Jake's Take: 2002 Football Scheduling
2/19/2002 6:18:15 PM | Football
Our need to scramble for a 12th game was the result of East Carolina's decision not to play Syracuse. Several factors were involved in that decision. First, Conference USA, of which ECU is a member, has expanded its membership considerably in the past few years. All conference members are required to play an eight game conference schedule beginning in 2002. The result is that some Conference USA schools that had already scheduled 12 games (seven conference games and five non-conference games) were required to drop a non-conference game. In fact, within the last month Tulane, also a member of Conference USA, reportedly dropped Georgia from its schedule for the same reason forcing Georgia to also schedule a I-AA opponent.
It would not have been in ECU's best interest to drop a home non-conference game or one of their in-state rivals, Duke or Wake Forest. That left road non-conference games at Syracuse or West Virginia. While it would be inappropriate to speak on behalf of ECU or discuss contractual specifics, certainly proximity and various economic factors of the Syracuse and West Virginia games must have been considered carefully in reaching the decision to not play Syracuse in 2002.
Upon notification of ECU's decision, we evaluated the remaining schedule to develop the criteria in our search for another opponent. From the beginning, we focused solely on identifying a Division I-A opponent. We believe that one of the strongest statements we have made in prior years is a commitment to a competitive I-A schedule. That does not mean scheduling the likes of Tennessee, Auburn or Michigan every weekend. However, unlike many I-A institutions, including several in our own conference, it also means that we have avoided the practice of scheduling a I-AA opponent simply to add a win to the record or to ensure that we could become bowl eligible with that win.
Scheduling a 12th opponent this late wasn't as simple as identifying a team that needed a game or one that shared an open date on our schedule. Our search for opponents was complicated based on six primary factors: Who needed a game, location, available dates, return dates, guarantee, and competitiveness. All of these factors made a seemingly simple process considerably more difficult.
First, we needed to find schools that had not yet scheduled a 12th game for the 2002 season. Football non-conference game scheduling is generally completed from five to eight years in advance. As a result, the vast majority of schedules (both major conference schools and others) were already full.
Second, the game had to be played in Syracuse. Our home schedule consisted of four conference games along with North Carolina and ECU. The competitiveness and economics of Division I-A athletics necessitate that we play a minimum of six home games each season. Many major conference schools are using the 12 game season to play seven or more home games all for economic and competitive reasons. Of the small pool of possible opponents still looking to fill their schedules, probably 95% were looking for a home game.
Third, with some exceptions, conference policy requires us to play our non-conference games in September. Thus, we were limited to finding schools that could play on one of the two open dates in our September schedule.
Fourth, because our non-conference scheduling is done so far in advance, we are not able to return a game to another school for at least four to five years. While a one or two year gap between games is generally acceptable, going beyond that is usually not well received.
Fifth, while there were opponents we identified as possibilities that met the conditions noted above, a few indicated a lack of interest because they were looking to schedule at a lower competitive level. And finally, the remaining teams simply took the opportunity to cash in on a larger guarantee by major institutions whose stadiums seat upwards of 100,000 people. Offering similar guarantees became cost prohibitive.
Clearly our philosophy of scheduling non-conference games has not changed. The challenge remains to develop a competitively balanced schedule that is both attractive and realistic. A competitive non-conference schedule is important for many reasons, including fan interest and reputation, and preparation for the rigors of conference play.
The circumstances of our situation have caused us to do something we have not done in the past and do not plan to repeat in the future. We are confident that given the limited alternatives and time frame, we have put together a non-conference schedule that is consistent with our philosophy and will challenge our players. We look forward to seeing you in the Dome in 2002!
