In the age of the Bowl Championship Series, the pre-conference season is no longer solely reserved for the annual ritual of dominant programs strong-arming weaker conference or I-AA opponents.

With no officially sanctioned playoff, Division I football is the only NCAA sport where a school’s opportunity to play for a national championship is decided not only by wins on the field, but whom it defeats.

Now that polls and computer-based BCS rankings rely so much on schedule strength, schools are forced to increase the difficulty of their schedules to keep up with the rest of the nation.

The result is scheduling more games against talented non-conference BCS opponents.

In the first five weeks of the season, eight teams that were ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll lost to non-conference BCS teams (Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, Big East, SEC and ACC).

This has forced athletic directors to shy away from scheduling lowly programs to fill their stadiums.

‘Scheduling strong non-conference opponents is a risk and reward situation,’ Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr said. ‘When you play these games, particularly on the road, the risk is great. On the other hand, if you are successful you are certainly rewarded for that.’

Last week, No. 10 Michigan traveled to Oregon’s Autzen Stadium and was upset by the No. 15 Ducks. Traditionally, power programs like Michigan would rarely schedule more than one game a season against dangerous non-conference opponents.

Now, programs schedule tougher games to keep pace with other national powerhouses. This season, Michigan played both Oregon and Notre Dame before entering Big Ten play.

Colorado, from the Big 12 conference, played three major non-conference opponents before the start of conference play. The Buffaloes fell to Florida State and Washington State

Head coach Gary Barnett said he prefers the new emphasis of strength of schedule.

‘We wrap our arms around (a challenging non-conference schedule),’ Barnett said. ‘We go to top quality places and experience the top level of college football because our (players) come here to play those kinds of games.’

Florida State’s schedule includes five games against major non-conference opponents. Head coach Bobby Bowden said these games are important for both his team and the fans, and said the more difficult schedule has changed college football for the better.

‘There is such parity now,’ Bowden said, ‘especially in the top 25 teams and maybe even further down. You have to be ready to play your best every single Saturday now. All you have to do is fumble the ball a couple of times or get a punt blocked, and one of these teams is going to beat you.’

Bowden said in the past he looked at a schedule before the season and knew the Seminoles wouldn’t have to play their best to win all the games. He said that with a tougher schedule and more parity, it is difficult as a coach to get his players ready to play at a championship level every week.

‘It used to be that if you were able to get your team (ready) for 10 games you would be alright,’ Bowden said. ‘Kids just won’t get pumped up every single week, and if the other team is sky high, you can be had.’

Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione, whose Aggies suffered their first loss of the season last week at Virginia Tech, said there are pros and cons to scheduling tough opponents early. Namely, the intensity wavers from week to week.

‘I have seen football teams that have started 4-0, didn’t play a really tough schedule and maybe weren’t a good team,’ Franchione said. ‘And I’ve seen teams start 1-3 , who were pretty good, but weren’t sure of themselves. I’m not sure which one is better.’

Teams to watch

Tennessee

The Volunteers defeated Florida at The Swamp over the weekend and rose to No. 8 in the polls. Though Florida may be in for another down season, a win against a team who nearly beat No. 2 Miami can’t be ignored.

Led by quarterback Casey Claussen, Tennessee is the team to watch in the SEC.

Iowa

Maybe last season wasn’t a fluke for the Hawkeyes. Even after the departure of Heisman finalist Brad Banks, Iowa has started the season in an impressive 4-0 fashion. The Hawkeyes are powered by their defense, allowing zero offensive points and only 189 total yards to Arizona State last Saturday.

Northern Illinois

The Huskies now have two major upsets this season, following up their home opening victory over Maryland with a road win at Alabama. Led by running back Michael Turner, Northern Illinois has a legitimate chance at an undefeated season and a solid argument for a BCS bowl bid.

Big Numbers

7

Touchdowns caught by Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashaun Woods in a 52-7 victory over Southern Methodist. This performance set an all time NCAA Division I record.

The Cowboys apparently saw no fault in running up the score. Quarterback Josh Fields stayed in the game long enough to throw all seven touchdown passes. Woods’s final three scores came with OSU leading by more than 38.

59,023

Largest crowd to see a football game in the state of Oregon. The sellout crowd at Autzen Stadium saw the Ducks upset Michigan and allowed the Wolverines to be the only team in NCAA history to be a part to consecutive state attendance records. Michigan set its home state’s record the previous week.

Weekly irrelevant Heisman race

1. Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State

After another solid performance, Rivers has made his way to the head of the list. His 77 percent completion percentage and 11 touchdowns are very impressive, especially considering the Wolfpack’s tough schedule.

2. Chris Perry, RB, Michigan

Though he was shut down in the loss to Oregon, much of it wasn’t his fault. The Wolverines abandoned the run for the entire second half, barely letting Perry touch the field.

3. Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State

Yes, his seven touchdown performance was against a weak opponent, but it is still an NCAA record worthy of recognition. Woods will have plenty of chances against Big 12 defenses to justify his position in the top three.

Say What?

Franchione, obviously still confused after being pummeled by Virginia Tech, last weekend in the middle of Hurricane Isabel.

‘There are three aspects of being a good coach: Xs and Os, recruiting and scheduling. I’m not sure which one’s first some days.’

Published on September 24, 2003 at 12:00 pm