Top 10 toughest schedules in 2008

[Conan]

Look at who is #1 for the 2nd consecutive year...

(This is why I think TW deserves at least one more year to prove himself.



Bruce Feldman, ESPN

Return of the weekly Top 10 list
Monday, June 30, 2008

Sitting on a cross-country flight Sunday gave me a chance to dig into a few things and that means the return of the weekly Top 10 list. Today's topic is the teams with the toughest non-conference schedule. I calculated this one based on a simple point total based on who the team is playing and where, and then averaged up the points since some schools have three games and others have four.
1. Washington: On the bright side, all three opponents have to visit U-Dub. The down side: I predict all three of those teams (BYU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame) will be ranked and two of the three (OU and BYU) will be top-15 teams this year. There are teams with more daunting games (see the next team), but those schools at least have a gimme or two mixed in as well. When Notre Dame is your easiest game, and as I've written before I think the Irish will be improved in 2008, that's saying something.
2. Troy: No one has a tougher double than going to both teams in last season's BCS title game with visits to LSU and then Ohio State, separated by only a game against I-AA Alcorn State. The Trojans' other game is at Oklahoma State, which will be looking for revenge after Troy pounded the Cowboys on national TV.
3. UCLA: Similar to Washington, the Bruins don't have any easy games. Opening against Tennessee will be tough, as will a road trip to BYU. Fresno State sounds more manageable since the Bruins are 6-1 all-time against the Bulldogs. Then again, a lot of people are touting Fresno as a top-25 team this year.
4. Marshall: It doesn't start out too bad as the Thundering Herd open at home with 4-7 Illinois State. Then, it gets nasty. The Herd have to visit Wisconsin in the beginning of September and close out the month going to Morgantown. The following Friday, they host Cincinnati, which beat Marshall 40-14 last season.
5. USC: Say this for the Trojans, they aren't looking for the easy road. They open at Virginia, which I think will be down this year or else USC might take the top spot on this list. Then powerful Ohio State comes to the Coliseum in a game with hefty national title implications. Towards the end of the season arch-rival Notre Dame visits L.A.
6. Oregon State: The Beavers' first non-conference game is a road trip to Happy Valley, which then is followed by a visit from a Hawaii team that I think is on the decline. The third game is at Utah, a school that has a shot at getting to a BCS bowl this year. That's solid all the way around.
7. Miami: Opening at Charleston Southern, a school that went 5-6 last year and lost to Hawaii 66-10, should be a cushy start. At least Randy Shannon better hope his new starting QB Robert Marve gets settled in fast because that game is followed up by a visit to the Swamp to play mighty Florida. Then the Canes go to College Station. The fourth game is no walk-over since it'll be against defending C-USA champion, UCF.
8. East Carolina: The Pirates don't mess around when they kick off a season. They face Virginia Tech (in Charlotte) and then get West Virginia. Both should be top-15 teams. Then ECU has to go to N.C. State, which figures to be a tough game before closing out at Virginia.
9. Michigan: Rich Rodriguez gets a tough test right out of the chute, with a very underrated Utah team coming to Ann Arbor. Then the Wolverines get Miami (Ohio), a team projected to be in the hunt for the MAC title. The next week Michigan goes to South Bend before finishing up the non-conference slate against a Toledo team that beat Iowa State last year.
10. Florida: Many of the names look tougher than they are. The Gators get a visit from a Hawaii team which was a lot better last year than it will be in 2008. Then UF hosts a Miami program that is at least a year away. The Gators close the season at archrival FSU, which has been rebuilding for a while now. The one opponent that seems to be peaking is The Citadel, which is coming off its first winning season since 1997.
Just Missed the Cut: Virginia, Colorado, Georgia, Pitt, Michigan State and Tennesssee.

 

[Furmanski]

This is a joke.

1 SEC school listed and at #10 for that matter.

Georgia's schedule is much more difficult than Florida's schedule this year. UGA should be top 3 IMO.

 

[jayhawkkyle]

the winner of the florida vs. georiga game will play west virgina for the championship!

This is a joke.

1 SEC school listed and at #10 for that matter.

Georgia's schedule is much more difficult than Florida's schedule this year. UGA should be top 3 IMO.

 

[GoSooners]

I think alot of this schedule rating is based on leftover perception from last season. For instance take Florida: Part of their schdule strength is based on Tennessee, Arkansas and Hawaii being the same kind of teams they were last year, when in fact we know here that all of these teams will be down this year. Especially Arkansas and Hawaii. Although any SEC schedule can be considered tough, compared to some of these other teams, Florida really doesn't even belong in the top 20..Much less the top 10. On the other hand, Georgia, who got honorable mention here, has to play an improved South Carolina, ASU, Florida and Auburn teams on the road, along with defending champs LSU on the road. And Bama, who will also be improved this season..In my opinion, not based on last season but this season, Georgia has the most difficult schedule in the country.

 

[everythingthatsgreen]

This is a joke.

1 SEC school listed and at #10 for that matter.

Georgia's schedule is much more difficult than Florida's schedule this year. UGA should be top 3 IMO.

very much agree, no way is the UF schedule > UGA

 

[MIMS]

This is a joke.

1 SEC school listed and at #10 for that matter.

Georgia's schedule is much more difficult than Florida's schedule this year. UGA should be top 3 IMO.

Agreed. This article is a joke.

 

[SoonerBS]

the winner of the florida vs. georiga game will play west virgina for the championship!

I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. West Virginia will not even win their own conference. How are they going to get to the National Championship game?

 

[MIMS]

I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. West Virginia will not even win their own conference. How are they going to get to the National Championship game?

You're from Oklahoma, you should be able to find someone who can figure out how to make that work.

 

[GoSooners]

the winner of the florida vs. georiga game will play west virgina for the championship!

I would be very very surprised if USC or Ohio State wasn't one of the two teams that make the NC game.

 

[MIMS]

I would be very very surprised if USC or Ohio State wasn't one of the two teams that make the NC game.

I might be in the minority here, but I see OSU beating USC and losing to Wisconsin, for what it's worth.

 

[GoSooners]

I might be in the minority here, but I see OSU beating USC and losing to Wisconsin, for what it's worth.

Mims...Also don't forget Michigan State..They played OSU pretty tough last season. I'm also one of the few in agreement with you about OSU vs USC..Right now I give the slight edge to OSU. If they were playing later in the season I would probably play USC..But I think the Buckeyes could surprise early in the season with a veteran offense and a very underrated QB who has played in alot of tough stadiums..

 

[jayhawkkyle]

who gona beat them! that conf. is horrible!

after watching your sooners get their asses handed to them you might want to think about giving them some credit! even though is prob. does have a lot to do w/ stoops not being able to prepare his teams for big games!

I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. West Virginia will not even win their own conference. How are they going to get to the National Championship game?

 

[GoSooners]

after watching your sooners get their asses handed to them you might want to think about giving them some credit! even though is prob. does have a lot to do w/ stoops not being able to prepare his teams for big games!

Jayhawk....The answers are never easy when it comes to college football. I'm not taking anything away from WV, but there were probably 10 teams in the country that could have taken OU down that night in the Fiesta..My belief was it was a combination of coaching, key injuries and a generally bad or wrong attitude on the part of the OU players..I've seen it happen before with OU when they played USC back in 2004..The Sooners had a general "give up" attitude when they got behind in that game..I didn't see this happen in either the National Championship game they had with LSU in 2003 or the Fiesta Bowl 2 years ago with Boise..They fought their hearts out in those games and just came up a little bit short..Plus Stoops has already proved he can win the "Big Game" when OU defeated Florida State in their home state to win the NC. I think this game has more to do with the players you have than anything else..You can have the very best players in the country on your team, but if the chemistry or the attitude of the team isn't right your not going to win shit..Your Jayhawks last season was a great example of a team of maybe not the best talent, but a combination of great coaching, chemistry and positive attitude to get the job done. I backed them all the way last season..I was even one of the few who picked them to beat VT and win the Orange Bowl..I picked that team more for their winning attitude than any other reason. That's the kind of stuff I look for in a team. You know their going to give 100% every game.

 

[Conan]

Jayhawk....The answers are never easy when it comes to college football. I'm not taking anything away from WV, but there were probably 10 teams in the country that could have taken OU down that night in the Fiesta..My belief was it was a combination of coaching, key injuries and a generally bad or wrong attitude on the part of the OU players..I've seen it happen before with OU when they played USC back in 2004..The Sooners had a general "give up" attitude when they got behind in that game..I didn't see this happen in either the National Championship game they had with LSU in 2003 or the Fiesta Bowl 2 years ago with Boise..They fought their hearts out in those games and just came up a little bit short..Plus Stoops has already proved he can win the "Big Game" when OU defeated Florida State in their home state to win the NC. I think this game has more to do with the players you have than anything else..You can have the very best players in the country on your team, but if the chemistry or the attitude of the team isn't right your not going to win shit..Your Jayhawks last season was a great example of a team of maybe not the best talent, but a combination of great coaching, chemistry and positive attitude to get the job done. I backed them all the way last season..I was even one of the few who picked them to beat VT and win the Orange Bowl..I picked that team more for their winning attitude than any other reason. That's the kind of stuff I look for in a team. You know their going to give 100% every game.

This might sound a little bit like heresy but isn't the HC responsible for getting outcoached when it comes down to getting it done in close big games? Nobody's perfect, even the best coaches will get beat once in a while, but the reason why I suggest this GoSooners is because it's happened maybe just a little too often to look the other way. I don't mean to take much away from Stoops as a HC, and certainly over the seasons, he's been exemplary, but I'd give his rating at least a 5% discount just going on results. Or maybe it's his choice of assistants? That's all about the HC too. I've been giving this a lot of thought. It wouldn't hurt to look at this more closely. One thing that rings a bell to me is the attitude issue and the players... but then again, that's part of the HC's job, especially in an established program.

 

[GoSooners]

This might sound a little bit like heresy but isn't the HC responsible for getting outcoached when it comes down to getting it done in close big games? Nobody's perfect, even the best coaches will get beat once in a while, but the reason why I suggest this GoSooners is because it's happened maybe just a little too often to look the other way. I don't mean to take much away from Stoops as a HC, and certainly over the seasons, he's been exemplary, but I'd give his rating at least a 5% discount just going on results. Or maybe it's his choice of assistants? That's all about the HC too. I've been giving this a lot of thought. It wouldn't hurt to look at this more closely. One thing that rings a bell to me is the attitude issue and the players... but then again, that's part of the HC's job, especially in an established program.

Conan...I think the coach can and should bare the blunt of the blame for losing the close ones..Of course you also have to give Stoops the kudos for winning the close ones..And in 2006 the Sooners had plenty of close games on their way to winning the Big 12, that might have been a little overlooked in their Boise loss..... Ultimately it comes down to the players. And I'm still not sure to this day whether the attitude of a players have THAT much to do with coaching...I've seen plenty of very good teams with good proven coaches go down in flames in the last few years....Personally, I think Tressel of Ohio State is an outstanding coach..But he's lost two BCS championship games in a row. Was Florida 27 points better than an NFL loaded OSU team 2 years ago? Or was it the general attitude of the team. The Buckeyes seemed to lose interest in that game when they got behind by a couple TD's. And never recovered..There were alot of NFL prospects on that team. Something tells me that half of them were already counting their money before they even walked off the field. Same goes for OU last season..They had a few players leave early for the NFL...And I KNOW those players had other things on their minds besides meaningless bowl games..If they were playing for a national title their attitudes might have been different..But at any rate I'm glad those players are gone so the Sooners can get back down to business. If this keeps happening then I'm going to have to side with you and say there has to be some coaching changes..Personally I would like to see Mike Stoops get fired and come back to OU..Probably won't happen..But I think OU might need a shakeup on that side of the ball if they lose another big one..For this season, I hope OU either makes it to the BCS title game or gets relegated to a minor bowl..I can't take OU losing another BCS game..But I can except them winning a minor bowl and maybe getting the ship back on the right course.

 

[Gator627]

This is a joke.

1 SEC school listed and at #10 for that matter.

Georgia's schedule is much more difficult than Florida's schedule this year. UGA should be top 3 IMO.

I agree with you. I would take our schedule over your schedule right now.

 

[TOOTIGHT]

Wow this top ten is way off in my opinion as well. I agree with everyone who thinks the Dawgs by far have the toughest schedule. How can Michigan be on there when they don't even have the toughest schedule in the Big 10? Looks to me like the writer is a PAC 10 supporter who thinks anyone in that conference deserves to be in the top ten. I think the PAC 10 is a strong conference and props for the out of conference schedule but come on, 4 out of the top 6 are PAC 10 teams. :think2:

 

[SoonerBS]

after watching your sooners get their asses handed to them you might want to think about giving them some credit! even though is prob. does have a lot to do w/ stoops not being able to prepare his teams for big games!

I guess I fail to understand what this statement has to do with my thoughts on WVU this season.

Last season in the preseason I was giving WVU kudos for having the potential for a great season. They were bringing back 15 starters which included 8 on defense and their two Nationally known studs on offense -- White and Slaton.

jayhawk kyle, this year they bring back only 4 defensively and one of the studs is gone. I think they might be alright offensively more so because of the entire offensive line is intact, but they are going to lose games simply because their defense is going to be inexperienced and making bad decisions.

So, tell, me what does my Sooners getting spanked by WVU in the Fiesta Bowl have with me making an intelligent opinion on WVU's season this year? I guess I'm missing the reason behind your animosity. I try to give legitimate reasons for my statements on this site. If you didn't read enough of my reasoning in this thread, you might go to the "Big East Play-On Games of 2008" thread and read more behind my reasoning. If you're just a Jayhawk fan that also happens to hate the Sooners, then so be it. It's not returned by me because I like the Kansas Jayhawks, in football and basketball. We have taught Mangino and Self everything they know right here in the Sooner state and we're proud of them.

 

[GoSooners]

Jayhawk...Something else to keep in mind about the OU-WV game and the Sooners team last season: In that game OU was missing their best wide receiver All American Malcolm Kelly...Their best cover corner on defense..Their best all conference offensive tackle. A defensive lineman. And another one (Auston English) who was playing hurt. Which meant some shuffling around on both lines. Which led to a few mismatches in that game..We were also missing our best break away threat RB in that game, who was also injured. And the backup for Malcolm Kelly was also hurt..So we were playing with a third string WR, and some second and third string fill in players on the lines..We were going up against a WV team who was just one injured player away from making it to the BCS Championship game. Those aren't excuses. Those are just the facts...The Sooners DID NOT field the same team who beat Mizzou in the Big 12 title game. The Mizzou team that easily handled your Jayhawks. Bad luck happens in college football..And between the Big 12 Championship game and the Fiesta Bowl OU had all of the bad luck a team could possibly have.

 

[sarcean]

Georgia's Schedule

08-30-08 GEORGIA SOUTHERN
9-6-08 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
9-13-08 @South Carolina
9-20-08 @Arizona State
9-27-08 ALABAMA
10-11-08 TENNESSEE
10-18-08 VANBERILT
10-15-08 @LSU
11-1-08 Florida (Jacksonville)
11-08-08 @Kentucky
11-15-08 @Auburn
11-29-08 GEORGIA TECH

verus

UF's schedule

8-30-08 HAWAI'I
9-6-08 MIAMI FL
9-20-08 at Tennessee
9-27-08 MISSISSIPPI
10-4-08 at Arkansas
10-11-08 LOUISIANA STATE
10-25-08 KENTUCKY
11-1-08 vs. Georgia (@ Jacksonville)
11-8-08 at Vanderbilt
11-15-08 SOUTH CAROLINA
11-22-08 THE CITADEL
11-29-08 at Florida State

Georgia plays six coaches next year that have won national titles and the four game stretch of @LSU, UF (Jacksonville), @Kentucky, and @Auburn is brutal as they come. @Arizona State and Alabama at home are no walks in the park either


Florida on the other hand only leaves the state THREE times the whole season :wink: what the fuck is the writer of this article smoking