Late Season Ooc Matchups

greenminer · March 14, 2011

I think watching teams step outside their conference bubble late in the season would help everyone get a gauge for how they are on the national level. With some conferences being so big, by the time selection Sunday rolls around we have been watching them beat up on each other exclusively for 2 months. It just seems hard to prove/disprove these "super" conference 0.500 teams because of that.

What do you think? Do you think late season OOC matchups would help or hurt the situation?

Disclaimer: yeah, I'm really buzzed about UTEP getting left out.

Edited March 14, 2011 by greenminer

KoldBeer · March 14, 2011

I think watching teams step outside their conference bubble late in the season would help everyone get a gauge for how they are on the national level. With some conferences being so big, by the time selection Sunday rolls around we have been watching them beat up on each other exclusively for 2 months. It just seems hard to prove/disprove these "super" conference 0.500 teams because of that.

What do you think? Do you think late season OOC matchups would help or hurt the situation?

Disclaimer: yeah, I'm really buzzed about UTEP getting left out.

I don't like late OOC match-ups. Once you start conference play that's the only thing I want to watch. Of course, I'm really into regular season conference races.

The only way those would help is if you could get a Big 12 team to play UTEP (would never happen). I don't think it would help CUSA and MWC if they played each other. It would just eliminate the loser.

I have a hard time feeling bad for UTEP since UAB made it in. I don't think CUSA was good enough for 3 teams to get in. Personally, I'd rather see UTEP than UAB.

gksmith · March 14, 2011

Maybe not so much of a late season OOC matchup but I would like UNT to play better OOC games early in the season. I loved beating Tech and LSU. I think UNT would benifit more from playing more quality opponents in October and November. Losses might cost us 20 win seasons, but boost our cred in strength of schedule.

Used to be a 20 win season almost guaranteed you an NCAA bid. Now I think the number is closer to 25-30.

GrandGreen · March 15, 2011

Twenty win seasons mean little anymore, as most teams load up on sub-par competition in the out of conference schedule. NT's five straight years winning twenty is a heck of an accomplishment for a Belt program, but not going to impress many. The primary focus is all about getting into the NCAA's and having a high rpi.

Only oc games I think make sense in conference play is a game to keep team sharp in a long conference layoff and this should be against a weaker team.

I though NT's oc schedule was very good last year with both Rice and Tech at home and challenging away games in LSU and KU. I hate to break it to many but a more competitive oc last year would have just been more loses and would not likely have helped the rpi. Playing better teams is not easy to do either for a team like NT. As stated most teams want cupcakes mixed with a few high profile teams during the oc. NT is generally too good to be a cupcake, but not good enough to be a marquee game to most programs.