2013 Schedule Discussion (Official Thread)

[Muck]

Hello. Nice to meet you.

 

[Zurp]

Two byes, eh?

I count three: October 12, November 9, and November 30.

 

[Jake]

Buffalo is a MAC school so I'm okay with them but I hate that we're playing FAMU. An FCS school from the MEAC has no business being on our schedule.

 

[bigdog3300]

Holy [Mark May], my sarcasm detector just [censored]ing exploded...



This. Granted, two of their TDs in our game were on mega-long TD runs caused by Special Olympics tackling, but still they came at us toe-to-toe in The Shoe. No reason to assume they won't be thinking upset...

While I think Dykes is a very good coach, Cal is going through...
A) a major overhaul of starters including QB/RB/WR/Both tackles and C
B) a major scheme change

Plus if you've followed his career, his defenses have been epically horrible and combine that with our offense and I really don't see this one approaching a game like 2012's.

The one saving grace Cal does have is Bigelow at RB but I'll take my odds with that game much more than the conference road game against a talented, consistent, veteran NW team.

 

[ant80]

Given that we getting two straight undefeated seasons is ridiculously difficult, and given that we are replacing 6 out of our defensive front-7, I feel like we will end up losing 2 this season. Given our recruiting, we might be able to fill all positions of need along the DL, but we need 2 players to step up for SAM and MIKE. Scary times at the LB-U.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Scary times at the LB-U.

We'll have an AA at LB this year. Mark it down. Granted, he can't play the whole field, but I think Shazier will have a huge year.

 

[BuckeyeSoldier]

WOW... msu and Nebbie both fall off.. I dont mean to be a complete homer but I dont see a game on that schedule that really scares me.. ill be disapointed if we arent undefeated heading into the post season.. which might scare me more cuz i feel we will STILL be a little untested...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

The one saving grace Cal does have is Bigelow at RB but I'll take my odds with that game much more than the conference road game against a talented, consistent, veteran NW team.

I hope to never see us lose to NW again in my lifetime, and chances are very good I'll get that wish. We had a 24-game win streak against them (hadn't lost to them since 1971) when we got upset in Evanston in 2004. Since then, we've ape-fucked them by an average score of 51-9, with the "closest" game being 45-10 in Evanston in 2008. Since 1964 we're 15-1 at their place, winning by an average score of 38-13. In that same timeframe we're 33-2 overall against NW, winning by an average score of 39-11. I'd much rather play NW at their place than at a mid-tier PAC-12 team 2,000 miles away.

 

[RB07OSU]

I realize we shouldn't "sleep on anybody" and of course it is never easy to win an NCAA game as Urban says. That being said...from a standpoint of a national title hunt, it is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. If we get upset by ANYONE, we are out of the race because of a weak schedule (comparitively to the other schools we are presumably up against). If we beat everyone, we should have beat them and get no credit for it.

The only way to break this imo is earn a ton of style points by absolutely crushing our out of conference schedule, plus win convincingly in the Big Ten. Unless the Big Ten has some resurgence and wins some big non-conference games (Wisconsin beating BYU and ASU, Purdue beating NIU and Cincy + giving ND a game, Illinois beating Cincy and Washington, PSU beating Syracuse, Iowa beating NIU, Northwestern beating Cal and Syracuse, Nebraska beating UCLA, MSU or scUM beating ND, and Indiana competing with Mizzou) the Big Ten will get no respect. There are literally no other opportunities on the Big Ten slate for the conference to prove itself other than these games during the regular season. Personally, I miss the days where I looked forward to matchups with top nonconference teams like Texas and USC. Now it's "let's try not to overlook our best non-conference opponent that was a bottom feeder of the Pac 12." At this point, Northwestern looks like the only other real contender in the Big Ten other than possibly scUM but they lost Hairlice aka their offense. Northwestern had a solid year and ended it by beating Mississippi State and has an excellent coach, plus young talent that will be more developed now.

 

[LitlBuck]

Given that we getting two straight undefeated seasons is ridiculously difficult, and given that we are replacing 6 out of our defensive front-7, I feel like we will end up losing 2 this season. Given our recruiting, we might be able to fill all positions of need along the DL, but we need 2 players to step up for SAM and MIKE. Scary times at the LB-U.

That's just :crazy: talk. I have no idea which 2 you are talking about but get in contact with me next Fall and show me the money:)

 

[Dryden]

November will be difficult. While the schedule isn't intimidating on paper, navigating those last few games with what should be a Top 2 ranking and a 20-game win streak is no small task.

 

[Oh8ch]

The team that is missing on that schedule is Ohio State - because until the end of November we can only beat ourselves.

I agree that the schedule is unfortunate. (No fun driving a Porsche when the speed limit is 35.) That said, the only way an undefeated Big Ten champ doesn't get to the NC game is if two of Big XII, SEC and PAC also go undefeated - and likely not even then if we are ranked high enough preseason - which we should be.

 

[bigdog3300]

I hope to never see us lose to NW again in my lifetime, and chances are very good I'll get that wish. We had a 24-game win streak against them (hadn't lost to them since 1971) when we got upset in Evanston in 2004. Since then, we've ape-[censored]ed them by an average score of 51-9, with the "closest" game being 45-10 in Evanston in 2008. Since 1964 we're 15-1 at their place, winning by an average score of 38-13. In that same timeframe we're 33-2 overall against NW, winning by an average score of 39-11. I'd much rather play NW at their place than at a mid-tier PAC-12 team 2,000 miles away.

Well at least only one of us will be worried for each of those games

 

[ShowMeBuck]

The team that is missing on that schedule is Ohio State - because until the end of November we can only beat ourselves.

I agree that the schedule is unfortunate. (No fun driving a Porsche when the speed limit is 35.) That said, the only way an undefeated Big Ten champ doesn't get to the NC game is if two of Big XII, SEC and PAC also go undefeated - and likely not even then if we are ranked high enough preseason - which we should be.

Which is exactly my point. I am not looking forward to having to defend our schedule. We need to absolutely demolish the teams we face OOC and very easily handle the one's in conference. We need to do this to feel good about our chances in a NC game and to diminish the crap we will get about the soft schedule. I'm already practicing my answer: "We didn't know that Cal and SDSU would suck so bad when we scheduled them. They used to be good! Also, have you seen that we have OU coming up the next few years?" Like I said, we need to hammer our opponents that deserve it or we will catch major grief.

 

[Buckeye Maniac]

I think if we're on a 25 game win streak, we're getting into the NC. No question.