Oklahoma Has Toughest Schedule

[SoonerofAlabama]

From The Sporting News:

“I don’t think there is any question,” Stoops said earlier this spring, “that we have more players ready to play this year than maybe at any other time.”

They’ll need it. Not only do the Sooners have the Big 12’s toughest nonconference schedule (what’s new?), they also could begin the season as the preseason No.1 team in the coaches’ poll.

The non-league schedule is highlighted by what will be the Sooners’ toughest game of the season, a trip to Florida State on Sept. 17. One break for OU: The team’s bye week is Sept. 10.

A breakdown of the Big 12 nonconference schedules:

First to worst
Oklahoma: Tulsa, at FSU, Ball State

Texas A&M: SMU, Idaho, vs. Arkansas

Texas: Rice, BYU, at UCLA

Iowa State: Northern Iowa, Iowa, at UConn

Oklahoma State: Louisiana-Lafayette, Arizona, at Tulsa

Missouri: Miami OH, at Arizona State, Western Illinois

Baylor: TCU, Stephen F. Austin, Rice

Kansas State: Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, at Miami

Kansas: McNeese State, Northern Illinois, at Georgia Tech

Texas Tech: Texas State, at New Mexico, Nevada

The scoreboard
Games against BCS teams: 9 of 30 possible (30 percent)

Games against non-BCS teams: 15 of 30 possible (50 percent)

Games against FCS teams: 6 of 30 possible (20 percent)

Vs. BCS conference (2 of 6 conferences analyzed)
Games against BCS teams: ACC (44 percent), Big 12 (30 percent).

Games against non-BCS teams: Big 12 (50 percent), ACC (48 percent).

Games against FCS teams: ACC (27 percent), Big 12 (20 percent).

Five best games
Sept. 9: Missouri at Arizona State

Sept. 10: Arizona at Oklahoma State

Sept. 17: Oklahoma at Florida State

Sept. 24: Kansas State at Miami

Oct. 1: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Dallas)

Five worst games
Sept. 3: Eastern Kentucky at Kansas State

Sept. 3: McNeese State at Kansas

Sept. 3: Texas State at Texas Tech

Sept. 17: Stephen F. Austin at Baylor

Sept. 17: Western Illinois at Missouri

Quick hits
• Some things never change. Oklahoma plays strong nonconference competition; Texas Tech does not. In the last five years, the Sooners have scheduled non-league games against Florida State, Miami (twice), Cincinnati and Oregon. Over that same span, Texas Tech’s toughest non-con game was against TCU or Houston – neither a BCS school (and OU played TCU, too). Meanwhile, Tech played games against Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State, Eastern Washington, Massachusetts and North Dakota.

• The Big 12’s move to 10 teams meant a move to a round-robin conference schedule. Only the Big East and the Big 12 now play every conference member in the regular season. Those nine league games limits the nonconference schedules, and puts pressure on teams to get six home games to meet athletic budgets. More times than not, that means games against rent-a-victims: 21 of the 30 non-con games are against non-BCS or FCS teams.

• The bounce-back season at Texas begins with a home game against Rice, but is followed by a home game against BYU – which got better, quickly, by the end of last season with freshman QB Jake Heaps (13 touchdowns, two interceptions in the last five games; 4-1 record). Then there’s road game against UCLA; the same UCLA team that won in Austin last year, and the same UCLA team that is just as desperate to win big this fall.

• The Oct. 1 Texas A&M-Arkansas game in Cowboys Stadium may be the Aggies’ only hurdle in what could be an 8-0 start before a game at Oklahoma. Other than Arkansas, only Oklahoma State has the talent to beat the Aggies in the first eight games of the season. Oklahoma State beat Texas A&M last year on a last-second field goal – and only after A&M QB Jerrod Johnson threw four interceptions and coughed up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

[badger]

pbbth, we totally already determined that OUr schedule was the toughest via a poll (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153638&highlight=toughest+non-conference) a month ago :P

[BillyBall]

K-State going to Miami should be interesting for Arthur Brown.

[lexsooner]

I am glad and proud we play such a tough schedule. I hate teams which cruise along playing nobodies and then try and back into position to play for the MNC. Besides, past history shows it pays off to play a tough schedule, and you get the edge over a team which played a lesser one: Asterisk U.

[SoonerofAlabama]

pbbth, we totally already determined that OUr schedule was the toughest via a poll (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153638&highlight=toughest+non-conference) a month ago :P

But I am posting this because now it is official.

[tfoolry]

I'll take Bob's early schedule over Mike's:

Thu. 09/08/11 at Oklahoma State
Sat. 09/17/11 Stanford
Sat. 09/24/11 Oregon
Sat. 10/01/11 at USC

[Sabanball]

If you could wave a magic wand and trade schedules with us, would you? That's what I thought.;)

Relatively speaking, your schedule MAY BE more difficult than your fellow conference members, but beyond that trying to brag about how you guys have some kind of killer schedule is, with all due respect, laughable. Other than FSU and Texas, you guys won't face any serious competition until the second week in January. With the way you project going into the season, any loss at this point to any other team on your schedule would be considered a HUGE upset.

And BTW, I'd GLADLY trade schedules with you guys.

[SoonerofAlabama]

Sept. 3 Kent State
Sept. 10 at Penn State
Sept. 17 North Texas
Sept. 24 *Arkansas
Oct. 1 *at Florida
Oct. 8 *Vanderbilt
Oct. 15 *at Mississippi
Oct. 22 *Tennessee
Oct. 29 BYE
Nov. 5 *LSU
Nov. 12 *at Mississippi State
Nov. 19 Georgia Southern
Nov. 26 *at Auburn

Besides LSU and possibly Penn State, I don't see too much competition for you guys. Tennesee has a developing quarterback in Tyler Bray an Mississippi State might pose as a minor glitch, but I don't see it. I am not saying that our schedule is the hardest in the NCAA nor yours the weakest, but this is just my opinion.

[Sabanball]

Sept. 3 Kent State
Sept. 10 at Penn State
Sept. 17 North Texas
Sept. 24 *Arkansas
Oct. 1 *at Florida
Oct. 8 *Vanderbilt
Oct. 15 *at Mississippi
Oct. 22 *Tennessee
Oct. 29 BYE
Nov. 5 *LSU
Nov. 12 *at Mississippi State
Nov. 19 Georgia Southern
Nov. 26 *at Auburn

Besides LSU and possibly Penn State, I don't see too much competition for you guys. Tennesee has a developing quarterback in Tyler Bray an Mississippi State might pose as a minor glitch, but I don't see it. I am not saying that our schedule is the hardest in the NCAA nor yours the weakest, but this is just my opinion.

Oh yea....I forgot, @Auburn and @Florida are patsies...;)

Again, I'd take your schedule ten times to sunday over the one we have to play.

[SoonerofAlabama]

Auburn and Florida aren't supposed to be anything next year. Just because you have fans yelling at the team doesn't mean they are automatically going to lose.

[Iam4OUru]

I'd take a home game vs LSU this year over a trip to Tally in a heartbeat.

[Sabanball]

Auburn and Florida aren't supposed to be anything next year. Just because you have fans yelling at the team doesn't mean they are automatically going to lose.


Really? Auburn and Florida, both having won NC's in the last 3 yrs and recruited very well in that same period of time, are not going to field good teams this year? That's a new one on me.

[MeMyself&Me]

Bama is in the SEC. That alone means they have the toughest schedule in the UNIVERSE! :rolleyes:

[SoonerofAlabama]

So recruiting almost never brings immediate success and previous talent has all left for the NFL for these teams.Just because you were on the same team as the talented players who caused a team to win a national title does not mean you will field an amazing team. Both of these teams saw probably two of the best running quarterbacks of all-time and a few freshmen come in and all of a sudden they can compete will national-title-caliber teams? There is no way. Experience doesn't always grant success.

[sooner518]

Really? Auburn and Florida, both having won NC's in the last 3 yrs and recruited very well in that same period of time, are not going to field good teams this year? That's a new one on me.

Osu and A&M are both ranked higher than either of those teams.....

[OU_Sooners75]

:rolleyes:
If you could wave a magic wand and trade schedules with us, would you? That's what I thought.;)

Relatively speaking, your schedule MAY BE more difficult than your fellow conference members, but beyond that trying to brag about how you guys have some kind of killer schedule is, with all due respect, laughable. Other than FSU and Texas, you guys won't face any serious competition until the second week in January. With the way you project going into the season, any loss at this point to any other team on your schedule would be considered a HUGE upset.

And BTW, I'd GLADLY trade schedules with you guys.

On paper:

OSU and A&M > Florida and Auburn this coming season.

That doesnt mean that Florida and Auburn will have bad years. But they wont exactly be world beaters either.

Alabama and LSU will be the kings of the SEC this year. Followed by South Carolina. And you all will not see South Carolina unless you make the SEC CCG!

I know, I know...SEC! SEC! SEC!

[47straight]

The only way Bama could make their schedule harder would be to play themselves!

[SoonerofAlabama]

I just can't agree that their schedule is tougher when they play average teams throughtout the year and Georgia Southern in the last two weeks of their schedule.

[OU_Sooners75]

I just can't agree that their schedule is tougher when they play average teams throughtout the year and Georgia Southern in the last two weeks of their schedule.

They play in the SEC...the toughest conference in all the universe! That in itself makes all other schedules weak!

[SoonerShay]

LSU and Florida? LSU has lost 11 games in the last 3 years and even in their MNC year they lost 2 games. The weakest national title winner this decade easily. Florida won MNCs with Urban Meyer not Will Muschamp, and they weren't exactly awesome last year.

Most of the teams on Bama's schedule have serious question marks, or just are never that good and won't be this year.

Funny thing, I bet if you were on one of the opposing fans boards and they were talking up their chances to beat Bama this year. You would be pointing out all the holes in their arguments.

[texaspokieokie]

The only way Bama could make their schedule harder would be to play themselves!

you mean like a big ol circle jerk ???

[Sooner_Tuf]

Auburn? Really? They lost the offense to the NFL and prison.

You are basing they will be back immediately on Chizik's success at Iowa State?

[bornnbredou]

:rolleyes:

On paper:

OSU and A&M > Florida and Auburn this coming season.

That doesnt mean that Florida and Auburn will have bad years. But they wont exactly be world beaters either.

Alabama and LSU will be the kings of the SEC this year. Followed by South Carolina. And you all will not see South Carolina unless you make the SEC CCG!

I know, I know...SEC! SEC! SEC!

I have to say...I'm honored to have made your sig line

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Really? Auburn and Florida, both having won NC's in the last 3 yrs and recruited very well in that same period of time, are not going to field good teams this year? That's a new one on me.

Kansas recruited real well last year. We could be in trouble.

[StoopTroup]

We never stand a chance against tejas and oSu is gonna show us what's what this year :rolleyes:....Also tejas tick is gonna take us to the woodshed. :pop:

[SoonerofAlabama]

Okay,again not related to this:

Is this name cool or dumb: Steele Jantz?