Muts Screws Ou

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 11, 2008

This is rich...but, I love it if it's true! Recently, we discussed MUTS' out of conference schedules and their ability to land home games with BCS-level schools. In this Tulsa World article, OU's AD claims MUTS screwed them by backing out of this year's game with OU to enter a home and home series with Mississippi State. As a result, OU had to schedule Tennessee-Chattanooga. I love it.

In reality, if OU (and schools like it) would do more home and homes, or two for ones, with the little guys, they wouldn't have to end up scrambling. Props to MUTS for messing with one of the "Big Boys." If you read the article, you'll see that Arkansas State also screwed OU a couple of times. Good for the little guys! At least some AD's at "Small Programs" are standing up and trying to get better home games for their fans instead of continually signing up for road fodder games.

Hard spot means soft OU opener

By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist

6/8/2008

Last Modified: 6/8/2008 3:09 AM

It's not always fun being No. 1.

For example, Rivals.com recently ranked the Tennessee-Chattanooga at Oklahoma contest as No. 1 on its list of "the 12 most embarrassing games," during the 2008 football season involving teams from BCS conferences.

"I wish they'd do their homework," said OU athletic director Joe Castiglione when informed of the Sooners' unwanted top billing.

Castiglione knows the matchup looks like a mismatch on paper and could turn out that way on Owen Field when the Sooners and Mocs meet in the Aug. 30 season opener.

But he takes issue with this Rivals.com question: "What in the world is Oklahoma doing playing Chattanooga, which has had just four winning seasons since 1988?"

Had they done their homework, the Rivals.com folks could have answered their own question: Chattanooga was a late addition when Division I-A Middle Tennessee State dropped the Sooners in favor of a home-and-home deal with Mississippi State.

Welcome to the wonderful world of scheduling, which can drive even the most sane athletic director bonkers. Getting dropped without warning and being forced to pay a king's ransom to visiting teams are just a few of an AD's headaches.

Castiglione didn't find out until last November that Middle Tennessee State had decided not to sign off on a written agreement it had with OU. And it wasn't anyone in the Blue Raiders' athletic department that broke the news.

"They didn't even have the courtesy to call us back," Castiglione said. "We had to find out about it in a third-party way.

"They apparently were using our agreement to leverage something else, which they were able to do when Mississippi State committed to play on (Middle Tennessee State's) home field."

Castiglione said he doesn't begrudge any school for seeking the best deal for its program. He didn't, however, appreciate the run-around from Middle Tennessee State officials.

"We had an agreement for a long period of time, and there was a contract that was written," he said. "What happens is they play games with it and won't sign it.

"You get one excuse after the other. And then they just flat out refuse to even answer your call, or return your call. So you know something is up."

Left holding an open date on the first weekend of the season, Castiglione scrambled to find a replacement. In 10 years at OU, Castiglione had signed only one contract with a I-AA school as he attempted to ensure OU's strength of schedule worked as a positive in the complicated BCS poll.

"We have purposely tried to avoid playing I-AA teams, but not because we don't respect I-AA football," Castiglione said. "Believe me, we tried every I-A option we could."

Several factors go into making a schedule work, including corresponding dates, availability and the exorbitant amount of money BCS powers like OU are forced to pay I-A teams to play in Norman.

"Let's face it," Castiglione said. "There are some (I-A) schools that just don't want to play you regardless of the opportunity or the offer."

When he ran out of I-A options, Castiglione turned to I-AA schools.

The other time he signed a I-AA school was Indiana State in 1999 (coach Bob Stoops' first game), when Arkansas State "discovered" at the last minute that it had also signed to play Mississippi on the same date.

"They (Arkansas State officials) learned so much from that experience," Castiglione said, "that they did it to us again in 2003."

While some Web site might find OU's season-opening game "embarrassing," Castiglione considers the Sooners' first opponent a schedule-saver.

Chattanooga AD Rick Hart, who worked seven years for Castiglione at OU, came to his former boss's rescue.

Chattanooga had an Aug. 30 open date when Alabama dropped the Mocs after the Crimson Tide was offered a chance to open the season on national television against Clemson at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

"There were several I-AA schools that told us no in more than emphatic terms," Castiglione said of the schools in the division that offer 63 scholarships, versus the 85 Division I-A teams are allowed. "So you have to give (the Mocs) a lot of credit; they didn't have to play us."

OU isn't the only Big 12 Conference team with a I-AA opponent on its 2008 schedule. Nebraska, Texas and Texas A&M are the only league schools playing 12 I-A teams. Texas Tech has two I-AA foes, as do several national powerhouse programs like Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

Even with the addition of a I-AA team, OU's schedule is ranked the nation's 30th toughest by Phil Steele's preseason magazine.

Seven of the 11 I-A teams the Sooners will play in 2008 played in bowl games last season, and three won at least 10 games.

"We have taken major steps to ensure we have one blockbuster matchup each season, which is unique these days in college football," Castiglione said of future OU schedules. "There are not many schools playing teams like Florida State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Ohio State and LSU.

"A lot of schools are going the other direction."

It's the easier path to the only No. 1 that matters in the end.

By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist

Edited June 11, 2008 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

Eagle1855 · June 11, 2008

that is awesome.

Maybe MTSU could hold a class, show our Athletic Department then ins and outs of scheduling since we are clearly incapable of doing so.

Yeah, it was awesome having bottom of the rung Baylor in 03.

The problem isn't limited to fouts.

Edited June 11, 2008 by Eagle1855

Charlie NT 73 · June 11, 2008

I am glad MTSU did not give in to OU. The way the article reads, OU is blaming MTSU

for the deal falling through. MTSU would have signed the deal if OU would agreed to a

return game at MTSU. OU said they would not do a return game, so MTSU made the

deal with Miss State.

MeanGreen61 · June 11, 2008

Muts AD refutes Oklahoma's charges.

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...610036/0/NEWS01

nautique · June 11, 2008

Having MTSU doing what's best for them at the expense of OU is priceless.

UNTflyer · June 11, 2008

What if instead of series deals between teams, conferences stepped up and made deals at the top?

Like maybe the Big 12 teams doing 2-for-1 series with Sun Belt teams. Allow some flexibility for scheduling, like maybe we would play OU in Norman and get a guaranteed Big 12 home game (maybe OU, maybe someone else).

It would guarantee games for the big boys and impose higher buyout penalties to protect the mid-major conferences from getting screwed. It would also give the Belt teams a guaranteed marquee home game.

Spaceraider · June 11, 2008

charlie nt73 said:
I am glad MTSU did not give in to OU. The way the article reads, OU is blaming MTSU
for the deal falling through. MTSU would have signed the deal if OU would agreed to a
return game at MTSU. OU said they would not do a return game, so MTSU made the
deal with Miss State.

Don't feel sorry for OU at all, Middle Tennessee had a deal with UAB for a return home game, UAB bought its way out of it to play for a payday at Oklahoma back in 2006, causing MT to have to find a game late and the game that replaced it was a road game at USC. Oklahoma had no problems with UAB backing out of its signed contract with MT so the Blazers could collect a check at Norman.

excerpt from article in the Daily News Journal:

...Massaro acknowledged each school takes lumps in scheduling.

In the last three years, MTSU has lost contracted games with Vanderbilt, Temple and Alabama-Birmingham. Coincidentally, UAB bought out its contracted game at MTSU to instead play at Oklahoma for a larger guaranteed payout.

"I regret that there was any cost associated or hard feelings from Oklahoma, but the same thing has happened to us and we've worked through it," Massaro said. "All three years I've been (at MTSU), the schedule has changed almost completely from fall to spring. Television takes care of some of that like it did when LSU was moved from our (2007) opener to later in the season.

"And then the Temple thing was better for Temple, and I understood that. I understood UAB because Oklahoma made a better financial offer to UAB. ... Those things happen, and you work through them. That's what we're paid to do as athletic directors."...

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 11, 2008

Spaceraider said:
That's what we're paid to do as athletic directors."...

I love this quote from MUTS' AD! He's out there hustling for the best games he can get. He's been on both sides of the fence with scheduling and doesn't take it personally.

My guess is that OU's AD is taking heat from season ticket holders who are ponying up money for tickets to what will be, in effect, another Spring Game for OU.

Serve him right, though. To me, if all of the midmajors would stop playing "pound us for cash" road games and insisting on guaranteed return home games, the playing field would level out some. Not totally, but some.

Congrats to MUTS on their AD sticking up for them and hustling a better, and more regional, series for them and their fans.

FirefightnRick · June 11, 2008

The Fake Lonnie Finch said:
Serve him right, though. To me, if all of the midmajors would stop playing "pound us for cash" road games and insisting on guaranteed return home games, the playing field would level out some. Not totally, but some.

I remember standing there and listening to MeanRob and ADLER telling Helwig and several of his staff members the same thing back when????

Lot of good that did.

Rick

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 11, 2008

I guess the deal is, you draw the line in the sand a some point. The question for us is, when is that point going to come? Helwig? RV? Who will do it?

As demostrated during the scheduling thread a few weeks back, some schools are already drawing the line in the sand...and getting more home games against better opponents.

The eternal question for all thing related to North Texas football since the day I stepped on campus back in 1990 seems to be " When?" When, when, when...?

UNTflyer · June 11, 2008

The Fake Lonnie Finch said:
Serve him right, though. To me, if all of the midmajors would stop playing "pound us for cash" road games and insisting on guaranteed return home games, the playing field would level out some. Not totally, but some.

That would require nearly every mid-major AD to get on board. Something has to be done. The mid-majors need to demand equality. No more sitting in the back of the BCS bus.

Edited June 11, 2008 by UNTflyer

KAjunRaider · June 11, 2008

Okie got what was coming to them.

The contract was NEVER signed, as the OU AD implies. If so, we'd been in for a big buyout--- and we are not.

Boo-hoo Sooner. Bring on the State Bulldogs, some of the classiest folks in the SEC.

Eagle1855 · June 11, 2008

KAjunRaider said:
some of the classiest folks in the SEC.

I'll second that.

Really good pick up for you guys

GoMeanGreen1999 · June 11, 2008

The Fake Lonnie Finch said:
The eternal question for all thing related to North Texas football since the day I stepped on campus back in 1990 seems to be " When?" When, when, when...?

Don't hold your breath on an answer.

greenminer · June 11, 2008

I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude.

GreenBrigadeDebbie · June 12, 2008

Did somebody spill OU's milk?? Awww...too freaking bad Sooners. Just hope that Tennessee Chattanooga doesn't do to you what Appachalian State did to Michigan last year. But I know I will be voting for a Tennessee Chattanooga victory!!

Green Mean · June 12, 2008

I know everyones holding on to the fact that MTSU screwed OU or etc but is it really that hard to find an opponent to replace them with? I think OU's OOC schedule pretty much makes no difference and they can line up against a bunch of Pee Wee League teams and still be a top 5 ranking if they win. I just dont think this story is a big deal. That AD of OU's need to get a life. They found Tennessee Chatanooga.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Green Mean