Can you believe it? Just 232 days until college football season starts. It seems like just a few days ago Florida was beating Ohio State in the National Championship Game.
My favorite part of the college football season is the intrigue of the non-conference schedule. Luckily, since schools need to schedule as far in advance as they can, we can see up to 10 years in advance some of the more interesting games on the horizon. Who have the heavies scheduled? What are the most interesting games to come?
Note: I deliberately did not look at every big team, nor every year for the teams I did look at. I don't seek comprehensive knowledge on this subject because I want surprises each season, and each week.
MIAMI vs. OKLAHOMA, 2007 and 2009
The first of the series is in Norman. This must have looked like quite a clash of the titans when it was scheduled a few years ago, when Oklahoma had finally returned to power and Miami hadn't fallen from it. As it is, it will serve to see how hung over OU remains after their historic loss to Boise State (not to mention their loss of Adrian Peterson), and the first real test of progress for Randy Shannon.
PENN STATE vs. ALABAMA, 2010 and 2011
Not counting next year's return trip from Notre Dame, this is the only prominent team upcoming on PSU's schedules (although they do have some holes to fill yet before 2010).
This used to be quite a rivalry, with Alabama winning a national championship in 1979 by defeating Penn State 14-7 in the Sugar Bowl. That paved the way for the teams meeting 10 straight years, from 1981-1990. Six of those games were decided by 10 points or less. Good to see this classic North vs. South rivalry resumed.
LOUISIANA TECH at LSU, 2007 and 2008
Okay, these games aren't big. They are 40-point blowouts waiting to be shown on ESPN GamePlan. The only reason I include it is because if you type "Future Schedules" into Google, the main resource page for future schedules, NationalChamps.net, is the second result. The first result is Louisiana Tech's future schedule specifically. I can't figure why that is.
They have some tough non-conference schedules coming up — all BCS opponents — but none that explain why their schedule page is such a popular Google hit. My best guess is, LTU fans are so excited to be taking on their state's heavyweight that they just gaze at the schedule page, refreshing constantly to make sure those LSU dates don't go away.
FLORIDA STATE vs. ALABAMA at Jacksonville, Florida, 2007
I demand we call this game, "The Cocktail Party II." Demand it.
Florida State also has home-and-homes coming up with Oklahoma and West Virginia, even though they already have one tough annual non-conference opponent in Florida. Kudos to the Seminole athletic department.
WASHINGTON AT NOTRE DAME, 2009
Tyrone Willingham got a shot at his former employers last year when the Huskies were still in shambles. But U-Dub have made major strides in this last year and I'm hopeful Tyrone can beat the Irish in South Bend the next time around. Then I hope that when it comes to the post-game handshake, Willingham pulls Charlie Weis's hand behind his back, knocks him to the ground, and starts dry-humping Weis's Shamu-like body; a graphic rebuke to the double standards that did Willingham in and declare Weis one of the greatest coaches in the game. It'll be something incredible.
Leave a Comment