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The OOC Scheduling Myth

In have some mixed feelings on the OOC schedule. If you structure too weak a Schedule it tends to hide your weaknesses. And then you get exposed once you get to Conference Play. If you play two competitive teams in the OOC (Pittsburgh, NC State, Louisville, Kentucky, Mississippi, as examples of such teams). In fact I would like to see us go back to a long term Home and Home Series with Kentucky and structure the rest of your OOC Schedule around it.

On the other hand, you play in what is usually a very tough Conference Division with at least 4 really tough Division Games (maybe 5 if Maryland gets their Act together), you always have Purdue which is a year to year crap shoot. Then if you get a crossover year with an Iowa or Wisconsin on your Schedule you are looking at a really tough Conference Schedule. It may be asking too much physically or mentally to prepare for 11 really tough games.
 
So 76-1, as a hypothetical....if the IU Athetic Department called you and said they were awarding you an all-expenses paid weekend for two IU football weekends in consecutive years, and you had two options:

Option #1
vs E Illinois @ Bloomington this year
vs S Illinois @ Bloomington next year

OR

Option #2
vs Texas at Bloomington this year
@ Texas in Austin next year

You would opt for Option #1, simply because it might improve our chances to play Syracuse in the Detroit Bowl?

And I'll add, just for fairness, that I get your arguments.

When I lived in Dallas, contributed little to the Varsity Club, didn't buy season tickets, would hit one or two games a year, and just watch on TV....I was just like a lot here. Schedule as many patsies as possible to get to a bowl game. I wasn't paying for tickets for the wasted weekends, so who cares? 20k in the seats in a lifeless stadium for (insert MAC of FCS team here)? Who cares, I'm watching on TV. Just get a bowl game that I would probably travel to. Nothing else mattered. I get that.

That said, when you choose to invest (whatever your level of comfort is)/year to "support the programs", as some of us do, the onsite entertainment value portion becomes more important. The quality of the competition you are paying to see becomes more important. Low level bowl games, and 8-9 seed tournament appearances are great and all, but what you get in Bloomington as far as game quality (and a cool September destination game in return) trumps that...at least for me.

You know little to nothing about me and I don't intend to enlighten you other than to tell you that I've supported INDIANA Football in various forms (including monetarily) for very close to 50 years and knowing what I know about what's best for the TEAM over the course of a full season..., I'd choose option 1 as long as it meant option 2 did not occur...

There lies the difference between us: I prefer to choose what's best for the TEAM over my own personal short term entertainment..., which you evidently do not...
 
Option #1
vs E Illinois @ Bloomington this year
vs S Illinois @ Bloomington next year

OR

Option #2
vs Texas at Bloomington this year
@ Texas in Austin next year

Uhh you have it backwards. Option 2 actually improves your odds of playing in the “Detroit Bowl”, and could potentially prevent IU from making a bowl altogether.

I’d 10x much prefer IU beating Eastern ILL en route to an 8 win season playing in the Gator Bowl over playing and losing to Texas and being relegated to the “Detroit Bowl” or worse, no bowl at all.

Are you stupid?
 
There lies the difference between us: I prefer to choose what's best for the TEAM over my own personal short term entertainment..., which you evidently do not...
That's going to leave a mark.
 
Hell, take 2020 for example...

Memphis is ranked and playing in the Cotton.
Air Force is 10-2.
The weakest game/team, BC, is still a bowl eligible Power 5, and offers a cool trip to Boston for a game.

And could be a huge reason why Purdue fails to get to bowl eligibility for a second straight year. Want to bet ticket sales decline after missing bowls in consecutive seasons with a coach making $6mil/yr?
 
Don't be obtuse.
Hell, take 2020 for example...

Memphis is ranked and playing in the Cotton.
Air Force is 10-2.
The weakest game/team, BC, is still a bowl eligible Power 5, and offers a cool trip to Boston for a game.
Yes lol at their crossover games Rutgers, Michigan and Indiana. Indiana’s crossovers are Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue. So Purdue will not play Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State. You tell me whose overall schedule you would rather have? I think I would trade Ohio State, penn State and Michigan State for Memphis, Air Force and Boston College.
 
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