Life is Easy in the Big Ten
Let’s play a game. Guess the program with this future non-conference schedule:
- 2026: Marshall, at Temple, Buffalo
- 2027: Syracuse, Delaware, Temple
- 2028: Ball State, at Syracuse, UMass
How about this one:
- 2026: Boise State, at Oklahoma State, Portland State
- 2027: Eastern Washington, Baylor
- 2028: North Dakota State, Baylor
How about one more:
- 2026: North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky
- 2027: Kennesaw State, Indiana State, UMass
- 2028: Austin Peay, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH)
Those are the future non-conference opponents for presently Top Ten ranked Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana.
While Oregon used to schedule quality non-conference foes while playing in the PAC 10/12, the majority of the Big Ten refuses to schedule marquee competition. Ohio State and Michigan (the two most recent national champions) get well deserved kudos for scheduling teams like Texas and Oklahoma, and USC has not yet cancelled its annual Notre Dame match, but those programs are the exception not the rule. Setting those three schools aside, next year’s premier Big Ten teams feature these juicy games: Penn State at Temple, Oregon v. Boise State, and Indiana v. Western Kentucky.
Penn State is by far the worst offender of laughably weak scheduling. Since James Franklin became the Penn State head coach, the Nittany Lions’ “featured” non-conference games have been UCF (2014), San Diego State (2015), Pittsburgh (2016, 17, 18, 19), Auburn (2021, 22), West Virginia (2023, 24) and Nevada (2025). With the exception of a down Auburn team in 2021 and 2022, Penn State has avoided playing an SEC team or any other marquee program. Of course Penn State has a reputation of losing big games – they refuse to schedule them!
Why the Big Ten allows this is perplexing. At least the ACC and the SEC are mandating that each team plays at least one P4 contest annually.
Even without a mandate, Miami’s been doing its part to schedule elite competition. During the same period that Franklin has been at Penn State, Miami’s non-conference games featured: Nebraska (2014, 15), Notre Dame (2016, 17, 25), LSU (2018), Alabama (2021), Florida (2019, 24, 25), and Texas A&M (2022, 23).
Florida State too. The Seminoles have their annual Florida game, but often go above and beyond to further schedule teams like Notre Dame (2014, 18, 21, 24), Alabama (2017, 25), and LSU (2022, 23) just in case the Gators are having a down year.
It’s then no surprise when Oregon and Indiana go 0-2 in the playoffs, and Penn State loses the minute they run into a P2 (equivalent) Notre Dame team. By contrast, battle tested Ohio State manages to run the playoff table, and the year before Michigan won it all.
What’s frustrating is that once again in 2025 Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana will be presumed to be playoff worthy teams even though they refuse to schedule anyone with playoff aspirations! By contrast, FSU is being hammered in the polls for losing an overtime game on the road to a good, bowl-bound 3-1 team. The same thing happened to Miami last year, and could happen again this year if Miami slips to someone like Louisville or SMU.
So what’s the point of this rant into the cosmos? The voters are unlikely to give a one or two loss Miami or FSU team the benefit of the doubt against a one or two loss SEC or Big Ten team. Heck, FSU is ranked 8 spots behind Alabama…8!!…despite a dominating head-to-head victory. That’s asinine.
Since voters are gonna vote their SEC/Big Ten bias, there’s only one solution for Miami (and FSU) to restore respectability. Join the Big Ten so Nevada can be the ‘big’ non-conference game, and then coast into the playoffs each year.
Category: General Sports
