Texas' Tough Non-Con Schedule

Per ESPN and 247Sports:
If there is one thing we learned from the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff, it is that nonconference scheduling matters.

Baylor paid the price for a weak nonconference schedule last year, and considering that strength of schedule must be considered based on the committee's protocol, there is no doubt it will continue to matter more than ever. With that in mind, we set out to rank the nonconference schedules of every team in a Power 5 conference over the next five years.​

The team with the toughest schedule? Texas.

The days of Texas being ridiculed for a weak nonconference schedule are long gone. The Longhorns are projected to have the toughest nonconference schedule of any Power 5 school over the next five years.

In 2015, Texas opens the season at Notre Dame and then faces Rice and an improved Cal team. The schedule only gets tougher in future years. The Longhorns have agreements for home-and-homes with USC, Maryland and LSU between 2017 and 2020. Those agreements are a testament to Texas' willingness to challenge itself early in the season.

Overall, Texas is projected to play a Power 5 opponent in 10 of its 15 nonconference games over the next five years, tied for the most Power 5 matchups of any team. The Longhorns are also one of 10 Power 5 teams that will not face an FCS opponent during that time.​

Texas, USC, Stanford, UCLA and Oklahoma form the top five. Texas Tech comes in at 25, while Baylor ranks last at 64.

 

Notice there are no SEC teams in the top 5. But...but...that's because we play the gauntlet that is the SEC. Notice who hasn't won a NC in the past two years and who was bumped from the first round of the playoffs this past year?

 

Baylor ranked #64.... hmmm, must have Incarnate Word, Lamar and Houston EMS on their 2015 OCC.

 

THIS is how all P5 programs should be scheduling. (PERIOD)

 

Guess that home/home we did with Ole Miss is where we got the rep for weak OCC.

 

"Baylor, the team partly left out of the playoffs because of its schedule last year, came in last at No. 64." [from 247sports]

Looking at the schedules from 2015 -2020, and Baylor's ranks 64th. When they are continually snubbed for a playoff spot (should they do that well in the future) I don't want to hear any squawking spewing out of their pie-holes! Their OOC schedule is a raving joke.

 

When the hell were the days of being ridiculed for a weak non conference schedule? The only times we have not played good teams is when arkansas or utah cancelled on us.

 

UT non conference since 1995

1995
UT 38 @ Hawaii 17
UT 38 Pittsburgh 27
UT 27 @ #21 Notre Dame 55
UT 24 #12 Oklahoma 24
UT 17 #14 Virginia 16

1996
UT 41 New Mexico State 7
UT 24 #9 Notre Dame 27
UT 13 @ #17 Virginia 37

1997
UT 48 Rutgers 14
UT 3 UCLA 66
UT 38 @ Rice 31

1998
UT 66 New Mexico State 36
UT 31 @ #6 UCLA 49
UT 59 Rice 21

1999
UT 20 North Carolina State 23
UT 69 Stanford 17
UT 38 @ Rutgers 21
UT 18 Rice 13

2000
UT 52 La.-Lafayette 10
UT 24 @ Stanford 27
UT 48 Houston 0

2001
UT 41 New Mexico State 7
UT 44 North Carolina 14
UT 52 @ Houston 26

2002
UT 27 North Texas 0
UT 52 @ North Carolina 21
UT 41 Houston 11
UT 49 @ Tulane 0

2003
UT 66 New Mexico State 7
UT 28 Arkansas 38
UT 48 @ Rice 7
UT 63 Tulane 18

2004
UT 65 North Texas 0
UT 22 @ Arkansas 20
UT 35 Rice 13

2005
UT 60 La.-Lafayette 3
UT 25 @ #4 Ohio State 22
UT 51 Rice 10

2006
UT 56 North Texas 7
UT 7 #1 Ohio State 24
UT 52 @ Rice 7
UT 56 Sam Houston State 3 (I cannot remember who cancelled on us, but someone did at the last minute.)

2007
UT 21 Arkansas State 13
UT 34 v. #19 TCU 13
UT 35 @ UCF 32
UT 58 Rice 14

2008
UT 52 Florida Atlantic 10
UT 42 @ UTEP 13
UT 52 Rice 10
UT 52 Arkansas 10

2009
UT 59 UL Monroe 20
UT 41 @ Wyoming 10 (wyoming did win a bowl game)
UT 64 UTEP 7
UT 35 UCF 3

2010
UT 34 @ Rice 17
UT 34 Wyoming 7
UT 12 UCLA 34
UT 51 Florida Atlantic 17

2011
UT 34 Ruce 9
UT 17 BYU 16
UT 49 UCLA 20

2012
UT 37 Wyoming 17
UT 45 New Mexico 0
UT 66 @ Mississippi 31

2013
UT 56 New Mexico State 7
UT 21 @ BYU 40
UT 23 v. #25 Mississippi 44

2014
UT 38 North Texas 7
UT 7 BYU 41
UT 17 #12 UCLA 20

Since 1921 Texas has played at least one power conference opponent in non conference play every year except for 2007 and 2009.

In 2007 Texas played Arizona State in a bowl and in 2009 Texas played Alabama in a bowl meaning that Texas has played at least one power conference opponent every year since 1921.

Texas was scheduled to play Arkansas in 2009 and the pigs backed out at the last minute knowing they were going to suffer a terrible loss. This left us unable to find another power opponent in the limited time that we had.

2007 is the only year we did not have a power conference opponent scheduled at all but we played #19 TCU and our first game in Florida in 40 years against 10-4 Conference USA champion Central Florida.

We were supposed to play Utah in 2008 and they cancelled on us. I cannot remember if we were also supposed to play them in 2007 or 2009. I know their claim to #1 in 2008 is BS because they were supposed to play us and backed out.

Texas has only played one FCS team in the past 20 years and it was due to someone canceling on us. (I hope someone on here can remember who cancelled.) We played #1 Ohio State that same year.

In short, the only year Texas could have been ridiculed for a weak non conference schedule was 2009 and that is because Arkansas cancelled on us (they postponed but really cancelled). I do not understand why our media is so bad at their jobs. They are paid and have all day at work to do what I just did in less than an hour.... fact check.

 

Another interesting fact:

Texas faced a power conference opponent in every bowl in the Mack Brown era achieving an impressive 10-5 record. In fact Texas has not faced a non power conference opponent in a bowl game since the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl against Air Force.

 

It is truly pathetic that 54 of 64 Power 5 Conference teams schedule a FCS opponent. If I were CFB czar, that would automatically disqualify you from the CFB playoffs .. but you can certainly play in the FCS playoffs if you would like ....

 

A number of big victories over OCC's since UT joined the Big XII, but I contend that 25-22 victory over Ohio State at night in the Horseshoe was the biggest!!

It may have been one of UT's biggest OCC victories since Texas beat Notre Dame in South Bend in 1934.

 

I was at the Ohio State game. One of my most memorable road trips...

 

YEP! I agree.

 

Baylor doesn't believe scheduling tough non-conference opponents is important. Well, I guess they must be satisfied with just going to a bowl game.

 

Baylor. Green and yellow clowns.

 

@Htown77 Damn, nice work. Somebody pay this man for research.

 

It was damn fine work!

Dionysus, perhaps the HF brain trust should put Htown77 on staff and pay him the huge salary that goes with it!

 

Thanks @Dionysus and @WorsterMan! Always happy to contribute Texas related research to hornfans with or without the huge hornfans salary

 

Seriously impressive research.