Future Schedule

[shocks771]

Just because one team offers a buy game and you accept it does not mean that another team will not accept a home/home.

It seems pretty simple to me. The reward of accepting a buy game against a top tier program isn't worth the risk of losing potential home and home series with schools like Tennessee, UConn, Memphis, ect....

At this point in time it appears we are getting enough bites from several Top 20-50 programs that the coaching staff doesn't think they need to accept buy games to put together a good schedule. While having a game against Florida would be nice I agree with our staff on their stance. We don't want to set the precedence that we can be bought because if we do that is probably all we will ever get offered going forward.

[RoyalShock]

I'll concede that its the mentality they are trying to build, even though I don't agree with that idea right now.

However, what you are implying is basically the point I'm trying to make. If the implication is that Tennessee will do what Florida does, then since Florida didn't offer a home/home series after the refusal of a Buy Game then that would mean Tennessee wouldn't offer or accept a home/home series as well, correct?

Just because one team offers a buy game and you accept it does not mean that another team will not accept a home/home.

Boatright, the guy who does the scheduling and negotiations, says it hurts our chances. I take his word as credible.

[jdmee]

Boatright, the guy who does the scheduling and negotiations, says it hurts our chances. I take his word as credible.

It doesn't hurt that Marshall says he won't play for a paycheck.

[Kung Wu]

I understand the undefeated perspective (Hindsight), but whats the guarantee that WSU goes undefeated every year? Even if it was for 2013-2014 there was no telling WSU would go undefeated prior to the season. If they would have played and lost ONLY to Florida (given it wasn't a blowout, not that it would have been), it would have still helped the SoS, so maybe would have dropped from a 1 to a 2, does that change the chances of winning the championship?

Reasons I can think of:

1) Coach has achieved what he has achieved by setting very high expectations for his staff and players. He has a drawn a line in the sand and is having his staff stick to it, in order that they elevate their own game. Coach doesn't want a pay-for-play game, so his people should not waste their time on those offers. They should be spending time nurturing good offers.

2) The buy game is short-term thinking. It solves a scheduling problem for a single season. Spending time on getting 1 home/1 away/1 neutral type deals solves scheduling problems for multiple years.

3) We have a 1 seed without any buy games. Why would we go against our own principals to improve something that isn't broke? Sure, if we had lost a few games we might be a 2/3/4 seed, but having a single buy-game win on the record isn't going to prevent that. So our strategy is still not broke, even without buy games.

4) Coach has a blue blazer. The more he wins, the more other programs will want to schedule us, just like we wanted to schedule others when we were hovering around the bubble. I could see some midwestern BCS schools wanting to play us (and offering good deals) in order to elevate their RPI/street cred -- making buy games irrelevant.

Just some off the cuff thoughts about "why not".

[molly jabali]

the Shockers and Huskers need to play frequently!

[shockmonster]

Boatright has said in interviews or to sources that he knows for sure that "If WSU takes buy games from one school then they will be expected to take buy games from everyone else?"

If he has, I've not seen it and that is suprising. And its really detrimental to my argument.

Florida buy games
N. Florida
UALR
Southern
Middle Tenn.
Jacksonville
Savannah St.

Florida non-buy games
Wisconsin
KU
UConn

Our buy games
WKU
ORU
NCCU
Will and Mary
Tenn. St.

As Marshall said on his show today (Paraphrased), others are saying for us to stay out of the fast lane and stay where we have always been. Move out of the way, we are in the fast lane.

Do we want to be seen as the UALR's, Will and Mary, Southerns of the world or with the UCONN's, Wisconsin's?

[WSUwatcher]

It's not exactly speculative when the guy (Boatright) who puts the schedule together and talks with all these others schools says it. As fans, we have no direct insight into it. He's the expert. I see no reason not to take him at his word.

Following up on Royal's point, Flip -- Kentucky was the overwhelming preseason pick in the SEC, with Florida second and Tennessee third. So it's only in hindsight, to use your term, that we know Florida would have been a significantly better SOS game this year than the Vols were. At the time the scheduling was being done, there was no reason to accept a buy offer from Florida when WSU was already able to schedule Tennessee 1-for-1 (even if at Intrust instead of CKA).

[vancedave56]

KU goes to SDSU next year.

I believe the reason given is that they recruit in California. They do not need to recruit in Wichita, because they can already get any Wichita player they want.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Florida buy games
N. Florida
UALR
Southern
Middle Tenn.
Jacksonville
Savannah St.

Florida non-buy games
Wisconsin
KU
UConn

Our buy games
WKU
ORU
NCCU
Will and Mary
Tenn. St.

As Marshall said on his show today (Paraphrased), others are saying for us to stay out of the fast lane and stay where we have always been. Move out of the way, we are in the fast lane.

Do we want to be seen as the UALR's, Will and Mary, Southerns of the world or with the UCONN's, Wisconsin's?

Why would we not want the Southerns of the world pn our schedule? Did you watch them play this year? They have been a tough out recently, and if not for a post season ban for Graduation rate, would have again this year.

Lets not fall into the same trap as those who arent taking the time to research thier info.

[Steeleshocker]

Why would we not want the Southerns of the world pn our schedule? Did you watch them play this year? They have been a tough out recently, and if not for a post season ban for Graduation rate, would have again this year.

Lets not fall into the same trap as those who arent taking the time to research thier info.

He's not asking if we would schedule southern, he's asking if we want too be seen as a team that can be bought by other schools like southern is.

[ABC]

I believe the reason given is that they recruit in California. They do not need to recruit in Wichita, because they can already get any Wichita player they want.

Right. KU really needs help recruiting anywhere. KU also has a series starting with UNLV.

[shock]

KU is gonna realize real quick that the game has changed. Kids are gonna realize they can win a title at Wichita just as easy as at KU.

[Flip1381]

Right. KU really needs help recruiting anywhere. KU also has a series starting with UNLV.

Las Vegas is an AAU hotbed.

[shocker3]

Our non-con SOS this year was in the top 30. Or scheduling is fine as it is with or current philosophy of no buy games. If we had the #1 non-con we'd still have issues because the valley would drop us down to 70-80.

THIS! There really isn't anything wrong with our non-con SOS. We were in the top 10% this year. It can't get much better. Our biggest problem is the conference games. If the conference doesn't get any better, improving our non-con SOS still isn't going to help our overall SOS that much. 18 of our games are against conference foes, it is imperative that they get better.

[Play Angry]

There really isn't anything wrong with our non-con SOS. We were in the top 10% this year. It can't get much better. Our biggest problem is the conference games. If the conference doesn't get any better, improving our non-con SOS still isn't going to help our overall SOS that much. 18 of our games are against conference foes, it is imperative that they get better.

Or imperative that we switch to a better conference :D