The Optimal Notre Dame Scheduling Model

[Buster Bluth]

An open challenge: find a better scheduling model than one consisting of:

- Five ACC teams
- Three or four 99%-wins FBS teams
- Four or three rivals (Michigan State and Purdue?)

An example:

1- vs. Miami (OH)
2- vs. Ball State
3- vs. Michigan State
4- vs. Rice
5- vs. Duke (ACC #5)
6- at Florida State (ACC#1)
7- BYE
8- vs. Southern Cal
9- at Navy
10- at Pittsburgh (ACC #3)
11- at Virginia (ACC #4)
12- vs. Virginia Tech (ACC #2)
13- BYE
14- at Stanford
C- BYE

 

[Grahambo]

I approve of this message.

 

[ACamp1900]

I approve of this message.

HEY!!

 

[Grahambo]

HEY!!

Hi.

 

[ACamp1900]

Hi.

Stole my line is all...

 

[Grahambo]

Stole my line is all...

Maybe it's time you transfer out of IE since I stole your playing time.

 

[peoriairish]

No issue with play Rice as long as we make sure we have play 3 top 15 games. When looking at the SEC, you think Georgia would be where they are now if they didn't play South Carolina and LSU?

There is a huge over estimation on the SEC teams that has been getting worse and worse. They always have 5-6 teams ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season (a reason I believe pre-season rankings should be done away with). WHen they play each other and lose, the losing team will only fall ~5 spots in the ranks. Then they play their cupcakes and keep moving up. In all actuality, take away Bama, LSU, and Ugga (pre-injuries) and the SEC a very average conference. The top teams just beat each other once or twice a season and that is enough to carry them to BCS bowls.

To bring that rambling home, I do not believe most SEC teams play more than 1-2 top 15 teams all season, despite what their rankings may say.

 

[sharksamardzija8345]

that's a nice schedule.. depends on how challenging you want it.. I'd think maybe one of Miami (OH), Ball State or Rice type team would turn into a BCS type team for our Shamrock Series to continue, perhaps.. but what do you think? Maybe that'd be too challenging of a schedule

 

[ACamp1900]

There is a huge over estimation on the SEC teams that has been getting worse and worse. They always have 5-6 teams ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season (a reason I believe pre-season rankings should be done away with). WHen they play each other and lose, the losing team will only fall ~5 spots in the ranks. Then they play their cupcakes and keep moving up. In all actuality, take away Bama, LSU, and Ugga (pre-injuries) and the SEC a very average conference. The top teams just beat each other once or twice a season and that is enough to carry them to BCS bowls.

To bring that rambling home, I do not believe most SEC teams play more than 1-2 top 15 teams all season, despite what their rankings may say.

agree

 

[Buster Bluth]

that's a nice schedule.. depends on how challenging you want it.. I'd think maybe one of Miami (OH), Ball State or Rice type team would turn into a BCS type team for our Shamrock Series to continue, perhaps.. but what do you think? Maybe that'd be too challenging of a schedule

The Shamrock Series can replace any home game against 1) an AQ team, 2) not Stanford/USC. For obvious reasons, season ticket holders would be getting screwed if they moved the big ticket game, and playing BGSU in Seattle just won't get it done. haha

I think considering just how valuable Michigan State is to Notre Dame is going to be a huge impact. The schedule I created doesn't have exciting variety (outside of the nice ACC rotations). Dropping MSU allows one game against a solid AQ team (e.g. Oregon State, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, etc), dropping a powderpuff game puts you in a situation where the schedule is rather daunting in my opinion.

 

[Ndaccountant]

There is a huge over estimation on the SEC teams that has been getting worse and worse. They always have 5-6 teams ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season (a reason I believe pre-season rankings should be done away with). WHen they play each other and lose, the losing team will only fall ~5 spots in the ranks. Then they play their cupcakes and keep moving up. In all actuality, take away Bama, LSU, and Ugga (pre-injuries) and the SEC a very average conference. The top teams just beat each other once or twice a season and that is enough to carry them to BCS bowls.

To bring that rambling home, I do not believe most SEC teams play more than 1-2 top 15 teams all season, despite what their rankings may say.

Take Georgia as an example.

This year they play USC, Florida, LSU, Clemson and will most likely have to play Bama in the SEC championship. To me, those four teams are better than the top four of Southern Cal, Standford, FSU and VT/MSU.

Take Bama this year. They play LSU, Texas A&M and will have to play Georgia in the SEC Champ game. To me, those three are all top 15.

I agree the middle of the pack SEC tends to be overrated, but the top of the pack clearly proves to be head and shoulders above anything else year in and year out.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Iowa Pre-Flight, 5 ACC teams, Rice, IU, Rice again.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Take Georgia as an example.

This year they play USC, Florida, LSU, Clemson and will most likely have to play Bama in the SEC championship. To me, those four teams are better than the top four of Southern Cal, Standford, FSU and VT/MSU.

Take Bama this year. They play LSU, Texas A&M and will have to play Georgia in the SEC Champ game. To me, those three are all top 15.

I agree the middle of the pack SEC tends to be overrated, but the top of the pack clearly proves to be head and shoulders above anything else year in and year out.

Agree. I don't share the view that the SEC is very overrated. They get talent, they have good coaches, they keep kids eligible...they're really good.

 

[ACamp1900]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Iowa Pre-Flight, 5 ACC teams, Rice, IU, Rice again.

This would be my vote...

Carnegie Mellon anyone???

 

[peoriairish]

I do think this one is huge. I'd be in favor of reorganizing the schedule even if we didn't change it much.

How would you re-arrange this year's schedule? It's very tough any way you look at it.

1. Temple
2. AF
3. MSU
4. Pitt
5. BYE
6. USC
7. UM
8. Navy
9. ASU
10. BYU
11. Stanford
12. Purdue
13. Oklahoma

That looks no easier than what we currently have.

 

[peoriairish]

Take Georgia as an example.

This year they play USC, Florida, LSU, Clemson and will most likely have to play Bama in the SEC championship. To me, those four teams are better than the top four of Southern Cal, Standford, FSU and VT/MSU.

Take Bama this year. They play LSU, Texas A&M and will have to play Georgia in the SEC Champ game. To me, those three are all top 15.

I agree the middle of the pack SEC tends to be overrated, but the top of the pack clearly proves to be head and shoulders above anything else year in and year out.

Florida is bad.
Scar isn't any better than Michigan or MSU
LSU and Clemson are for real.

So taking away the SEC Championship, Ugga only plays 2 top 15 teams according to peoriairish's rankings.

Edit: And you made my point with Bama. Only 2 games against top 15 competition. (I don't really think it's fair to include the SEC Championship because they didn't schedule that team and have no choice in who they play)

 

[IrishJayhawk]

How would you re-arrange this year's schedule? It's very tough any way you look at it.

1. Temple
2. AF
3. MSU
4. Pitt
5. BYE
6. USC
7. UM
8. Navy
9. ASU
10. BYU
11. Stanford
12. Purdue
13. Oklahoma

That looks no easier than what we currently have.

I'm generally for easing up on the schedule a bit. Maybe one more lower echelon team...like a Temple. But we could have, at minimum, had one more of them (like AF) early.

 

[gkIrish]

Where's OCIrish?? Pretty sure he is the biggest opponent to softening the schedule.

(sorry if I'm mixing you up with someone else)

 

[ACamp1900]

I'm generally for easing up on the schedule a bit. Maybe one more lower echelon team...like a Temple. But we could have, at minimum, had one more of them (like AF) early.

1. Temple
2. AF
3. MSU
4. Pitt
5. BYE
6. USC
7. Idaho
8. Navy
9. ASU
10. BYU
11. Stanford
12. Purdue
13. Oklahoma

Yep, take peoriairish's schedule and replace UM with Idaho.... that is still a good enough schedule when compared across the country... and that one game impacts the whole thing fairly significantly imo...

 

[Buster Bluth]

I think the simplest way to explain the future of scheduling is that we are an ACC member but we've traded championship eligibility for the USC/Navy/Stanford rivalries. We still need the three powderpuffs just like the rest of the country.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

1. Temple
2. AF
3. MSU
4. Pitt
5. BYE
6. USC
7. Idaho
8. Navy
9. ASU
10. BYU
11. Stanford
12. Purdue
13. Oklahoma

Yep, take peoriairish's schedule and replace UM with Idaho.... that is still a good enough schedule when compared across the country... and that one game impacts the whole thing fairly significantly imo...

Totally agree.

It's why I was never in favor of teams like Utah or TCU getting BCS games. They could beat a good team here and there. They even knocked teams off in a big bowl here and there. But they would never have been able to do it week in and week out. They could essentially rest for half the year until they got to their one or two tougher games.

 

[peoriairish]

1. Temple
2. AF
3. MSU
4. Pitt
5. BYE
6. USC
7. Idaho
8. Navy
9. ASU
10. BYU
11. Stanford
12. Purdue
13. Oklahoma

Yep, take peoriairish's schedule and replace UM with Idaho.... that is still a good enough schedule when compared across the country... and that one game impacts the whole thing fairly significantly imo...

It does. But it's still a rough final stretch. But to the original point, the freshman would have time in the system by the end and we should be moving at full steam. I like it.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Florida is bad.
Scar isn't any better than Michigan or MSU
LSU and Clemson are for real.

So taking away the SEC Championship, Ugga only plays 2 top 15 teams according to peoriairish's rankings.

Edit: And you made my point with Bama. Only 2 games against top 15 competition. (I don't really think it's fair to include the SEC Championship because they didn't schedule that team and have no choice in who they play)

You do have to consider it though because in the end, that is who they will play and their full body of schedule will compare to ND's full body come playoff time.

 

[gkIrish]

It's definitely advantageous to have one and only one higher profile game earlier in the season to build some hype. Michigan State would suffice.

 

[Folsteam_Ahead]

i like the idea of softening the schedule on the front end. what role does conference play have in changing our schedule to this format? i always assumed we're front loaded because conferences are going through the in-conference schedules which leaves us out in the cold.

 

[Ndaccountant]

It's definitely advantageous to have one and only one higher profile game earlier in the season to build some hype. Michigan State would suffice.

I agree, but MSU is not high profile due to their perception nationally.

 

[gkIrish]

I agree, but MSU is not high profile due to their perception nationally.

Maybe play Stanford week 3 then?

 

[ACamp1900]

I agree, but MSU is not high profile due to their perception nationally.

Not that you are wrong on MSU, but MSU is a higher profile team than the majority of 'name' programs play during the first three weeks...

 

[gkIrish]

I think it would suffice to play MSU week 3 when we play in East Lansing. Game will likely be at night and on ABC.

When MSU is a home game, try and play Stanford week 3 and MSU some other time.

 

[Buster Bluth]

It's definitely advantageous to have one and only one higher profile game earlier in the season to build some hype. Michigan State would suffice.

The logic I went with is this: keep the two half-seasons--leading up to USC and Stanford respectively. Place the BYE week for those games like normally done.

Place the toughest two ACC games right before the BYE week, so allow recuperation and to spread the schedule out.

1-
2-
3-
4-
5- ACC #5
6- ACC #1
7- BYE
8- Southern Cal/Stanford
9-
10-
11-
12- ACC #2
13- BYE
14- Stanford/Southern Cal

Then place the two weakest ACC teams ahead of the #1 and #2...

1-
2-
3-
4-
5- ACC #5
6- ACC #1
7- BYE
8- Southern Cal/Stanford
9-
10-
11- ACC #4
12- ACC #2
13- BYE
14- Stanford/Southern Cal

Michigan State would have to be in the first four weeks of the season, per Big Ten rules. The powederpuffs are beneficial in the beginning.

1- powderpuff #1
2- powderpuff #2
3- Michigan State
4- powderpuff #3
5- ACC #5
6- ACC #1
7- BYE
8- Southern Cal/Stanford
9-
10-
11- ACC #4
12- ACC #2
13- BYE
14- Stanford/Southern Cal

Plop in Navy and the other ACC team where available. place Navy ahead of Georgia Tech (for obvious reasons) when they're up on the rotation. Voila.