# College football match-ups **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 24, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938 "2010-09-24T22:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/1 "2010-09-24T22:21:02Z")
Are there any long-term BCS schools who’ve never played each other? ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/2 "2010-09-25T00:01:10Z")
120 teams in FBS. I’m sure there’s tons of match ups that have never occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/3 "2010-09-25T00:56:35Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Are there any long-term BCS schools who’ve never played each other? Is there any question in Cafe Society you’re unable to do the basic research of on your own? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/4 "2010-09-25T01:45:47Z")
Point taken! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/5 "2010-09-25T02:11:30Z")
You can find all sorts of information here: > **[Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com)** > > Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting,... My school is Georgia Tech. Schools that we have never played include Army, Ohio St., both big Oregon Schools, both Washington Schools, UCLA, USC and lots of others. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/6 "2010-09-25T02:31:05Z")
Browsing that cfbdatawarehouse site, apparently the database is not working correctly. usually it has some good info. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/7 "2010-09-25T02:47:56Z")
To expand on my last post: Most a a football team’s games are going to be against conference opponents. Here in the PAC-10, we play 9 Conference and 3 Non-Conference games. So 75% of our schedule is the exact same teams every year. Of the 25% that are not, usually games are schedule as series even further limiting the variety of opponents you play since you’ll play the same non-conference team 2-4 times in as many years. And even in selecting THOSE, teams are more likely to choose opponents in geographical proximity to lower transportation costs. So yes. A bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@Captain\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/8 "2010-09-27T09:07:32Z")
I went to Ole Miss (U of Mississippi) From the same site that someone mentioned above, I looked up every school Mississippi has played since 1970 (including bowls). This year, Mississippi played Fresno State, which is a school in California. when I saw that, I went WTF? Why are they playing a WAC school from wayyyyyy across the country? They have also played Idaho State, UNLV (Rebels vs. Running Rebels), Wyoming, Northern Arizona, Indiana State and Ohio University. Schools that are very far away (most of them weaker teams.) > **[Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/sec/mississippi/opponents.php?start=1970&end=2009)** > > Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting,... ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/9 "2010-09-27T19:38:09Z")
> [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > I went to Ole Miss (U of Mississippi) From the same site that someone mentioned above, I looked up every school Mississippi has played since 1970 (including bowls). > > This year, Mississippi played Fresno State, which is a school in California. when I saw that, I went WTF? Why are they playing a WAC school from wayyyyyy across the country? They have also played Idaho State, UNLV (Rebels vs. Running Rebels), Wyoming, Northern Arizona, Indiana State and Ohio University. Schools that are very far away (most of them weaker teams.) Most schools play teams from all over the country. It’s just the SEC schools that have a big problem playing anyone not from the south. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/10 "2010-09-27T20:11:25Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > > [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > > > I went to Ole Miss (U of Mississippi) From the same site that someone mentioned above, I looked up every school Mississippi has played since 1970 (including bowls). > > > > This year, Mississippi played Fresno State, which is a school in California. when I saw that, I went WTF? Why are they playing a WAC school from wayyyyyy across the country? They have also played Idaho State, UNLV (Rebels vs. Running Rebels), Wyoming, Northern Arizona, Indiana State and Ohio University. Schools that are very far away (most of them weaker teams.) > > Most schools play teams from all over the country. It’s just the SEC schools that have a big problem playing anyone not from the south. Perhaps you could examine the schedules before making such a comment: > **[The Best of Recruiting and High School Sports](https://www.on3.com/rivals/)** > > Rivals is the best resource for recruiting and high school sports. Find all of your favorite team's information or browse our advanced player database. > **[The Best of Recruiting and High School Sports](https://www.on3.com/rivals/)** > > Rivals is the best resource for recruiting and high school sports. Find all of your favorite team's information or browse our advanced player database. > **[The Best of Recruiting and High School Sports](https://www.on3.com/rivals/)** > > Rivals is the best resource for recruiting and high school sports. Find all of your favorite team's information or browse our advanced player database. SEC schools have commitments to seven conference games. The remaining games are not limited to the South. Maybe the “big problem” is not entirely the fault of the SEC schools? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/11 "2010-09-27T21:39:11Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > SEC schools have commitments to seven conference games. The remaining games are not limited to the South. > > Maybe the “big problem” is not entirely the fault of the SEC schools? Oh, I’ve examined the schedules for years. Pointing out the rare exceptions doesn’t make your case. It is a well-known fact that SEC schools rarely play challenging games outside of their conference, especially on the road. Colorado and Northwestern aren’t exactly the class of their conferences. When is the last time Florida played a non-conference game outside the state of Florida? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/12 "2010-09-27T21:47:24Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > SEC schools have commitments to seven conference games. The remaining games are not limited to the South. > > > > Maybe the “big problem” is not entirely the fault of the SEC schools? > > Oh, I’ve examined the schedules for years. Pointing out the rare exceptions doesn’t make your case. It is a well-known fact that SEC schools rarely play challenging games outside of their conference, especially on the road. Colorado and Northwestern aren’t exactly the class of their conferences. When is the last time Florida played a non-conference game outside the state of Florida? Your “well known fact” has just been shown not to be a fact but an exaggeration. You select Florida to make your case, I selected three schools whose schedule this year includes non-Southern schools. I sense a bias that has no basis in fact. Just so we can compare apples and oranges, where is your collegiate loyalty? What record does your school have in its out-of-conference scheduling? Also, please note the points made by **Cyberhwk** above. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/13 "2010-09-27T22:22:48Z")
As one piece of the SEC vs. Other BCS Schools Outside the South puzzle I give you Wisconsin, which in the modern era (post WWII) has played an SEC team in a regular season game exactly twice. LSU and the Badgers did a home & home in 1971 and 1972. Every other matchup with an SEC team has been a Bowl game. And Wisconsin wasn’t even that good a team for most of that time. (And hey, we’re undefeated against Alabama…sweet…15-0 in 1928!) ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/14 "2010-09-27T22:30:14Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Just so we can compare apples and oranges, where is your collegiate loyalty? What record does your school have in its out-of-conference scheduling? > > Also, please note the points made by **Cyberhwk** above. My school is Wisconsin, who has played at UNLV and Arizona State at home. Last year they played at Hawaii. The year before that they played at (ranked) Fresno State. Look at the Big Ten as a whole - several teams regularly play Notre Dame. Ohio State had a recent home and home with #1 USC, and plays Colorado next year. You can go through every Big Ten teams schedules for the last few years and you’ll see major conference opponents from all over the country both home and away. The SEC just doesn’t do this. If they schedule a good team it’s only at home, and otherwise they play teams from the South. Hell, my local team and daughter’s school, Colorado, has played Colorado State, Hawaii, Cal, and has Georgia this week. Four major conference schools in four weeks. Show me an SEC school that’s done that. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/15 "2010-09-27T22:35:21Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > As one piece of the SEC vs. Other BCS Schools Outside the South puzzle I give you Wisconsin, which in the modern era (post WWII) has played an SEC team in a regular season game exactly twice. LSU and the Badgers did a home & home in 1971 and 1972. Every other matchup with an SEC team has been a Bowl game. > > And Wisconsin wasn’t even that good a team for most of that time. > > (And hey, we’re undefeated against Alabama…sweet…15-0 in 1928!) Not to pick on Alabama (necessarily) but there’s another helpful site for delving into the issue(s) of this thread. See [http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Alabama&sort=a](http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Alabama&sort=a) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/16 "2010-09-27T22:39:16Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > Just so we can compare apples and oranges, where is your collegiate loyalty? What record does your school have in its out-of-conference scheduling? > > > > Also, please note the points made by **Cyberhwk** above. > > My school is Wisconsin, who has played at UNLV and Arizona State at home. Last year they played at Hawaii. The year before that they played at (ranked) Fresno State. > > Look at the Big Ten as a whole - several teams regularly play Notre Dame. Ohio State had a recent home and home with #1 USC, and plays Colorado next year. You can go through every Big Ten teams schedules for the last few years and you’ll see major conference opponents from all over the country both home and away. The SEC just doesn’t do this. If they schedule a good team it’s only at home, and otherwise they play teams from the South. > > Hell, my local team and daughter’s school, Colorado, has played Colorado State, Hawaii, Cal, and has Georgia this week. Four major conference schools in four weeks. Show me an SEC school that’s done that. I offer Tennessee: [http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g](http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/17 "2010-09-27T22:47:41Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I offer Tennessee: [http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g](http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g) Huh? Tennessee’s OOC games this year are: Tennessee Martin Oregon UAB Memphis That’s 2 short of his request for an SEC team that plays 4 major conference schools. And going down that list looking at “Last Meeting” hurts your argument rather help it (let alone prove it). ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/18 "2010-09-27T22:48:32Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I offer Tennessee: [http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g](http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g) What about Tennessee? I’ll give you that they played Oregon. At home, of course, but they played a good team. Other than that, they’ve played southern hyphenated teams - Tennesee-Martin (who?) and Alabama-Birmingham. Of that list of teams they’ve played since 1869, of the teams they’ve played 10 or more times, I only see UCLA as a worthy opponent outside of the South, and most of those were likely bowl games that they didn’t schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/19 "2010-09-27T22:58:08Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > I offer Tennessee: [http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g](http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2009&team=Tennessee&sort=g) > > Huh? Tennessee’s OOC games this year are: > > Tennessee Martin > Oregon > UAB > Memphis > > That’s 2 short of his request for an SEC team that plays 4 major conference schools. > And going down that list looking at “Last Meeting” hurts your argument rather help it (let alone prove it). Go with Vanderbilt then. Unless the “major conference” doesn’t apply. My choice of Tennessee was to demonstrate that UT must recruit from all over the country (not just the state) and must appeal to all areas of the country for its players. Florida is one of the heaviest states (along with California and Texas) for NFL-quality players. Playing schools within the state makes sense for them and the “not having to travel too far” concept. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938/20 "2010-09-27T23:19:02Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Go with Vanderbilt then. Unless the “major conference” doesn’t apply. There you go. The MAC sucks, but they’re no worse than the Mountain West (Colorado State). > [@](#): > > My choice of Tennessee was to demonstrate that UT must recruit from all over the country (not just the state) and must appeal to all areas of the country for its players. Uh - then why the hell don’t they play teams from across the country? Vanderbilt plays teams across the country not because they’re recruiting, but because they’re terrible and get offered attractive packages to play them by other conference teams. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-match-ups/554938.md?page=2)