We're now onto Day 4 of our look at the out of conference scheduling of the BCS conferences. The Big Ten has 44 out of conference games.
ILLINOIS: Missouri, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, at Fresno State
INDIANA: Towson State, at Western Kentucky, Akron, Arkansas State
IOWA: Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, at Arizona, Ball State
MICHIGAN: Connecticut, at Notre Dame, Massachusetts, Bowling Green
MICHIGAN STATE: Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Northern Colorado
MINNESOTA: at Middle Tennessee State, South Dakota, USC, Northern Illinois
NORTHWESTERN: at Vanderbilt, Illinois State, at Rice, Central Michigan
OHIO STATE: Marshall, Miami (FL), Ohio, Eastern Michigan
PENN STATE: Youngstown State, at Alabama, Kent State, Temple
PURDUE: Southeast Missouri State, at Rice, Kent State, Notre Dame
WISCONSIN: at UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona State, Austin Peay
Quick gleanings:
- All teams except for Ohio State play an FCS team
- Every team but Michigan State and Ohio State are playing a road game (though Michigan State does play FAU in Detroit.)
- 11 of 44 games (25%) are against BCS competition.
- 10 of 44 games (23%) are road games.
- Only Michigan plays more than one BCS school.
Breakdown of opponents by conference (excluding the 10 FCS teams):
- MAC (12): Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State (x2), Northern Illinois (x2), Ohio, Temple, Western Michigan
- Sun Belt (4): Arkansas State, Floria Atlantic, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky
- C-USA (3): Marshall, Rice (x2)
- Independent (3): Notre Dame (x3)
- Pac-10 (3): Arizona, Arizona State, USC
- Big XII (2): Iowa State, Missouri
- SEC (2): Alabama, Vanderbilt
- WAC (2): Fresno State, San Jose State
- ACC (1): Miami
- Big East (1): Connecticut
- Mountain West (1): UNLV
My top 3 games out of this schedule are:
- Penn State at Alabama
- Miami at Ohio State
- Iowa at Arizona