Scheduling in college football has always been a big topic of conversation. However, this offseason, it has become an even bigger talking point. With the gap between the SEC and Big Ten closing, there have been many complaints from coaches in both conferences about their strength of schedule.
On Wednesday, David Cone appeared on “Crain & Company” podcast and discussed how this has become one of the most “petty” offseasons of all time. He pointed out that the SEC has been complaining about the strength of schedule, whereas the Big Ten and ACC are trying to gang up on the SEC.
“You can tell that the SEC and the Big Ten, this is like a mafia style turf war,” David Cone said (5:40). “Both of them trying to claim their territory as we head into some sort of super league or whatever’s coming. I say this as someone who played in the Big Ten, I still am flabbergasted by conference allegiance. I really don’t understand it.”
Cone then got into the crux of his argument, discussing the variance in scheduling between teams in the SEC and Big Ten.
“There are some eight game SEC schedules that are tougher than nine game Big Ten schedules. No Big Ten coach wants to admit that. There are some eight game SEC schedules that are weaker and no SEC fan wants to admit that. Why is a team responsible for their own schedule?”
David Cone Breaks Down Why Scheduling in College Football Needs To Change
David Cone went on to make the comparison to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. He pointed out that it would be ridiculous if the Cowboys got to choose their schedule and could pick to play weak teams like the Tennessee Titans for their entire schedule. He advocated for college football to have a more organized method of setting schedules for teams in all Power Four conference teams.
The podcast hosts went on to discuss how often teams stack their out-of-conference games with weak opponents in the Group of Five conferences. However, they acknowledged that part of the issue is the fact that there is no set guideline for how teams are selected for the College Football Playoff. As a result, teams feel like they need to be close to undefeated to qualify, incentivizing them to schedule early-season games against weak opponents.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
