Today is Day 3 of my look at the out of conference scheduling for the six BCS conferences. The Big East East only has eight teams, which means seven conference games and FIVE non-conference games per team per year. While there are four less teams in the Big East than the SEC or ACC, there are only eight less non-conference games as a conference. Syracuse still has to schedule one game, so we'll be basing the percentages on 39 games and not 40. With that in mind, here's the Big East out of conference line up...
CINCINNATI: at Fresno State, Indiana State, at North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Miami (OH)
CONNECTICUT: at Michigan, Texas Southern, at Temple, Buffalo, Vanderbilt
LOUISVILLE: Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, at Oregon State, at Arkansas State, Memphis
PITT: at Utah, New Hampshire, Miami, Florida International, at Notre Dame
RUTGERS: Norfolk State, at Florida International, North Carolina, Tulane, Army
SYRACUSE: at Akron, at Washington, Maine, Boston College, 1 TBA
USF: Stony Brook, at Florida, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, at Miami
WEST VIRGINIA: Coastal Carolina, at Marshall, Maryland, at LSU, UNLV
Things that hop out at me immediately:
- Every Big East team elected to play an FCS team.
- Every school elected to play at least one game on the road. Everyone but Rutgers chose to play two on the road (though they do technically play their game against Army in East Rutherford, so it's not technically a home game though they're listed as the home team on the Big East schedule.)
- 15 of 39 games (38%) against BCS competion.
- 15 of 39 games (38%) played on the road (not counting Rutgers' Giants Stadium game.)
Breakdown of opponents by conference (excluding the eight FCS opponents):
- ACC (6): Boston College, Maryland, Miami (x2), North Carolina, North Carolina State
- Sun Belt (5): Arkansas State, Floria Atlantic, Florida International (x2), Western Kentucky
- MAC (4): Akron, Buffalo, Miami (OH), Temple
- SEC (4): Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Vanderbilt
- C-USA (3): Marshall, Memphis, Tulane
- Independent (2): Army, Notre Dame
- Mountain West (2): UNLV, Utah
- Pac-10 (2): Oregon State, Washington
- Big Ten (1): Michigan
- Big XII (1): Oklahoma
- WAC (1): Fresno State
Kind of surprised how much Big East teams travel to "little schools" like Akron, Arkansas State and Temple. Rutgers' trip to Florida International is likely a recruiting venture. Games that particularly interest me: Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati, West Virginia vs. LSU, Rutgers vs. North Carolina, Pitt vs. Utah.