Now, for fun, let's pick a random SEC team's non-conference schedule since 1990. I'm going with Auburn. It looks like in 1990 they had the 2 cupcakes/1 P5 thing down! Then in 1992, they said "screw this P5 crap". Also, they scheduled these easy non-conference games throughout the season, no doubt to give them a breather from that rugged SEC schedule. All of OSU's non conference games where at the beginning of their season (save for 2 exceptions)
90: Louisiana Tech, Florida State, Cal State Fullerton
91: Georgia Southern, Texas, Southern Mississippi, SW Louisiana
92: Samford (not a typo, not Stanford), SW Louisiana (Auburn won by 1 pt), Southern Mississippi
93: Samford, Southern Mississippi (man, they LOVE these guys), New Mexico State
94: NE Louisiana, E Tennessee State, East Carolina
95: Tennesse-Chattanooga (JFC ), Western Michigan, NE Louisiana
96: Alabama-Birmingham, Fresno State, NE Louisiana (they love them some non-LSU Louisianas)
97: Virginia (first P5 since 1991, and on the road!), Central Florida, Louisiana Tech
98: Virginia (they lost 19-0! That'll teach 'em to schedule P5 teams), Louisiana Tech, Central Florida
99: Appalachian State, Idaho, Central Florida
00: Wyoming, Northern Illinois, Louisiana Tech
01: Ball State, Syracuse (on the road, they lost 31-14), Louisiana Tech
02: USC (on the road, they lost 24-17, seeing a pattern?) W. Carolina, Syracuse (won 37-34 in OT)
03: USC (at home they lost 23-0), Georgia Tech (on the road, lost 17-3), Western Kentucky
04: Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel, Louisiana Tech
05: Georgia Tech (lost, 23-14 hmmmm), Western Kentucky, Ball State
06: Washington State, Buffalo, Tulane
07: Kansas State, South Florida (lost 26-23 ot), New Mexico State, Tennessee Tech
08: Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Mississippi, West Virginia (lost 34-14 on the road)
09: Louisiana Tech, West Virginia, Ball State, Furman (WFT?)
10: Arkansas State, Clemson (!), Louisiana-Monroe, Tennessee-Chattanooga
11: Utah State, Clemson (on the road, lost 38-24), Florida Atlantic, Samford
12: Clemson (in Atlanta, lost 26-19), Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State
13: Washington State, Arkansas State, W. Carolina, Florida Atlantic
14: San Jose State, Kansas State (on the road, they won!), Louisiana Tech, Samford
15: Louisville, Jacksonville State (they won in OT), San Jose State, Idaho
16: Clemson (they lost at home 19-13), Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Alabama A&M
17: Georgia Southern, Clemson (they lost on the road 14-6), Mercer (WTF?), Louisiana-Monroe
18: Washington, Alabama State, Liberty (lol)
19: Oregon, Tulane, Kent State, Samford
So,let' recap
Auburn is 10-10 against non-conference P5 schools since 1990.
They are 2-5 against P5 schools on the road or in a neutral site (Wins are at Virginia and at Syracuse)
That's pretty mediocre for one of the mouthiest fanbases on the internet. But in their defense they do have that gauntlet of the SEC - God's Conference(tm), which in their mind trumps everything.
<shrug>
And while looking at the seasons since 1990, I see a lot of 8-5 years. Not scientific, but I'm just saying.
90: Louisiana Tech, Florida State, Cal State Fullerton
91: Georgia Southern, Texas, Southern Mississippi, SW Louisiana
92: Samford (not a typo, not Stanford), SW Louisiana (Auburn won by 1 pt), Southern Mississippi
93: Samford, Southern Mississippi (man, they LOVE these guys), New Mexico State
94: NE Louisiana, E Tennessee State, East Carolina
95: Tennesse-Chattanooga (JFC ), Western Michigan, NE Louisiana
96: Alabama-Birmingham, Fresno State, NE Louisiana (they love them some non-LSU Louisianas)
97: Virginia (first P5 since 1991, and on the road!), Central Florida, Louisiana Tech
98: Virginia (they lost 19-0! That'll teach 'em to schedule P5 teams), Louisiana Tech, Central Florida
99: Appalachian State, Idaho, Central Florida
00: Wyoming, Northern Illinois, Louisiana Tech
01: Ball State, Syracuse (on the road, they lost 31-14), Louisiana Tech
02: USC (on the road, they lost 24-17, seeing a pattern?) W. Carolina, Syracuse (won 37-34 in OT)
03: USC (at home they lost 23-0), Georgia Tech (on the road, lost 17-3), Western Kentucky
04: Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel, Louisiana Tech
05: Georgia Tech (lost, 23-14 hmmmm), Western Kentucky, Ball State
06: Washington State, Buffalo, Tulane
07: Kansas State, South Florida (lost 26-23 ot), New Mexico State, Tennessee Tech
08: Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Mississippi, West Virginia (lost 34-14 on the road)
09: Louisiana Tech, West Virginia, Ball State, Furman (WFT?)
10: Arkansas State, Clemson (!), Louisiana-Monroe, Tennessee-Chattanooga
11: Utah State, Clemson (on the road, lost 38-24), Florida Atlantic, Samford
12: Clemson (in Atlanta, lost 26-19), Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State
13: Washington State, Arkansas State, W. Carolina, Florida Atlantic
14: San Jose State, Kansas State (on the road, they won!), Louisiana Tech, Samford
15: Louisville, Jacksonville State (they won in OT), San Jose State, Idaho
16: Clemson (they lost at home 19-13), Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Alabama A&M
17: Georgia Southern, Clemson (they lost on the road 14-6), Mercer (WTF?), Louisiana-Monroe
18: Washington, Alabama State, Liberty (lol)
19: Oregon, Tulane, Kent State, Samford
So,let' recap
Auburn is 10-10 against non-conference P5 schools since 1990.
They are 2-5 against P5 schools on the road or in a neutral site (Wins are at Virginia and at Syracuse)
That's pretty mediocre for one of the mouthiest fanbases on the internet. But in their defense they do have that gauntlet of the SEC - God's Conference(tm), which in their mind trumps everything.
<shrug>
And while looking at the seasons since 1990, I see a lot of 8-5 years. Not scientific, but I'm just saying.
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