The Optimal Notre Dame Scheduling Model

Hautian Domer

Hautian Domer

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My optimal schedule:

Purdue/Michigan State (rotate)
Boston College/Pitt (rotate)
Navy
Army/Air Force (rotate)
Georgia Tech/Miami/FSU (rotate)
Additional ACC opponent
SEC opponent
USC
Michigan
A few “filler” teams scattered in there to round it out.
 
greyhammer90

greyhammer90

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Hautian Domer said:
My optimal schedule:

Purdue/Michigan State (rotate)
Boston College/Pitt (rotate)
Navy
Army/Air Force (rotate)
Georgia Tech/Miami/FSU (rotate)
Additional ACC opponent
SEC opponent
USC
Michigan
A few “filler” teams scattered in there to round it out.
Click to expand...

Hey I hate this
 
NorthDakota

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I

IrishTusker

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We really seem to like scheduling tough road games to open the season: 6 times in the last 10 years, by my count. Whereas OSU, Michigan, and Alabama have each only scheduled 1 game like that in the same period. I'm not exactly sure how this approach to scheduling benefits ND.
 
irishff1014

irishff1014

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Not saying we have to play Miami of Ohio the first game but play Arkansas, Purdue, or NC state. Especially with the way rosters turnover anymore, help your self.
 
NDPhilly

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It’s going to continue be one of the challenges of being independent - big time programs generally want OOC games at the start of the year and not deep in conference play.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if USC becomes our de facto week 1 matchup in the future.
 
ND87

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Aren't the schedules made like 3 years in advance?
Didn't Miami suck 3 years ago?
 
stlnd01

stlnd01

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IrishTusker said:
We really seem to like scheduling tough road games to open the season: 6 times in the last 10 years, by my count. Whereas OSU, Michigan, and Alabama have each only scheduled 1 game like that in the same period. I'm not exactly sure how this approach to scheduling benefits ND.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure it’s really our preference. It’s more that marquee opponents are willing to schedule us early, and then do a couple of tuneups before entering their conference schedule. There’s a reason we most play ACC teams, service academies and G5s after the first of October.
 
ulukinatme

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IrishTusker said:
We really seem to like scheduling tough road games to open the season: 6 times in the last 10 years, by my count. Whereas OSU, Michigan, and Alabama have each only scheduled 1 game like that in the same period. I'm not exactly sure how this approach to scheduling benefits ND.
Click to expand...

A neutral site would be fuckin' lovely if we're scheduling a big time opponent.
 
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IrishTusker

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A reminder to the ND schedulers: your job is not to protect/help other programs, or NBC, or "the sport." It's to protect ND. The scheduling decisions recently (including this year) have harmed rather than helped ND.

This isn't a "consequence of our independence." An undefeated or 1-loss ND team is making a 12-team playoff regardless of its SOS.
 
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IrishTusker

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irishff1014 said:
Fuck it join the conference
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Or just don't schedule your two toughest games to start the season? Is that not an option? If tougher teams don't want to play later in the season, then don't play them. We should be dictating terms, not them.

Michigan won a natty in 2023-24 with an extremely soft schedule. Nobody remembers that or cares. We'd be in the playoff with a 12-0 or 11-1 record in the new system.
 
Bane

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Independence is cool and all, but if it is going to cost us to flush seasons down the drain and have to start on the road basically every season at some big time environment, just join a conference.

People point at Michigan's schedules which is fair, but UGA played like 2-4 teams total with a true pulse in the regular season over the course of their back to back championship seasons:

georgiadogs.com

2021 Football Schedule - University of Georgia Athletics

The official 2021 Football schedule for the University of Georgia Bulldogs
georgiadogs.com georgiadogs.com
georgiadogs.com

2022 Football Schedule - University of Georgia Athletics

The official 2022 Football schedule for the University of Georgia Bulldogs
georgiadogs.com georgiadogs.com

Does anyone hold that against them?

Clemson played no one last year, looked terrible, and eked out a conference title and got into the playoffs. The goal isn't to be independent, the goal is to grease the skids to the playoffs every season.
 
stlnd01

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Bane said:
Independence is cool and all, but if it is going to cost us to flush seasons down the drain and have to start on the road basically every season at some big time environment, just join a conference.

People point at Michigan's schedules which is fair, but UGA played like 2-4 teams total with a true pulse in the regular season over the course of their back to back championship seasons:

georgiadogs.com

2021 Football Schedule - University of Georgia Athletics

The official 2021 Football schedule for the University of Georgia Bulldogs
georgiadogs.com georgiadogs.com
georgiadogs.com

2022 Football Schedule - University of Georgia Athletics

The official 2022 Football schedule for the University of Georgia Bulldogs
georgiadogs.com georgiadogs.com

Does anyone hold that against them?

Clemson played no one last year, looked terrible, and eked out a conference title and got into the playoffs. The goal isn't to be independent, the goal is to grease the skids to the playoffs every season.
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It's not that our overall schedule is so difficult. Nor is it so easy. Most years on balance it's fine.
The problem is the way we get boxed into playing these big games early, while other teams get tuneups, and then have so few opportunities for big wins later in the season, when the voters are paying attention. USC moving early on the schedule will take away another (sometimes) marquee game from the back half of the season.
 
Bane

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stlnd01 said:
It's not that our overall schedule is so difficult. Nor is it so easy. Most years on balance it's fine.
The problem is the way we get boxed into playing these big games early, while other teams get tuneups, and then have so few opportunities for big wins later in the season, when the voters are paying attention. USC moving early on the schedule will take away another (sometimes) marquee game from the back half of the season.
Click to expand...
I agree, that's what frustrates me. We're not going to have any wiggle room because teams aren't going to to want to play us in the middle of their conference grind. I'm not afraid to play Miami at Miami, but I'm sick to death of playing Miami, aTm, OSU, etc. on the road to open the season. We're constantly starting off in the hole (I know we won the opening game last year, but I think the high of that led to a week of overconfidence playing NIU). UGA got 2 tuneup games before playing Tennessee yesterday. Sure OSU opened against Texas, but then they got some tune up games.
 
stlnd01

stlnd01

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Bane said:
I agree, that's what frustrates me. We're not going to have any wiggle room because teams aren't going to to want to play us in the middle of their conference grind. I'm not afraid to play Miami at Miami, but I'm sick to death of playing Miami, aTm, OSU, etc. on the road to open the season. We're constantly starting off in the hole (I know we won the opening game last year, but I think the high of that led to a week of overconfidence playing NIU). UGA got 2 tuneup games before playing Tennessee yesterday. Sure OSU opened against Texas, but then they got some tune up games.
Click to expand...
A&M and OSU are at least true nonconference opponents. ACC owed us a solid after Miami ducked us last year and that game should've come later in the season. But they probably wanted that opening weekend TV hit.
 
S

stpeteirish

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Basketball independence died when we couldn’t get teams to play us in Feb and March. Same thing is gradually happening in football.
 
L

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Yeah I hate to say it because I have always loved independence, but every big game besides USC or Clemson being in the first two or three weeks of the year just does not work.
 
T-Boone

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I am leaning towards joining SEC. That solves several problems.
 
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