Here's another part of my summer reading series. This week, it's look at the schedules of the Big XII and the Southeastern Conference. We Still miss you, Alan Malamud.
BIg XII
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/8 Oklahoma State at Arizona: Folks around Stillwater will be anxious to see what life without Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will really be like the same way that the folks around Tucson will be wanting to see what life with Rich Rodriguez will be like. This week two contest will show both camps how far they've come in a short transition period.
9/8 Miami at Kansas State: Last year K-State escaped from South Beach with an exciting 28-24 win. Headlines don't come easily in Manhattan, KS so a second straight win over the 'Canes will draw attention. Wildcat QB Collin Klein leads an offense that returns eight starters from the 2011 squad that went 10-3.
9/8 Iowa State at Iowa: Yeah, it's not one of the glamour rivalries of the game, but it means everything to the folks in the corn state. The Cyclones haven't won at Iowa City since 2002 where QB Seneca Wallace and his 361 yards passing led ISU to a 36-31 win over the Hawkeyes.
9/15 Texas at Mississippi: It's the only Big XII matchup with an SEC school this season. Even if Ole Miss has had a tough time of it lately, a win here will help Texas climb back into the national picture. The Longhorns hold a 5-1 record against the Rebels, but the two schools haven't met since the 1966 Bluebonnet Bowl that Texas won, 19-0.
10/27 Notre Dame at Oklahoma: With the way ND has been playing the last few years, this looks like a mismatch in favor of the Sooners. However, the boys from South Bend own this series. The Irish hold an 8-1 series edge with their lone loss coming at home in 1956. ND is 4-0 all-time at OU with this win being the most memorable...
On November 19, 1957 Notre Dame went into Norman and beat the Sooners, 7-0, thus ending their 47-game winning streak. The win gave birth to the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Oklahoma could erase some bad history with a win over the Fighting Irish.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/15 TCU at Kansas: This is a big one because it is TCU's first ever Big XII conference game. Kansas owns a 5-1-1 record over TCU, but the two squads haven't met since 1997. That was well before the rise of the Horned Frog program under HC Gary Patterson. The Jayhawks will come into this game just 2-10 in their last 12 Big XII home games.
9/29 Baylor at West Virginia: This game marks the Mountaineers entrance into Big XII play. The folks in Morgantown are so excited over this tilt that they made it their Homecoming game. This will also be the first meeting ever between the two schools.
11/3 TCU at West Virginia: Well, this is the game for the two newbies to the league and haven't they met somewhere before? Yes, they have. The Mountaineers won the only previous meeting between the two with a 31-14 win over the Horned Frogs in the 1984 Bluebonnet Bowl.
11/24 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: This has got to be one of the most lopsided rivalries around. The Sooners own the series with an 81-17-7 record against the boys from Stillwater. The Cowboys have lost their last three trips to Norman by an average of 31 points per game.
12/1 Oklahoma at TCU: This game could be the last hurdle for an undefeated season for the Sooners. However, Amon G. Carter Stadium is no easy place to play and there will be a full crowd of purple clad crazies on hand to support the Frogs. OU holds a 5-2 edge in the series with a 35-10 win over the Horned Frogs in their last meeting in 2008. The game wasn't even as close as the lopsided score indicates. OU gave up a late TD with their backups after building a 35-3 lead through three quarters.
Big XII Scheduling Odds and Ends
...I guess they liked it in December; Oklahoma opens up this year at UTEP. Huh? Yeah, at UTEP. OU was last at the Sun Bowl in 2009 where they beat Stanford, 31-27. The Sooners are 2-0 in the series with OU averaging a six TD margin of victory in those two meetings.
...Goin' to the fair; Once again, the Texas-Oklahoma game is on the official list of events at the Texas State Fair. I just like saying that every year. I can taste the ribs and deep fried Oreos now.
...Late roadies; Oklahoma State only plays five road games this year, but the last two come in their final two games with trips to Oklahoma and Baylor on 11/24 and 12/1.
...No favors for the new guy; West Virginia gets a three week stretch in November that starts with a home date with TCU and ends with road games at Okie State and Oklahoma.
...A big finish; TCU ends the season with this double shot of tough. They go to Texas on 11/24 and come home for Oklahoma on 12/1.
...Too much purple; Texas Tech plays at TCU and Kansas State on back-to-back Saturdays in October.
...Not an easy FCS team: Baylor hosts Sam Houston State this fall. Sam Houston State went 14-1 last year in the FCS with their only loss coming in the FCS Championship Game. The Kats could just embarrass the Bears and the BIg XII with an upset here.
...Not in the same league; Anyone besides me wonder why Iowa State and Iowa didn't end up in the same conference? They play each other every year, yet never have squared off in league play.
...The Dakotas love sunflowers; Kansas opens up with South Dakota State this year. In 2010, the Jayhwaks lost their opener to North Dakota State, 6-3. I guess all the schools of the Dakotas are lining up to put KU on their schedules.
Southeastern Conference (Where soft scheduling builds the myth of top to bottom dominance!)
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/1 Michigan v. Alabama at Jerryworld: This could be a big game. It really means everything for the Big Ten. A Michigan win and it's big time national attention for the Big 10. A loss allows every writer east of Norman to marginalize the Big 10 for the rest of the season. A loss to 'Bama wouldn't hurt them nearly as bad because all those writers will soon tell us how 'Bama will return from this horrible loss to contend for the SEC crown. You know, that same crown that 'Bama HC Nick Saban didn't matter when it came to national title game selection in 2011.
8/31 Tennessee v. North Carolina State at the Georgia Dome: This is the first half of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff weekend. The series here is tied at 1-1, but they last met in 1939. A more important note is that Tennessee has started a season away from home twice in the last nine years and lost both games.
9/1 Auburn v. Clemson at the Georgia Dome: This is the second half of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff weekend. This is a long series and a one-sided one. Auburn holds a 34-12-2 series edge and had a 14-game winning streak over Clemson snapped last year. The Purple and Orange's 38-24 over the defending national champs vaulted them into the national picture until their annual collapse started in October. A loss here by Clemson could start their collapse early.
9/8 Washington at LSU: The Huskies don't have history on their side here. The Dawgs are just 2-9 all-time v. the SEC. Also, the only other time the Dawgs visited Baton Rouge was 1983 and they were whipped, 40-14. Also, LSU is 20-4 all-time vs. the Pac 12 with USC being the last team to beat LSU back in 1979.
9/15 Arizona State at Missouri: This became a Pac 12-SEC clash when the Tigers bolted from the Big XII. The winner will be shown to be an example of the their conference's strength. However, I find it hard to fathom how there could much SEC chest thumping about a Mizzou team that may get this win, but will not have even played a league game yet. Fun facts: With Missouri's entrance into the SEC, that gives the league three teams with the Tiger as a mascot. There will be two Coulmbia's in the league. Columbia, South Carolina and Columbia, Missouri.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/8 Florida at Texas A&M: After being the Southwest Conference, then the Big XII, the Aggies will taste life in the SEC with their first opponent being the Gators. Two series stands at 1-1 with the last meeting between the two since 1962. I wonder if the Gators will think the 12th Man makes Kyle Filed louder than The Swamp?
9/8 Georgia at Missouri: After spending a good 84 years in the Big 6/Big 8/Big XII, the Tigers will host Georgia in their first SEC game. There will be a lot of excitement in Columbia, but a good Georgia squad could make things quiet at Faurot Field in a hurry. This will be just the second meeting ever between the schools. In their only prior meeting UGA beat Mizzou in the 1960 Orange Bowl, 14-0. Georgia's two TDs in the game came by the air. The Bulldogs' QB was Fran Tarkenton.
9/15: Alabama at Arkansas: An upset here and "Petrino Who?" chants will be heard all the way from Fayetteville to Texarkana. A blowout loss and the Hogs season could be on the brink. If the Crimson Tide comes into this game still stinging from a loss to Michigan, a big win over the Hogs would get them back into the national picture.
11/3 Alabama at LSU: Do I have to say much about this one? A third meeting in 12 months between two national championship caliber squads will be hyped and talked about everyday of the season leading up to the game.
11/23 LSU at Arkansas: If LSU rolls through the regular season, this is the big speed bump waiting for them in Fayetteville. Forget the BCS, this could easily be for the West Division crown and a spot in the SEC title game. Oh, and the home team has won the last four games in this series.
Southeastern Conference Scheduling Odds and Ends
...SEC: home of the home games; LSU has eight home games this year. Arkansas has eight as well, but it can be called a 6+2 because two games will be in Little Rock instead of Fayetteville. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Gerogia, and Tennessse all have seven home games and one neutral site game. The Gaotrs only leave the state three times as their neutral site game is in Jacksonville and one of their road trips is to Florida State. Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all have seven home games each with Vanderbilt bringing up the rear with six home dates.
...Weird losses; Alabama is 19-2 in their last 21 season openers and hoping to go 20-2 with a win over Michigan on 9/1. So who were 'Bama's two losses during that stretch? The Crimson Tide's losses were to UCLA. In 2000, the #3 bRuins won, 35-24. Then in 2001 the #17 bRuins rolled into Tuscaloosa and walked out with a 20-17 win.
...Tough start/ tough finish; Arkansas begins league play by hosting Alabama on 9/15 and ends league play by hosting LSU on11/23.
...Might as well be two FCS teams; Mississippi State opens up the season with Walter Payton's old alma mater, Jackson State. Then, three weeks later the Bulldogs will take on first year FBS squad South Alabama.
...Could have a rotten feeling on 9/23; Auburn's first four games are with Clemson, Mississippi State, Louisiana-Monroe and LSU. The Tigers could be 1-3 and reeling with a week left in September.
...No help for the new guy; Texas A&M plays three straight conference road games in three straight weeks. From 10/23 to 11/10 the Aggies will go to Auburn, Mississippi State, and Alabama. Oh, then they come for a date with an FCS school. Won't be easy though, they'll be taking on the aforementioned Sam Houston State. The Kats are not a team you want to face after three straight roadies.
...Bumpy road; Mississippi's four SEC road games are at Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and LSU. Good Luck, Rebs.
...No frequent flyer miles; I already mentioned Florida's homebound slate. Here's another tidbit. The Gators leave the state just once after a trip to Tennessee on 9/15. So, in the last 11 weeks of the 2012 schedule, the Gators have seven home games, one neutral site game, one road game and two byes.
...Dodging bullets; Georgia doesn't play either LSU or Alabama this year.
...Really early; South Carolina hosts Vanderbilt on 8/30 which must make it the earliest league game in SEC history. It will be awful to be 0-1 in league play before Labor Day.
...Picking their victim; SEC newbie Missouri chose to make Kentucky their opponent for homecoming. I think it has to do with the fact that the Wildcats are just 14-33 on the road over that last 10 years.
...Dodging bullets: the sequel; Kentucky doesn't play LSU or Alabama this year either.
...Picking your victim redux; Vanderbilt's homecoming game is with new FBS school Massachusetts. Go get that win, Vandy!
Until next time folks, remember that nobody needs eight home games.
-The Commissioner
