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OOC Strength of Schedule

ohio herd

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Aug 28, 2012
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Just a discussion starter today since the board is quiet. Not looking for right or wrong here. What do you prefer? A hard schedule where we run a risk of going say 1-3 or one that is easier where we should go no worse that 3-1? Back in the Snyder era we played some stiff OOC and ended up 1-3 whereas during the Doc era we sometime played easier and ended up 3-1. The knock was always we don't play anyone. So what do you think? I mean part of the equation is the ability of the AD to lure P5 schools into playing us. I always liked the way BP did it. It seemed he would try to play at least one game a year that we probably couldn't win. That way when we did it made us look good.Playing Clemson in 99, Uof Fl in 2001 and Va Tech in 2002. The few years we played multiple teams (exception 2003) we took it on the chin 2000, 2004 and ended up with 2 OOC loses. IMO, I would love to see us play 1 FCS every year. At least 1 P5 every year and the 2 peer G5 schools. If we could play a middle of the pack P5 school like Purdue, Illinois or Wake Forest then I take those games every chance I get. What say ye HerdNation?
 
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I think we should play one money P5 per year where we have a less than 50% chance of winning and if by some crazy chance we do we are the lead story in Sportscenter, one mid level to bad P5 per year and 2 fellow G5’s. I don’t care the level of the G5, it could be Boise or UCF or it could be 2 terrible G5’s. With the new playoff format that is coming out playing 2 P5s and no FCS is the only way that we don’t have to go undefeated OOC and have to hope other teams lose in order to get to the tournament. We would in most years control our own destiny.

In the future if we go 0-4 OOC but still win CUSA it won’t change the bowls that we would go to. So why not make a legitimate run at making the playoffs, plus give our fans the chance to see us play the big schools.
 
1 P5 money game
2 upper G5 tests
1 low G5 - that's pretty much a win if we play with a pulse.
Prefer no FCS but if that's what we have to take to get a home game, go for it.
 
1 P5 money game
2 upper G5 tests
1 low G5 - that's pretty much a win if we play with a pulse.
Prefer no FCS but if that's what we have to take to get a home game, go for it.
You almost have this playing out in four of the next five years. Virginia Tech has two games scheduled with the Herd (one being the game they agreed to come to Huntington if Marshall was willing to make them bowl eligible a couple years back), with Notre Dame and Penn State being the others. Great G5 opponents litter the schedule as well, with Navy, Army, Appalachian, Boise, Western Michigan, and East Carolina. I don't think you can really get much better schedules than what is occurring in the short term future.
 
You almost have this playing out in four of the next five years. Virginia Tech has two games scheduled with the Herd (one being the game they agreed to come to Huntington if Marshall was willing to make them bowl eligible a couple years back), with Notre Dame and Penn State being the others. Great G5 opponents litter the schedule as well, with Navy, Army, Appalachian, Boise, Western Michigan, and East Carolina. I don't think you can really get much better schedules than what is occurring in the short term future.
Yep. Mikes done a good job with the OOC schedule. jmo
 
I think we should play one money P5 per year where we have a less than 50% chance of winning and if by some crazy chance we do we are the lead story in Sportscenter, one mid level to bad P5 per year and 2 fellow G5’s. I don’t care the level of the G5, it could be Boise or UCF or it could be 2 terrible G5’s. With the new playoff format that is coming out playing 2 P5s and no FCS is the only way that we don’t have to go undefeated OOC and have to hope other teams lose in order to get to the tournament. We would in most years control our own destiny.

In the future if we go 0-4 OOC but still win CUSA it won’t change the bowls that we would go to. So why not make a legitimate run at making the playoffs, plus give our fans the chance to see us play the big schools.
Nice take on this Cali.However, if we had a few 1-3, 0-4 OOC seasons say back to back and went 7-1 in conference( thus another pizza bowl) how long do you think it would take the faithful to beat the drums of getting a new coach? My guess is unless you could win conference titles and get an invite to the playoffs your tenure here would be about 3-4 years.
 
Nice take on this Cali.However, if we had a few 1-3, 0-4 OOC seasons say back to back and went 7-1 in conference( thus another pizza bowl) how long do you think it would take the faithful to beat the drums of getting a new coach? My guess is unless you could win conference titles and get an invite to the playoffs your tenure here would be about 3-4 years.
I don't mean to ruin your thread, but, on the other hand, how long you think a coach will be in Huntington, if by chance he were to win conference titles and get an invite to the playoffs? I'm guessing the shelf life on being a failure in the eyes of some fans is greater than the shelf life on being big time successful.
 
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Nice take on this Cali.However, if we had a few 1-3, 0-4 OOC seasons say back to back and went 7-1 in conference( thus another pizza bowl) how long do you think it would take the faithful to beat the drums of getting a new coach? My guess is unless you could win conference titles and get an invite to the playoffs your tenure here would be about 3-4 years.
I respectfully disagree. If mark snyder would have consistently won the majority of his CUSA games and won a few titles I think the fans would have been satisfied even with 1-3 OOC with some of the schedules he played.

But also to your point if Marshall has to play zero or one P5, a FCS and 2 MAC schools in order to have a winning OOC schedule then talk of making a national championship playoffs shouldn’t even be something we think about.
 
It depends on the goal... Is the goal to win CUSA East and maybe a league title at 9-3 or 8-4 (if we go 1-3 in the OOC as mentioned in the hypothetical).

Or is the goal to compete for a spot in the big bowl game with the other top G5 programs?... If that is the goal, we can't afford to start the year 1-3. I don't care if your strength of schedule is Bama, Clemson and Notre Dame, 1-3 leaves you zero chance to make it to the New Year's bowl game.
 
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There is such a conflict between P5 and G5 it makes it hard to compare and contrast. OOC schedule, in my opinion, needs to be with other G5 powers. Every one knows who they are. I love having high profile teams on our schedule(Notre Dame, Penn St) but I would rather play them in January. I know we need paying customers or high pay day games and that is the responsibility of the AD and Coach Huff.
 
I would love to see us have games with the mountain west more and top sun belt teams and add in say a Kansas,wake forest, lower tier b10 and lower acc teams. NO Mac teams please ( bowl games teams most likely).
 
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