Non-Conf Schedule

[sck41903]

Seems to be a big deal. With our being in the Maui and Tulsa, Utah St., etc. seems like we should be OK next year. Not sure what the other MVC teams are doing, but if they improve their schedule I would think we might get back to 3 being in. Does anyone know any other schedules at this point?

[ShockBand]

We won't see Utah State here until the 2011-12 season, with the new scheduling system for BracketBusters.

[Aargh]

Marshall says he will schedule 4 guarantee games. That's 4 home games against 250+ RPI teams. More likely, 300+ RPI teams.

[Rosewood]

Unless the Valley office makes scheduling a point of emphasis as is it was a few years ago, we will continue to be a one bid league.

We need WSU, Mo State, sCUm, Ill State, UNI, and SIU all doing their parts by scheduling brutal schedules.

[ShockerFever]

Marshall says he will schedule 4 guarantee games. That's 4 home games against 250+ RPI teams. More likely, 300+ RPI teams.

Good God, does he not get it? They better be in the 150-200 range or I'm gonna be p'd.

[WSUShokker]

I thought we were going to do a couple of 2 for 1's with SC Upstate, Ark. Monticello, and Texas southern for RPI purposes

[shocker3]

Marshall says he will schedule 4 guarantee games. That's 4 home games against 250+ RPI teams. More likely, 300+ RPI teams.

The key is finding guarantee teams that will end up winning a lot of games. A weak team from a weak conference won't hurt your rpi very much if that team ends up winning a lot of games in their conference.

[shocker3]

Marshall says he will schedule 4 guarantee games. That's 4 home games against 250+ RPI teams. More likely, 300+ RPI teams.

The key is finding guarantee teams that will end up winning a lot of games. A weak team from a weak conference won't hurt your rpi very much if that team ends up winning a lot of games in their conference.

[ShockTalk]

I can understand having a couple games in the 250 range to work like glorified scrimmages, but no more than that. I'd say nothing else below the 125-175 range. You never know what you might get at that level and they may drop below 200. If you start at 150-200, they could even farther.

[Aargh]

The large budget schools (BCS) are bidding up the 150-200 RPI teams to the point that they're not really affordable to others.

First, they refuse to play us. Then they make it too expensive for us to play anything other than the dregs in guarantee games. That's in those schools best interests, so you can't blame them. It's not some conspiracy, it's simply the economics that surrounds billions of TV dollars that the NCAA brings in.

As long as the nation wants to watch the BCS schools on television - and that's what they want to watch - no matter what the sport is - that's the way it's going to be. The NCAA can't do anything about it or those schools just take their TV contracts and leave the NCAA.

Until people in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. want to watch WSU on television - that's the way it is and it's only going to get worse as time goes on and budget disparities grow.

[ShockTalk]

The large budget schools (BCS) are bidding up the 150-200 RPI teams to the point that they're not really affordable to others.

First, they refuse to play us. Then they make it too expensive for us to play anything other than the dregs in guarantee games. That's in those schools best interests, so you can't blame them. It's not some conspiracy, it's simply the economics that surrounds billions of TV dollars that the NCAA brings in.

As long as the nation wants to watch the BCS schools on television - and that's what they want to watch - no matter what the sport is - that's the way it's going to be. The NCAA can't do anything about it or those schools just take their TV contracts and leave the NCAA.

Until people in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. want to watch WSU on television - that's the way it is and it's only going to get worse as time goes on and budget disparities grow.

We're not the only school in this situation. The top 4 or 5 mid-major conferences and the better, more competitive schools from other mid-majors conferences are all in the same boat. Decisions will need to be made. One of them is to have fewer home games and more 1 and 1s. Many schools from the above group are already doing this. It seems that you can be stubborn, have more buy-in games, have more home games, and roll the dice that you'll win your conference to get into the dance. Or you can be more pro-active. Personally, I think the "more home games" approach for mid-major schools is a downward, spiraling approach. More money and happy fans in the beginning, but due to the lack of consistent success on the big stage, it becomes harder to competitively recruit against your mid-major brethern. The product suffers and away you go down the slippery slide.

[ShockBand]

I'd happily take fewer home games for home-and-homes with other schools in the same boat as us. I'd much rather see the Utah States, George Masons, and the like at home every other year than the Arkansas-Monty Pythons of the hoops world. One or two guarantee games against 250+ RPI is enough for me, lest RPI turn into RIP come tournament time.

[martymoose]

I guess it's time to start taking some 2 for 1's...

[pinstripers]

Why on earth can't the mid-majors get together and make our own bracketbusters? Let's scedule home and away wth New Mexico St, Nevada, Houston, Dayton, etc? It would help them and us?

[SubGod22]

Why on earth can't the mid-majors get together and make our own bracketbusters? Let's scedule home and away wth New Mexico St, Nevada, Houston, Dayton, etc? It would help them and us?

They always say it's not quite that simple. Finding agreeable dates is always a problem. Also, I think some of these teams don't want to do too many games against those that they're competing for at large spots against. One slip up against said team can easily be used by the committee as a reason to put one in but not the other. I think some schools would rather not play the teams they're competing against for spots. And who knows, we could be the ones worried about scheduling those games I have no idea.