....is probably the oft used worn out kind of retort I'll get on this board to this topic posted regarding UF's schedule. This from ask CFN: "Does anyone have a tougher 2006 schedule than Florida? – NA A: Nope. At least not among the top teams. I keep telling everyone who’ll listen that Florida might be one of the three best teams in the country and could easily end up with four losses. Here it is: Southern Miss, UCF, at Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, at Auburn, Georgia, at Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Western Carolina, at Florida State. There are nine likely bowl teams out of the 12 games. USC’s slate isn’t far off with at Arkansas, Nebraska, at Arizona, at Washington State, Washington, Arizona State, at Oregon State, at Stanford, Oregon, California, Notre Dame, at UCLA.
I'll give you it's a good tough schedule....but you have your share of gimmies UCF, Southern Miss (please spare me they are a tough team), Kentucky, Vandy and Western Carolina....all should be easy wins. Irish schedule is a good tough schedule as well. With USC, UCLA, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Ga. Tech and North Carolina. Easy games with Navy, Stanford, Army, Air Force. In fact looking at that I'd say you have more easy games than we do...you have 5 and we have 4. But I don't mean to say your schedule is easy, it's not. It's a very good schedule. Just not far and away the toughest schedule in the country. Terry
S.Miss has had 12 straight winning seasons and played Alabama a hell of a lot tougher than did UF last year....21-30 vs. 3-31. UCF was in the Conf USA title game and along with SMiss played in bowl games which teams like MSU and Purdue did not. I have seen MSU lose to LaTech at home and Purdue lose to MAC schools when both of those ND opponents eventually went on to have bowl seasons so don't tell me that when both have non winning seasons they are in no uncertain terms tougher than these two UF foes. Maybe they are...maybe they aren't. FYI, UCLA had the worst run defense I have seen in quite some time last year.
See here's the problem. Big 10 guys all say the MAC teams are tough, you are trying to tell me CUSA teams are tough, all of them if they played in the SEC or B10 would be the worst teams in the league. Every once in awhile inferior teams upset a SEC team or a B10 team, they are still inferior and it's still and upset. UCLA may in fact have a bad run defense, but the are still one of the better teams in a major BCS conference. We play 3 non-major BCS conference games, Fla plays 3. I'm not saying that you have an easy schedule, it's a tough schedule. I'm just not buying that it's far and away the toughest schedule in the country. You will have a tough time going undefeated. You just aren't the only ones who are in that position.
Regardless of what's said before the season begins, if Florida, Notre Dame, USC, or anyone else ends up with 3 or more losses, they won't be even close to one of the best teams in the country at the end of the season, when it counts.
In the last 10 years USM has won over Alabama, Nebraska and Georgia all on the road. That's more...much more than the worst teams in the Big Ten and SEC have done. In fact Illinois is 0-2 vs. USM in that span.
Good one Jo'Co but I'm just reporting an opinion on Florida's schedule that I came across in CFN which I peruse daily. It's only noteworthy because the writer says UF has the toughest schedule in the top 10. It is a good offensive defense however and worth remembering should anyone such as yourself or Corey later on feel the need to chide us Gators for playing WC. Couldn't resist when I came across this as well: "Sporting News ranks UF's schedule the toughest in the nation. "The naked truth: Atlanta had a better chance against General Sherman's March to the Sea," the magazine writes."
Those Neb and Alabama teams were in big trouble and had horrible seasons when USM beat them. I don't know about Georgia. I'll bet the Illinois teams that they beat got beat by just about everybody. That's like claiming if you beat Vandy or Kentucky you are as good as any SEC team. USM is a CUSA team and might upset a BCS conference team here or there but they are still a CUSA team. Just like Air Force, who has beaten ND a few times, they are a Mtn West Team not a major BCS conference team. I doubt if any of you guys in the SEC give ND any credit for playing Air Force or BYU. Tough schedule, just don't try to convince me USM and UCF are tough teams, you should hammer them both.
Terry no doubt UF should beat those teams and will obviously be favored but the point is they are not the creampuff patsies you make them out to be. They are teams that you have to be ready for and they really don't give you much of a break. For example I can definitely see resting some banged up starters for WC but that's not in the plans for UCF and USM. Hey...I never bang on ND for playing AF and BYU because they are the same sort of teams. However, once the season is under way I'll bang on any team's opponents who are having down seasons and reduce that once feared schedule to one that should have been more manageable. If UCF and USM have 3-9 seasons I will be the first to admit they were not what they were cracked up to be for this season anyway.
What makes the Gator schedule so tough is that they play Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama and LSU during the same season. Alabama, LSU and Auburn are back to back to back, then a week off and Georgia. So in my mind it's not just the number of tough teams but how they are spaced.
Good points Bill about the spacing issue. It's very tough for the coaches to get these 19-21 year olds up to play every single Sat. without a break.
I will concede that your schedule on paper looks a lot tougher than the Texas schedule for sure. Texas has essentially a 2 game schedule, Ohio State and Oklahoma, maybe Nebraska if they are for real. Terry
"Prothro earned the honor for his spectacular catch to key a comeback victory over Southern Mississippi on September 10 in Tuscaloosa. With the Crimson Tide trailing, 21-10, late in the second quarter and facing a fourth-and-12 situation, Prothro caught the Brodie Croyle pass over the head and on the back of a USM defender for a 42-yard gain. The play put the Tide on the USM one-yard line and set up an Alabama touchdown, trimming the deficit to 21-17 and setting the Tide on their way to an eventual 30-21 victory. Prothro, whose season was cut short by a broken leg suffered three weeks later against Florida, finished the USM game with 279 all-purpose yards including 134 yards receiving on seven catches." Didn't realize that S. Miss was ahead of Bama in Tuscaloosa 21-10 late in the second quarter.
Nice try, MCG, but it won't fly. Like Terry, I don't question for a second the toughness of FL's schedule, but don't try to sell SM as a tough game. Look at it this way. What do you think the reaction of non-ND people on this board would be if ND scheduled Southern Mississippi? P.S. I've edited my post to say that I don't question that So. Miss. is a solid, very competitive program, and I respect them. But as a non-conf. game for a team the current calibre of Florida or ND or Georgia, etc., they can't be considered a tough game, IMO. Thanks, George for reminding me that all programs deserve respect. I happen to agree with you re: West Virginia.
I'm not going to denigrate anyone's schedule. If you've ever played the game then you know they all have the potential to be tough. With that said, I give the edge to the teams that play in all conditions. Travel is tough as is weather. ND plays coast to coast, in all time zones, day and night. They play in the mountains, in the cold midwest, the hot south. They are arguably the #1 game on almost everyone's schedule. The only schedule I will ridcule is West Virginia's. It's virtually cupcakes from end to end. They should be ashamed and they should never be considered among the top teams based on their schedule.
What I believe about S.Miss is that while they may not be a game you circle they are also not the team that you want to take the day off on either. They are not the breather that some teams are like a poor service academy team or the latest dreg team of any conference...you pick it.
weak service academies? <t>Navy's had 3 straight winning seasons under Paul Johnson and they've gone to 3 straight bowl games (going 2-1 in those games with wins over New Mexico and Colorado St.).. I believe Navy is 26-8 in that time frame..<br/> <br/> SoMiss has gone 2-1 in bowl games (with bowl wins over North Texas and Arkansas State)... I believe SoMiss has gone 23-14 in that stretch.</t>