The Bears have scheduled four games against Power Five teams through the 2024 season; conversely, there are 12 Group of Five teams and four FCS teams over the next nine seasons on the slate.
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The Big 12 is sending out an S-O-S on, well, SOS.
The Big 12 announced requirements Tuesday that immediately would strengthen the football schedules of all its teams. It appears the appeal will be denied, which could lead to another round of expansion and, yes, conference realignment. Cougar fans would undoubtedly like more games with Big 12 teams, since the team not only badly wants to join the league, but also recruits in Texas, and squares off against a few of these programs on the trail.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby commented on the development, per Dinich: “We’re trying to work our way through it, but I’m less certain of the outcome than I was before”.
Notable is that the scheduling requirement does not impact already-scheduled non-conference opponent contracts.
Oklahoma played Tennessee this season as part of its non-conference schedule. That’s tail wagging dog.
The conference has come under fire for weak non-conference scheduling, particularly Baylor, who has not faced a Power Five opponent since 2009, when it opened with a win at Wake Forest. I don’t want unintended consequences.
“Last year, people were in a panic that the Big 12 absolutely had to have a championship game”, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “We don’t think we ought to be forced into that sort of thing”.
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“We don’t think he should have to expand to have the same option we have”, Delany said, “but we feel he should have a structure similar to ours”. The vote will take place at the NCAA convention between January 13-16 in San Antonio, Texas. Kansas State has home-and-home agreements with two Southeastern Conference teams that cover the 2017-20 seasons.
