
Washington (7) excludes one bowl game
Iowa (7)
Pittsburgh (7)
Miami (6) excludes six bowl games
Oregon State (6)

don't forget the Hoosiers

NEBRASKA-
INDIANA 
Series totals
W 8, L 9, T 3
Points for: 345
Points against: 389

[FearlessF]

My analysis, potential annual OOC rivalries for each B1G school:

Nebraska:
This one is obvious, Oklahoma.  Technically the Cornhuskers have more games since WWII against Mizzou, Kansas, ISU, KSU, and Colorado but without the need to look it up I'm confident that those series are substantially more lopsided than the Cornhuskers' series against Oklahoma which also has some VERY memorable past games.  If Oklahoma isn't possible then I would consider Colorado before Nebraska's four most frequent opponents since WWII (Mizzou, ISU, and the two Kansas schools).  

I would pick the Sooners first obviously, but the Mizzou Tigers 2nd, before Colorado