Ranking Power 5 Football Schedules for 2023

 

Schedules have been released for the 2023 college football season, which means it's time to rank the non-conference slates -- the only aspect a team truly controls. I usually ding a team for scheduling FCS foes, but it is becoming so pervasive that it's pointless to harp on it too much. Scheduling more P5 teams is a huge plus, though.

When choosing best non-conference game, a matchup can only be used once. So even though it includes teams from two Power 5 leagues, it will only be mentioned once. So don't be angry if it's listed in one place but not another. 

Of course, once the season begins all of this will change. The schedule that looked intimidating will turn out to be a dud, while the one that was laughed at will suddenly look formidable.

Here is a breakdown of all of the Power 5 conference non-league schedules:

                                                         ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

It's apparent that the league feels Notre Dame is a de facto member, even though it went back to its Independent status after the COVID season of 2020. Five ACC squads will play the Fighting Irish in 2023, including 2022 Irish victim Clemson. Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, South Carolina and Cincinnati dot ACC schedules, which on the whole are not terrible. UConn appears on three ACC slates, while Old Dominion will face a pair of league teams.

 

Kudos to Florida State, which has LSU and Florida as bookends on its schedule, and a home contest against Southern Miss that may not be the cakewalk everyone expects.

BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Notre Dame at Clemson

SNEAKY GOOD NON-CONFERENCE GAME

James Madison at Virginia

UNDERACHIEVERS NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Texas A&M at Miami

BRAINIAC NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Northwestern at Duke

 

1 FLORIDA STATE: vs LSU/Southern Miss/North Alabama/Florida

2 NORTH CAROLINA: vs South Carolina/Appalachian State/Minnesota/Campbell

3 PITTSBURGH: Wofford/Cincinnati/at West Virginia/at Notre Dame

4 CLEMSON: Charleston Southern/Florida Atlantic/Notre Dame/South Carolina

5 VIRGINIA: v Tennessee/James Madison/at Maryland/William & Mary

6 GEORGIA TECH: South Carolina State/at Ole Miss/Bowling Green/Georgia

7 LOUISVILLE: Murray State/vs Indiana/Notre Dame/Kentucky

8 VIRGINIA TECH: Old Dominion/Purdue/at Rutgers/at Marshall

9 MIAMI: Miami Ohio/Texas A&M/Bethune-Cookman/at Temple

10 WAKE FOREST: Elon/Vanderbilt/at Old Dominion/at Notre Dame

11 NC STATE: at UConn/Notre Dame/VMI/Marshall

12 DUKE: Lafayette/Northwestern/at UConn/Notre Dame

13 SYRACUSE: Colgate/Western Michigan/at Purdue/Army

14 BOSTON COLLEGE: Northern Illinois/Holy Cross/at Army/UConn

 

 

BIG TEN

Quite often the poster child of exemplary non-league scheduling, the Big Ten this year has really dumbed things down. Seven teams have scheduled FCS opponents, one has zero Power 5 foes and just one faces two teams from a Power 5 league. Bravo, Big Ten -- you've stopped pretending that you at least wanted to be challenged in the early portion of the season. Now it's simply a walkthrough.

BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Ohio State at Notre Dame

SNEAKY GOOD NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Eastern Michigan at Minnesota

REALLY A BIG 12 NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Nebraska at Colorado

RIVALRY RENEWED NON-CONFERENCE GAME

West Virgina at Penn State (played every season from 1947-1992, but not since).

 

1 PURDUE: at Virginia Tech/Syracuse/Fresno State

2 MINNESOTA: Eastern Michigan/at North Carolina/Louisiana

3 IOWA: Utah State/at Iowa State/Western Michigan

4 WISCONSIN: Buffalo/at Washington State/Georgia Southern

5 OHIO STATE: Youngstown State/Western Kentucky/at Notre Dame

6 MICHIGAN STATE: Central Michigan/Richmond/Washington

7 NEBRASKA: at Colorado/Northern Illinois/Louisiana Tech

8 ILLINOIS: Toledo/at Kansas/Florida Atlantic

9 MICHIGAN: E Carolina/UNLV/Bowling Green

10 PENN STATE: West Virginia/Delaware/UMass

11 MARYLAND: Towson/Charlotte/Virginia

12 RUTGERS: Temple/Virginia Tech/Wagner

13 INDIANA: Indiana State/vs Louisville/Akron

14 NORTHWESTERN: UTEP/at Duke/Howard

 

BIG 12

Much like the Big Ten, the Big 12 isn't doing much to strain itself during the non-league portion of the schedule. Only two teams aren't facing an FCS foe, and many aren't even leaving their home state in September. There is the marquee matchup of Texas at Alabama, and a couple of other intriguing contests (Utah at Baylor, Colorado at TCU and West Virginia at Penn State and home to Pitt), but there aren't a whole lot of "wow, that's a doozy!" occasions on the 2023 slate.

Bonus points to new member Houston, which plays only in-state non-league games, and soon-to-be-departing staple Oklahoma, which makes the grueling two hour drive to Tulsa but otherwise has the comforts of home early in the season. Nice job, guys.

 

BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Texas at Alabama

SNEAKY GOOD NON-CONFERENCE GAME 

Troy at Kansas State

BIG 8 REVISITED NON CONFERENCE GAME

SMU at Oklahoma

DO WE GET POINTS FOR THIS FLIGHT? NON-CONFERENCE GAME

UCF at Boise State

1 TEXAS: Rice/at Alabama/Wyoming

2 WEST VIRGINIA: at Penn State/Duquesne/Pittsburgh

3 BAYLOR: Texas State/Utah/Long Island

4 TEXAS TECH: at Wyoming/Oregon/Tarleton State

5 OKLAHOMA: Arkansas State/SMU/at Tulsa

6 TCU: Colorado/Nicholls/SMU

7 IOWA STATE: Northern Iowa/Iowa/at Ohio

8 KANSAS STATE: SE Missouri/Troy/at Missouri

9 CINCINNATI: Eastern Kentucky/at Pittsburgh/Miami Ohio

10 UCF: Kent State/at Boise State/Villanova

11 KANSAS: Missouri State/Illinois/at Nevada

12 HOUSTON: UTSA/at Rice/Sam Houston

13 OKLAHOMA STATE: Central Arkansas/at Arizona State/South Alabama

14 BRIGHAM YOUNG: Sam Houston/Southern Utah/at Arkansas

 

 

PAC-12

If the Pac-12 is going away -- and that looks to be the case given the panic that has set in among admins trying frantically to get a television deal -- at least it will go down swinging. 

 

Numerous league teams have taken it upon themselves to schedule premier out of conference matchups, so there will be plenty of chances for attention in 2023. Three teams have even decided to schedule only FBS teams, which is a victory itself. Utah and USC will be tested this season, and Coach Prime will also have time in the spotlight as his Buffs face CFP participant TCU right out of the box.

 

BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME

USC at Notre Dame

SNEAKY GOOD NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Arizona at Mississippi State

WE AREN'T THE HOME TEAM? NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Cal at North Texas

AM I IN THE RIGHT LOCKER ROOM? NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Sacramento State at Stanford (Cards first-year coach Troy Taylor came from Sac State)

 

1 UTAH: Florida/at Baylor/Weber State

2 USC: San Jose State/Nevada/at Notre Dame

3 COLORADO: at TCU/Nebraska/Colorado State

4 WASHINGTON: Boise State/Tulsa/at Michigan State

5 UCLA: Coastal Carolina/at San Diego State/North Carolina Central

6 OREGON STATE: at San Jose State/UC Davis/San Diego State

7 ARIZONA STATE: Southern Utah/Oklahoma State/Fresno State

8 ARIZONA: Northern Arizona/at Mississippi State/UTEP

9 STANFORD: at Hawaii/Sacramento State/Notre Dame

10 OREGON: Portland State/at Texas Tech/Hawaii

11 WASHINGTON STATE: at Colorado State/Wisconsin/Northern Colorado

12 CALIFORNIA: at North Texas/Auburn/Idaho

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

While there definitely are some intriguing matchups in the SEC, most of it is the usual lower-rung cannon fodder that dots schedules each season. The obligatory FCS game -- almost always late in the season -- is still there, and there seems to be even more detail paid to putting Group of Five teams that finished near the bottom of their conference on the slate.

 

Special mention goes to Auburn, which has UMass, maybe THE worst team in FBS, Cal, which won four games last season and may not be much better this season, and New Mexico State, which is perennially bad but had a resurgence under Jerry Kill and won seven games in 2022. At least their FCS foe, Samford, was a top 10 team.

 

BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME

LSU vs Florida State

SNEAKY GOOD NON-CONFERENCE GAME 

Ole Miss at Tulane

HEATED RIVALRY NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Kansas State at Missouri

LET'S SCHEDULE A NOON KICKOFF NON-CONFERENCE GAME

Hawaii at Vanderbilt

1 FLORIDA: at Utah/McNeese/Charlotte/Florida State

2 SOUTH CAROLINA: vs North Carolina/Furman/Jacksonville State/Clemson

3 MISSOURI: South Dakota/Middle Tennessee/Kansas State/vs Memphis

4 LSU: vs Florida State/Grambling State/Army/Georgia State

5 ALABAMA: Middle Tennessee/Texas/at South Florida/Chattanooga

6 MISSISSIPPI STATE: SE Louisiana/Arizona/Western Michigan/Southern Miss

7 TENNESSEE: vs Virginia/Austin Peay/UTSA/UConn

8 OLE MISS: Mercer/at Tulane/Georgia Tech/Louisiana-Monroe

9 GEORGIA: UT-Martin/Ball State/UAB/Georgia Tech

10 VANDERBILT: Hawaii/Alabama A&M/at Wake Forest/at UNLV

11 KENTUCKY: Ball State/Eastern Kentucky/Akron/at Louisville

12 ARKANSAS: Western Carolina/Kent State/Brigham Young/FIU

13 TEXAS A&M: New Mexico/at Miami/Louisiana-Monroe/Abilene Christian

14 AUBURN: UMass/at Cal/Samford/New Mexico State

 

 

2019 Big 12 Preview

This could finally be it, folks. The year that Texas is truly back.

Sam Ehlinger (San Antonio Express-News)

The Longhorns are almost completely new on defense, but return most of their vital pieces on offense, including quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Though maligned, Ehlinger is a baller, accounting for 41 touchdowns a year ago to help Texas average 31 ppg. The talent is improving, and it will be interesting to see if a Sugar Bowl upset over Georgia becomes a benchmark victory for Tom Herman's bunch.

Until it is knocked off the mountain, Oklahoma is still the big dog in the Big 12. Working on a string of four straight league titles, the Sooners will be better on defense, simply because it would be nearly impossible to be worse. The offense has put up video game numbers in the first two years of Lincoln Riley's head coaching tenure, helping Sooners QBs Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray to consecutive Heismans. While there has been talk that Jalen Hurts has improved his passing, we are skeptical, and don't expect the offense to be as wide open and explosive as it has been in recent seasons. But Oklahoma will be a player on the national scene as long as Riley is around.

TCU had high expectations coming into 2018, and then the injuries started. Gone were the starting QB and RB and numerous bodies on the O-line. Every level of the defense felt the injury bug, too, so Gary Patterson is moving on quickly from last year. While there are questions at quarterback, the Horned Frogs D could be the best its been in Patterson's 20 seasons. There are stars at all three levels, and a schedule that shouldn't pose many problems until an early October jaunt to Ames to take on Iowa State.

Speaking of Iowa State, the Cyclones should have one of their best teams in years. Brock Purdy was a revelation as a freshman at quarterback and should be even better this time around. Bruiser David Montgomery is gone from the backfield, but a pair of decorated freshmen should keep the ground game humming. A three game stretch of Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas late in the season will determine whether or not ISU is truly a contender or a step or two away.

It was hard to figure out Oklahoma State last season. The Pokes upset Boise State, Texas, West Virginia and Missouri, and lost by a point in a wild Bedlam game with Oklahoma as a late two-point conversion failed, but fell to Texas Tech, Kansas State and Baylor as favorites. Inconsistent quarterback play was a big part of the problem, as was a porous defense. The former should improve with redshirt frosh Spencer Sanders throwing to star Tylan Wallace, but the defense could again be an issue with just four starters back. Still, it wouldn't be a shock to see Okie State improve.

Matt Rhule made a tremendous improvement in year two at Baylor, going from one win to seven. Look for the momentum to continue behind standout QB Charlie Brewer and a lethal corps of receivers. The defense should be the best in Rhule's tenure, led by standout DT James Lynch. A closing stretch of TCU, Oklahoma and Texas will be tough.

Texas Tech begins anew after the departure of head coach Kliff Kingsbury to the NFL. He is replaced by Matt Wells, who won at least nine games three times in six seasons at Utah State, and Wells will be able to lean on Alan Bowman at quarterback. The sophomore missed half of last season with injury, but should be ready to battle in 2019 and will have an excellent group of receivers on hand. The defense has experience, led by All-Big 12 candidate Jordyn Brooks at linebacker.

It's a new day in the state of Kansas, for both of the state's football programs. Gone are legend Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and non-legend David Beaty (Kansas), replaced by uber-successful Chris Klieman and Les Miles. Kansas State may take some time to get going as Klieman tries to instill the same culture that won four national titles at North Dakota State, but it helps to have a fairly solid, experienced defense, led by end Reggie Walker. The offense has experience but is largely an unknown.

While it may not result in many victories, fun is back in Lawrence as Miles is set to lead Kansas to what he hopes are better days. The Jayhawks are slowly increasing the talent level, most notably on offense. There is experience up front, which should help JUCO QB Thomas McVittie gain his footing. The Jayhawks will run the ball more this year, and with good reason -- Pooka Williams is one of the most dynamic backs in the Big 12. He'll miss the opener after an off-field domestic violence incident, but rest assured that Miles will lean on him and Khalil Herbert a ton. An improvement over last year's three wins is not out of the question.

Neal Brown will get it done in Morgantown, folks. He will. Just not this year. West Virginia will have to rely on defense if success is to come, and fortunately for new DC Vic Koenning (who led very good Ds at Troy the last four seasons) there is talent to work with, especially in the back seven. The offense lost a ton of firepower -- QB Will Grier and WRs David Sills, Gary Jennings and Marcus Simms -- and could find tough sledding with an almost completely rebuilt unit. Austin Kendall transferred from Oklahoma and will start at quarterback for WVU, which has a murderous middle season run of Texas, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Baylor.

BIG 12 PREDICTIONS

1 Texas (12-1, 8-1)*R
2 Oklahoma (10-3, 7-2)*R
3 TCU (9-3, 6-3)*R
3 Iowa State (8-4, 6-3)*R
5 Oklahoma State (8-4, 5-4)*R
6 Baylor (7-5, 4-5)*R
7 Texas Tech (5-7, 3-6)
8 Kansas State (4-8, 2-7)
8 Kansas (4-8, 2-7)
8 West Virginia (3-9, 2-7)

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Texas over Oklahoma

* Bowl participant
R CFB Focus Top 40 team

ALL BIG 12
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Sam Ehlinger/Texas
RB Kennedy Brooks/Oklahoma
RB Pooka Williams/Kansas
WR CeeDee Lamb/Oklahoma
WR Tylan Wallace/Oklahoma State
WR Jalen Reagor/TCU
TE Grant Calcaterra/Oklahoma
OT Terence Steele/Texas Tech
OT Lucas Niang/TCU
OG Parker Braun/Texas
OG Marcus Keyes/Oklahoma State
 C  Creed Humphrey/Oklahoma

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE JaQuan Bailey/Iowa State
DE James Lynch/Baylor
DT Ray Lima/Iowa State
DT Corey Bethley/TCU
LB Mike Rose/Iowa State
LB Jordyn Brooks/Texas Tech
LB Kenneth Murray/Oklahoma
CB Adrian Frye/Texas Tech
CB Jeff Gladney/TCU
 S  Caden Sterns/Texas
 S  Greg Eisworth/Iowa State

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K Cameron Dicker/Texas
 P  Kyle Thompson/Kansas
RS Jalen Reagor/TCU

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Brock Purdy/Iowa State
RB Chuba Hubbard/Oklahoma State
RB Keontay Ingram/Texas
WR Collin Johnson/Texas
WR Denzel Mims/Baylor
WR TJ Vasher/Texas Tech
TE Charlie Kolar/Iowa State
OT Sam Cosmi/Texas
OT Julian Good-Jones/Iowa State
OG Jack Anderson/Texas Tech
OG Josh Sills/West Virginia
 C  Zach Shackelford/Texas

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE Reggie Walker/Kansas State
DE Ronnie Perkins/Oklahoma
DT Darius Stills/West Virginia
DT Ross Blacklock/TCU
LB Calvin Bundage/Oklahoma State
LB Marcel Spears Jr/Iowa State
LB Garret Wallow/TCU
CB AJ Green/Oklahoma State
CB Corione Harris/Kansas
 S  Brandon Jones/Texas
 S  Innis Gaines/TCU

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K Evan Staley/West Virginia
 P Ryan Bujcevski/Texas
RS CeeDee Lamb/Oklahoma

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tylan Wallace
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mike Rose
COACH OF THE YEAR: Tom Herman/Texas
TOP NEWCOMER: QB Jalen Hurts/Oklahoma

TOP FIVE GAMES (NONCONFERENCE)
Houston at Oklahoma (Sept. 1)
LSU at Texas (Sept. 7)
Iowa at Iowa State (Sept. 14)
Oklahoma at UCLA (Sept. 14)
TCU at Purdue (Sept. 14)

TOP FIVE GAMES (CONFERENCE)
Iowa State at Baylor (Sept. 28)
Texas vs Oklahoma (at Dallas) (Oct. 12)
Texas at TCU (Oct. 26)
Iowa State at Oklahoma (Nov. 9)
Texas at Iowa State (Nov. 16)

TOP FIVE INCOMING FRESHMEN
WR Theo Wease/Oklahoma 
RB Breece Hall/Iowa State
CB Kenyatta Watson/Texas
DT Karter Johnson/TCU
LB DeGabriel Floyd/Texas

TOP FIVE TRANSFERS
QB Jalen Hurts/Oklahoma (Alabama)
DE Shameik Blackshear/TCU (South Carolina)
OT Parker Braun/Texas (Georgia Tech)
WR McLane Mannix/Texas Tech (Nevada)
RB Jordon Brown/Kansas State (North Carolina)

TOP FIVE JUCO TRANSFERS
QB Thomas McVittie/Kansas
DT LaRon Stokes/Oklahoma
LB Caleb Jones/Texas
DE Parker Workman/TCU
DT Sione Asi/Oklahoma Stat

College Football 2018 Conference Previews -- Big 12

BIG 12

OVERVIEW

West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen (Ray Carlin USAToday)

The storyline this year in the Big 12 is quarterback -- who is and isn't around.
The top selection is West Virginia, because quarterback Will Grier returns. Grier has run Dana Holgorsen's offense almost perfectly in his time in Morgantown, and wants to exit stage left with a Big 12 championship ring. A deep receiving corps is led by David Sills V, whose 18 touchdowns were the best in the country in 2017. Gary Stills led the team in catches and TJ Simmons and Marcus Simms add to the riches. An upgraded defense could give him just that, though truth be told defense in the Big 12 only has to be adequate, not great. Oklahoma made last year's College Football Playoff thanks in large part to Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. A savvy, deadly accurate passer, Mayfield played with a huge chip on his shoulder, becoming maybe the best walk-on quarterback to ever play college football -- if not the most decorated. While many in Boomer Sooner land think that the wheels will hum with the same precision in 2018, that will be nearly impossible. You see, Kyler Murray isn't Mayfield -- he's a better runner and better athlete, but not a better passer. So it's reasonable to wonder how he will react when the Sooners are faced with adversity on third-and-a-million. Mayfield would improvise and, more often than not, get the job done. With Murray we just don't know. The defense has talent and speed, but also some holes, most notably against the pass.

 Texas has its own quarterback quandary -- sort of. Sam Ehlinger returns as the favorite, but Shane Buechele has had his moments. The Longhorns boast one of the better receiving corps in the conference and have an experienced offensive line, and the defense is snarling and should vie for top honors in the Big 12. Whether or not that's enough to finish in the top two remains to be seen. Gary Patterson led his TCU team to 11 wins last year but now has to rebuild in crucial places, most notably along the offensive line. New quarterback Shawn Robinson is a better passer than Kenny Hill and has the mobility to keep teams honest. He has excellent weapons in Jalen Reagor and KaVontae Turpin, and the defense will be its usual sturdy self.

Matt Campbell did a yeoman's job in his second season in Ames, leading the Cyclones to their first eight-win campaign since 2000. What he does for an encore depends on how the defensive leadership steps up. Gone is heart and soul linebacker Joel Lanning, and his place is -- who? Maybe linebacker Willie Harvey or talented cornerback Brian Peavy. The offense has the benefit of sixth-year quarterback Kyle Kempt, and physical running back David Montgomery. The schedule is tough, however. If Mike Gundy can get this year's Oklahoma State team to contend, they should just retire the coach of the year award. There is a ton to replace, including quarterback Mason Rudolph and receivers Marcell Ateman and James Washington. Hawaii transfer Dru Brown is the likely pick to run the offense. Kansas State is yet another team with an unsettled quarterback battle, featuring Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson -- Delton is the better runner, Thompson the better passer. So it will depend on what sort of identity Bill Snyder wants his offense to have. The good news is that the Wildcats have one of the most experienced offensive lines in the league, led by All-America candidate Dalton Risner at left tackle. The defense is almost completely new, so this could be one of those rare years where offense carries the day in Manhattan.

RISING: Baylor
FALLING: Oklahoma State
BOWL TEAMS (7): West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

BIG 12 PROJECTED STANDINGS
1 West Virginia (11-2, 7-2)
2 Oklahoma (10-3, 7-2)
3 Texas (9-3, 6-3)
4 TCU (8-4, 6-3)
5 Iowa State (7-5, 5-4)
6 Oklahoma State (7-5, 5-4)
7 Kansas State (6-6, 4-5)
8 Texas Tech (6-6, 3-6)
9 Baylor (5-7, 2-7)
10 Kansas (2-10, 0-9)
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP 
West Virginia over Oklahoma

ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Will Grier/West Virginia
RB Rodney Anderson/Oklahoma
RB David Montgomery/Iowa State
WR David Sills V/West Virginia
WR Marquise Brown/Oklahoma
WR Jalen Reagor/TCU
TE Chase Allen/Iowa State
OT Dalton Risner/Kansas State
OT Yodny Cajuste/West Virginia
OG Ben Powers/Oklahoma
OG Marcus Keyes/Oklahoma State
 C   Zach Shackleford/Texas
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE Ben Banogu/TCU
DE Jordan Brailford/Oklahoma State
DT Daniel Wise/Kansas
DT Ira Lewis/Baylor
LB David Long/West Virginia
LB Dakota Allen/Texas Tech
LB Joe Dineen/Kansas
LB Gary Johnson/Texas
CB Brian Peavy/Iowa State
CB Kris Boyd/Texas
 S   Dravon Henry-Askew/West Virginia
 S   Jah'Shawn Johnson/Texas Tech
FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K  Austin Seibert/Oklahoma
 P   Billy Kinney/West Virginia
KR KaVontae Turpin/TCU
PR  CeeDee Lamb/Oklahoma

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Kyler Murray/Oklahoma
RB Justice Hill/Oklahoma State
RB Darius Anderson/TCU
WR CeeDee Lamb/Oklahoma
WR Gary Jennings/West Virginia
WR Collin Johnson/Texas
TE Grant Calcaterra/Oklahoma
OT Bobby Evans/Oklahoma
OT Anthony McKinney/TCU
OG Dru Samia/Oklahoma
OG Patrick Vahe/Texas
 C   Sam Tecklenburg/Baylor
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE Breckyn Hager/Texas
DE Reggie Walker/Kansas State
DT Ross Blacklock/TCU
DT Marquise Overton/Oklahoma
LB Ty Summers/TCU
LB Kenneth Murray/Oklahoma
LB Marcel Spears/Iowa State
LB Caleb Kelly/Oklahoma
CB Duke Shelley/Kansas State
CB Grayland Arnold/Baylor
 S   Niko Small/TCU
 S   Denzel Goolsby/Kansas State
SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K  Gabriel Rui/Kansas
 P   Zach Sinor/Oklahoma State
KR Marcus Simms/West Virginia
PR  Steven Sims/Kansas

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Will Grier/West Virginia
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ben Banogu/TCU
COACH OF THE YEAR: Dana Holgorsen/West Virginia
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: DB Brendan Radley-Hiles/Oklahoma

Schedule Grading -- Big 12

We continue our offseason look at Power 5 schedules for 2018, today highlighting the Big 12.

Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff in 2017, thanks in large part to beating Ohio State in Columbus as well as knocking off two other FBS teams. Unfortunately, the Sooners were the exception rather than the norm as most of the league scheduled at least one game with an FCS squad. The Sooners and Texas are the only Big 12 teams that haven't scheduled FCS teams in 2018, so should either one lose more than once the league could be hard pressed to contend for another CFP berth.

As we mentioned in our ACC schedule preview, grades will be lowered for schools that decide to play FCS teams. C'mon, fellas, you're better than that -- it's the one thing you can control, so take the high road, OK?

BAYLOR
NC sked: Abilene Christian, at UTSA, Duke
Conference sked: Kansas, at Oklahoma, Kansas State, at Texas, at West Virginia, Oklahoma State, at Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech
NC grade: D+; Only the fact that Duke is solid keeps this from being an F. Yes, UTSA is emerging, but is still not considered a powerhouse, and Abilene Christian, despite being the alma mater of Wilbert Montgomery, isn't enough to boost this slate above the ridiculous level. 
Conference grade: B+; Road trips to Norman, Austin, Morgantown and Ames make the league ledger beyond brutal. Most of the winnable games are at home, and even that part has some toughies. 
Overall grade: C+

IOWA STATE
NC sked: South Dakota State, at Iowa, Akron
Conference sked: Oklahoma, at TCU, at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, at Kansas, Baylor, at Texas, Kansas State
NC grade: C-; The annual showdown with Iowa is usually a nailbiter, but Akron is a MAC lightweight and the South Dakota State is another FCS squad. We'll take the Cyclones seriously when they start scheduling seriously. 
Conference grade: B-; Oklahoma and WVU are at home, while TCU, Okie State and Texas are on the road. ISU might be hard pressed to come out on the right side of .500 of that quintet, but there are five conference home games.
Overall grade: C

KANSAS
NC sked: Nicholls State, at Central Michigan, Rutgers
Conference sked: at Baylor, Oklahoma State, at West Virginia, at Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa State, at Kansas State, at Oklahoma, Texas
NC grade: D-; Nicholls State has turned into a pretty good team, but it's still FCS, so no soup for the Jayhawks. Central Michigan and Rutgers don't move the meter at all.
Conference grade: B; The Jayhawks get Okie State, TCU and Iowa State at home, and they need all the help they can get. Trips to Oklahoma and WVU could be brutal. 
Overall grade: C-

KANSAS STATE
NC sked: South Dakota, Mississippi State, UTSA
Conference sked: at West Virginia, Texas, at Baylor, Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma, at TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, at Iowa State
NC grade: C; Say this for Bill Snyder, he's at least trying. Getting Mississippi State to come to Manhattan is a plus, but scheduling South Dakota is a minus.  
Conference grade: B+; The league office did Snyder no favors in what could (should?) be his final season, making KSU travel to Oklahoma, WVU and TCU 
Overall grade: B-

OKLAHOMA
NC sked: Florida Atlantic, UCLA, Army
Conference sked: at Iowa State, Baylor, vs. Texas, at TCU, Kansas State, at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas, at West Virginia
NC grade: B+; Now, THIS is a schedule -- Lane Kiffin,Chip Kelly and an option offense. The only demerit comes from the Sooners not traveling for any of the contests. The mental chess game between Kiffin and Lincoln Riley should be worth the price of admission. 
Conference grade: A-; Nearly every tough game is away -- WVU, TCU, Iowa State -- and the schedule is definitely front loaded, which means Kyler Murray better be good right away.
Overall grade: A-

OKLAHOMA STATE
NC sked: Missouri State,South Alabama, Boise State
Conference sked: Texas Tech, at Kansas, Iowa State, at Kansas State, Texas, at Baylor, at Oklahoma, West Virginia, at TCU
NC grade: C+; Boise State classes up an otherwise garbage slate -- Missouri State? Really? The Bears have nine wins in three years, while South Alabama has failed to post a winning record in any of the last six seasons.
Conference grade: B+; This part is tough, and November could be a problem with Oklahoma, WVU and TCU to close things out -- with only the Mountaineers at home.
Overall grade: B-

TCU
NC sked: Southern University, at SMU, vs. Ohio State
Conference sked: at Texas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, at Kansas, Kansas State, at West Virginia, at Baylor, Oklahoma State
NC grade: C+; Purely due to the presence of the Buckeyes. Southern should be a cakewalk, and SMU no longer has Chad Morris on the sidelines, which means there should be no problems. 
Conference grade: C+; The Horned Frogs get a split on tough contests, getting Oklahoma and Iowa State at home and Texas and West Virginia away. If TCU can navigate the early part of the league slate it could be in for a big November, with only West Virginia appearing to be a better squad.
Overall grade: C+

TEXAS
NC sked: at Maryland, Tulsa, USC
Conference sked: TCU, at Kansas State, vs Oklahoma, Baylor, at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, at Texas Tech, Iowa State, at Kansas
NC grade: B-; Not quite as good as Oklahoma due to the presence of Tulsa, but USC is a brand, even if it is replacing a quarterback, and Maryland beat the Longhorns last season in Austin.
Conference grade: C-; Texas won't play a true home game that's an automatic loss, though West Virginia and Iowa State will be tough. The road slate is pretty easy, with only Oklahoma State being considered the least bit imposing.
Overall grade: C+

TEXAS TECH
NC sked: Ole Miss, Lamar, Houston
Conference sked: at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, at TCU, Kansas, at Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas, at Kansas State, at Baylor 
NC grade: C+; If Lamar was replaced by an FBS team this would have been a B, because Houston will be very good this season, and Ole Miss is a challenge right out of the box, even with roster limitations. 
Conference grade: C; Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all come to Lubbock, though road trips to Stillwater and Fort Worth in the first three weeks of the league could set the tone for the season. 
Overall grade: C

WEST VIRGINIA
NC sked: Tennessee, Youngstown State, at NC State
Conference sked: Kansas State, at Texas Tech, Kansas, at Iowa State, Baylor, at Texas, TCU, at Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
NC grade: B-; Mountaineers, you were thisclose to flirting with an A, but you had to put Youngstown State on the slate. Tennessee is a good first game, and NC State on the road will be a measuring stick. 
Conference grade: A-; If WVU can get past NC State there is a good chance it is unbeaten heading into November -- but man, what a November. Texas and Okie State away, TCU and Oklahoma at home.
Overall grade: B+

Friday: Big Ten                             

Can Sooners O Top Horned Frogs D?

It's a classic case of the irresistible force against the immovable object, and something has to give.

In a game that is basically a warm up for the Big 12 title game, No. 6 TCU travels to Norman to take on No. 5 Oklahoma. All that's on the line is the top seed in the conference's first ever championship game, as well as staying alive in the race for a College Football Playoff berth.

Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1) leads the nation in total offense, the only team in America averaging over 600 yards per contest. The Sooners are fueled by quarterback Baker Mayfield, the country's leading passer and favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

Kenny Hill (7) is one of the top dual threat QBs in America (KVUE.com)

TCU (8-1, 5-1) sports the nation's fifth leading defense, allowing just 4.4 yards per play and holding foes to just 26.7 percent on third down conversions.

"Obviously one of the best football teams in the country right now," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. "In my opinion, probably the most complete team we've played to this point. They're really tremendous."

The Horned Frogs lead the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 70 yards per contest. While Mayfield and the passing game have gotten the headlines, it's the Sooners running game that has made a lot of the offensive production possible. Oklahoma has scored three rushing touchdowns in each of the last three games, and averaged over 6.0 yards per carry in those contests.

Rodney Anderson has been the standout, averaging over six yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns, while freshman Trey Sermon has come on to become the team's leading rusher with 568 yards and four scores.

TCU plays a unique 4-2-5 set, which has been a staple of Gary Patterson coached teams through the years.

It has proven effective, and Riley knows his team will need to be firing on all cylinders.

"They're unique," he said. "You don't play a lot of people like them. I don't know that I'd compare it to playing the wishbone, but you just don't see something like them every week. So that makes it a little more difficult to prepare for."

TCU isn't nearly as prolific with the football as Oklahoma is, but the Horned Frogs have been able to put up points -- eclipsing 40 four times this season -- due in large part to an efficient ground game and a matured Kenny Hill at quarterback. After tossing 13 interceptions a year ago, Hill has just five this year. He also has 15 touchdown passes, though has gone without one in three of the last four games.

Darius Anderson does most the damage running the ball for TCU, amassing 726 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. Sewo Olonilua has added six scores and Kyle Hicks also gets his share of carries. The Horned Frogs will look to make plays against an Oklahoma defense ranked 87th nationally, and which has allowed over 200 rushing yards three times this season -- twice in the last three games.

TCU has victories against three top 10 offenses, holding each well below its season total, and have shown people that defense isn't a dirty word in Big 12 circles.

The Sooners aren't totally devoid of star power on defense, thanks to Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and his eight sacks. TCU counters with Ben Banogu, who has 6.5 sacks on the season. Both teams have been good protecting their quarterbacks, TCU allowing just 11 sacks and Oklahoma allowing 18.

Patterson knows that this challenge could be his team's toughest, and it will have to have laser-focus to stop the Sooners diverse attack.

"You can't let Oklahoma big-play you, and that's hard to do because they have a lot of people," Patterson said. "You've got to be able to give them different looks and you've got to have a group smart enough to do that and still play within the structure of the defense. Because any time you put the quarterback in play, it makes it harder."

Baker Mayfield has proven nearly impossible to stop in 2017 (SB Nation)

There is some history with "the quarterback" and Patterson, as Mayfield -- a Texas native -- claims TCU slow-played him in recruiting before deciding against taking him. He wasn't happy about it, and his father had harsh words for Patterson's program in a later magazine interview.

But the two have mended fences, with Mayfield saying of Patterson, "he's one of the best defensive minds in the game."

Patterson has reciprocated respect, saying what many non-Sooners fans feel.

"Baker's really done a great job," Patterson said. "He's one of those guys, if you're playing against him you probably don't like him. ... If you love competitors, you've got to admire the things he's been able to do. He keeps plays alive. He's tough to tackle."

Oklahoma won a 52-46 shootout last year in Fort Worth, and has taken five of the last six meetings.

As far as being a an appetizer for a Big 12 championship game main course, neither coach is thinking that far ahead.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Patterson said.

Riley, the youngest head coach in the FBS, knows that looking ahead could prove lethal to his team.

"We'll worry about it when we get there," he said. "It'll take all we've got to play well and give ourselves a chance to beat these guys. We'll throw everything we can at 'em, and I'm sure coach Patterson would probably tell you the same thing."

Monday Musings -- Oct. 23

There are many ho-hum weeks during the course of a typical college football season, weeks where games that looked good on paper don't live up to the hype, and add to an overall disappointment.

We had one of those this past weekend, as marquee matchups between Notre Dame/USC and Penn State/Michigan turned into curb stomps. We it not for some drama from Miami and a down-to-the-wire ending between Oklahoma and Kansas State, it would have been a very uneventful weekend.

Fans can get through those letdowns because of weekends like the one upcoming -- four, count 'em, four games featuring ranked teams, highlighted by a B1G showdown in the Horseshoe between the league's two best teams, No. 2 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State. Throw in a couple of interesting Big 12 games (which we will get to shortly) and a de facto CFP elimination game in South Bend between North Carolina State and Notre Dame, and you have the possibility for one of the most dramatic weekends in recent memory.

Ohio State hosts Penn State Saturday in a marquee B1G showdown (Eleven Warriors)

It isn't often that there are this many high-stakes contests this late in the season, so the football gods have smiled on fans.

Should Penn State lose, it will fall behind the Buckeyes in the race for the East Division crown, and should the Buckeyes win out the Nittany Lions will have major problems regaining traction because their schedule ends with Michigan State, Rutgers, Nebraska and Maryland. Not many opportunities to class up the resume. OSU, meanwhile, has Michigan State and Michigan yet to play, and while we still don't know a lot about Sparty, and while Michigan looks pretty average, both are, for the moment, marquee games. No Penn State in the B1G title game means no shot at the CFP, if both they and the Buckeyes have one loss.

Should the Buckeyes lose, their season would, for all intents and purposes, be over. Urban Meyer aims for more than just league titles, he aims for national titles, and has three in his pocket already. Two losses would end any shot at OSU making the playoff, and probably mean no top tier bowl game, either. At many schools two losses would be a wonderful season, but Ohio State is not one of those. So there is probably a bit more on the line for Ohio State in this game, but it isn't without peril for the visitors, to be sure.

It will be great to see the atmosphere in Columbus, because if there's one thing Buckeye Nation knows how to do, it's host a big game. The fans will be off the hook, even for a non-prime time kickoff, and will hope that the team gives them reason to keep cheering.

It will be great to see Saquon Barkley against an OSU defense which allows just 2.93 yards per rush, and which has limited opponents to just 17 gains of 10+ yards, nine of 20+ and three of 30+. Michigan came into its tilt with Penn State with glowing numbers against the run, but had actually allowed more explosive runs by opponents than the Buckeyes have. Barkley is in the top 10 in most explosive run categories, so it will be a game within a game to see which side gains the upper hand.

It will be intriguing to see if the improvement shown by OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett is real, or completely a byproduct of the Buckeyes playing poor pass defenses. There is no doubt some of that is involved, but Barrett does look like a different player throwing the ball then he did against Oklahoma. Bad foes or not, Barrett is now going through progressions instead of tapping the ball and running, leading receivers and, maybe most importantly, pushing it downfield, which was his big knock. PSU hasn't allowed a passing touchdown for two straight games, and has given up just four plays of 30+ yards through the air. I do think the Buckeyes will be able to run on PSU, especially with Barrett's dual capabilities. But the Buckeyes will need to make some plays through the air if they are to win the game.

OSU has won four of the last five in the series, and four straight in Columbus, but only eight times since 2002 has the home team come out ahead. So there are plenty of storylines to follow in this one, and if the game lives up even halfway to the hype surrounding it, it will be a classic.

Not to be outdone, Notre Dame hosts North Carolina State, and with little hope of a monsoon drifting into South Bend (see last year's game in Raleigh) the Irish could be ready to exact some revenge on a Wolfpack squad that has rebounded nicely from an unexpected opening loss to South Carolina. Both teams have a defeat, so the loser here basically goes home, at least as far as the playoff is concerned.

The Big 12 will have its Judgment Day, with unbeaten TCU heading to Ames to take on -- can it be? -- resurgent Iowa State, and Oklahoma State goes travels to Morgantown to take on Will Grier and his crew.

TCU already has victories over Oklahoma State and WVU, but has Texas and Oklahoma the next two weekends, so it isn't out of the woods just yet. The Horned Frogs certainly control their Big 12 destiny, especially if they keep winning. Iowa State hasn't won seven games since the 2009 season, and hasn't been in the mix for league honors since 2004-05, when they finished first and second in the North Division. The Cyclones have beaten TCU just once, and it is a tall order, but as we have seen with the Big 12 (and other conferences), anything can happen.

Oklahoma State and West Virginia each have one loss in conference play, so, barring complete turmoil in November, the loser would be out of the running for the league title game. The Cowboys are unbeaten on the road this year, and West Virginia hasn't lost at home, so something will have to give. Expect a lot of points as both teams love to air it out.

Here's hoping that this weekend turns out to be more compelling than the one that just finished, especially with the big games.

It would make everything that's come before seem worth it.

Four Is Fine
I've been seeing a lot of Twitter discussion about how much people love the College Football Playoff, but that it could be so much better if it jumped from four teams to eight.

Don't count me as one of those people, because I believe the playoff is perfect as it is.

Some may argue about the process, and though there are flaws, it is tons better than the BCS ever was. A committee knows much more about football than pollsters and computers, which is why the first three years of the playoff have been right on the money.

Among eight team proposals, the most logical would be including all Power 5 champions, and three wild cards, which is all right on the surface, but is there any real criteria for what the wild cards can be? Is there a limit to the number of teams one conference can have? Must a Group of Five team be included? Will the Playoff expand to six hours?

Four is a great number, for myriad reasons -- it keeps the regular season special, allows teams that slip up once to get back on track but doesn't allow for a second loss. It rewards teams that have played in stronger leagues -- why is a given that all of the Power 5 conferences be included, especially since they are not of equal strength (we're looking at you, Pac-12)? Going into the season not knowing which conference(s) will be left out of the mix adds to the drama, and makes each weekend more exciting.

A big reason why many, including myself, are against eight teams, is because it begins to water down the field. Do we really need a bunch of two loss teams in the playoff? Assuming a Group of Five team is mandated to be in, this is what last year's field would have looked like --

-- Alabama
-- Clemson
-- Ohio State
-- Washington

Those were the four teams with one or fewer losses, which made a nice little line of demarcation. After that quartet, you would have had, based on remaining CFP standings:

-- Penn State
-- Michigan
-- Oklahoma
-- Western Michigan

So that would have provided an OSU/Michigan rematch and an Alabama/Western Michigan bloodbath. Maybe PSU/Washington and Clemson/Oklahoma would have been entertaining -- but they wouldn't be necessary, because Penn State and Oklahoma lost twice.

Adding a layer to the playoffs does two things -- it puts health at a premium, with more games meaning more chance for injury, and it raises the possibility that a "hot team" gets enough momentum to upset the apple cart and win the crown. Do we want this to turn into the NCAA Basketball Tournament, where the best team doesn't always win, but the hottest often does? Does anyone really think the 69th best basketball team really has a legit shot to cut down the nets, or even deserves that chance? So why would the eighth or ninth best football team have that chance?

The College Football Playoff isn't about finding the "hottest" teams, it's about finding the best teams. With four entrants, the possibility of messing things up is very slim. With eight, it becomes higher. A two loss team that maybe reels off five straight to close the season is to be admired, but that doesn't mean it deserves a shot at the brass ring. You want in? Don't lose two games.

And yes, the committee got it right last year by including Ohio State over Penn State, despite the Nittany Lions head to head win and Big Ten championship.

Critics say that the committee always talks about the value of a conference title, and that should definitely mean something. However, nothing is written into the bylaws about it meaning automatic inclusion into the field, and the committee compares teams with like records against each other, which is why it saw Penn State a notch below the Buckeyes.

Ohio State had the edge in strength of schedule (29 to 40), Strength of Record (2 to 5) and Game Control (5 to 37), and also had an edge in another important category -- losses. Folks who say losses don't matter -- they do. Maybe not as much as wins, but they do matter. Penn State had the same number of wins as the Buckeyes, a league title and a head to head win, but also had two losses. The committee grouped all of the one-loss teams together for comparison, and put them in a tier above the two loss teams.

In 2015, there was one unbeaten -- Clemson -- and five one-loss Power 5 teams -- Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State. Michigan State beat OSU in the regular season, and knocked off Iowa for the Big Ten crown, so that one was pretty easy.

Only 2014 provides a quibble, and even that one is easily solved. Florida State was unbeaten and in, and Alabama and Oregon made it as league champions. That left Ohio State, Baylor and TCU as remaining one-loss teams, and the Buckeyes, by virtue of a  B1G title game win over Wisconsin, was a conference champion -- something the Big 12 didn't have, as it declared Baylor and TCU co-champs, failing to give the committee one champion to compare to the others. A case can be made that, by declaring both teams as Big 12 champs, TCU was eliminated because it lost to Baylor straight up. Baylor's SOS of 57 was the lowest of any of the one-loss teams, so choosing Ohio State instead wasn't wacky.

It is evident that the committee, while trying to stay true to picking the four best teams, has contradicted itself a bit. Most of the analytics would have taken Baylor and/or TCU ahead of the Buckeyes in 2014, so that lack of a true conference champion proved to be the sticking point. Pointing to Penn State last year and saying the committee didn't value championships as much isn't the same argument because, again, the Nittany Lions had two losses to Ohio State's one.

One other reason to keep it at four is expense to the fans.

As it currently stands, fans can attend the semifinals, and then maybe find a way to get to the finals. With another layer of games, it would be nearly impossible to attend all three rounds, and that's pretty important. Doing things that keep true fans away is not a good thing.

While I am against eight teams, I fully expect it to happen at some point, though not in the immediate future. It won't be the end of the world by any means.

But it will make the CFP just a bit less special.

Paring Things Down
There are currently eight unbeatens, but that number will shrink due to regular season contests (USF/UCF) and possible league title games (Penn State/Wisconsin, Alabama-Georgia). So at most, we will end up with five unbeatens -- though more likely one or two.

There are also a baker's dozen one-loss teams, so the race to the CFP finish line is no doubt going to be an exciting one.

A victory by UMass over Georgia Southern gave the Minutemen their first win of the season, and reduced the number of winless squads to just three -- Baylor, UTEP and the aforementioned Georgia Southern.

Wonder what is more likely to happen -- more unbeateans, or more winless?