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Iowa, and their BS Non-Conference Scheduling

In fairness to the SEC many of the top tier teams will play one non conference game against an upper tier P5 program. In past few years Alabama have played Louisville, Miami FL, Florida State … now the rest of their non conference games are teams really bad … like North Dakota and Georgia Southern.
given their current records aver the past 5 years, i wouldn't consider any of those teams a upper tier p5 program.
 
given their current records aver the past 5 years, i wouldn't consider any of those teams a upper tier p5 program.
They probably were at the time they were scheduled. At least they’re trying as compared to Iowa and Wisconsin.
 



Iowa plays Wisc every year
Im referring to when NU joined the B1G when the divisions were different and you were able to get a guaranteed cross division game vs your "rival". If you can recall NU was against Penn State.
 
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Future schedules may favor Wisconsin but their previous scheduling philosophy has been putrid. Non-conference during Paul Chryst era:

2021 - E. Michigan, Notre Dame, Army
2019 - So. Florida, C. Michigan, Kent State
2018 - W. Kentucky, New Mexico, BYU
2017 - Utah St, Florida Atlantic, BYU
2016 - LSU, Akron, Georgia St
2015 - Alabama, Miami OH, Troy, Hawaii

The scheduling prior to the Paul Chryst era ESPECIALLY during the Alvarez years was even worse.

In six years above they’ve played 3 P5 schools.


Iowa's schedule has nothing like that. You said Wisconsin's non-conference opponents are as bad or worse than Iowa's. From 2016 through at least 2027 Iowa did not/does not have a single P5 non-conference opponent other than Iowa State. It's commonly Iowa State, MAC school, FCS school.

Most P5 schools schedule one potential challenging P5 opponent (or Independent, i.e. Notre Dame) and the other two are non-P5, FCS, or mediocre to bad P5. That's Wisconsin from 2015 through at least 2027. That's also what Nebraska does -- be sure, we commonly play 1-2 garbage non-conference opponents (we actually have 3 in 2023 and 2024).

Wisconsin has played Alabama, LSU, BYU, Notre Dame over the past six seasons. Alabama, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA over the next several. Again, that's far superior to any scheduling efforts made by Iowa.

Wisconsin's non-conference looks a lot like Nebraska's -- and most teams.

Nebraska played Oregon twice during Riley's tenure, Colorado was our toughest non-conference opponent in 2018 and 2019 (CU had a losing record both seasons, which has been their mantra longer than ours). 2021/2022, Oklahoma. 2023/2024, two more with Colorado. 2025, Cincy. 2026/2027 Tennessee.

So again, Wisconsin: Alabama (3 times in 10 years), LSU, BYU, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA.

Nebraska: Oregon, Colorado (4 games within 10 years), Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Tennessee.

I suppose we'll just have to disagree. I don't see Wisconsin's non-conference as bad or worse than Iowa's.
 
I have been saying this for a long time. Not only that they lost to two D2 schools. Now look at their conference schedules. They have long pined to not face anyone. They had pre-Nebraska rivals. Wisconsin was a really big rival for them. When NU joined the B1G you were able to keep 1 cross division rival. Instead of choosing Wisconsin, they chose Indiana. What a joke.

They did not play Division 2 schools

They lost to one FCS School (more below)

FBS schools playing Division 2 schools (i. e. Chadron State/Black Hills State) is pretty much not allowed in the modern era as the FBS school can not count them as a win.

Some triva:Nebraska lost to Hawaii in Lincoln in 1955 by the score of 6-0. Hawaii was a D-2 school at the time ( they played two games vs Navel Station Pearl Harbor that season)

Iowa lost to only one FCS (formerly called 1AA) school in the 2000's

FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in 2016
.
North Dakota State has won 9 of the last 11 national title games in FCS so hardly a walk in the park
 
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Pal, unfortunately the cupcakes want Nebraska on THEIR schedules now.

Good one, chippah!!!!!! Tss tss

Pal, you don’t have to state the obvious.

We aren't pals, chippah.

But I’m the icing on your cupcake, pal

Nobody wants to hear about your icing, Chippah.

Nobody wants to hear about your cake either, pal.

I never mentioned cake, Chippah. Stay on topic,slick.

My name is pal,pal.

468af3312c1291df247d9b079a2d150f.gif
 
Iowa's schedule has nothing like that. You said Wisconsin's non-conference opponents are as bad or worse than Iowa's. From 2016 through at least 2027 Iowa did not/does not have a single P5 non-conference opponent other than Iowa State. It's commonly Iowa State, MAC school, FCS school.

Most P5 schools schedule one potential challenging P5 opponent (or Independent, i.e. Notre Dame) and the other two are non-P5, FCS, or mediocre to bad P5. That's Wisconsin from 2015 through at least 2027. That's also what Nebraska does -- be sure, we commonly play 1-2 garbage non-conference opponents (we actually have 3 in 2023 and 2024).

Wisconsin has played Alabama, LSU, BYU, Notre Dame over the past six seasons. Alabama, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA over the next several. Again, that's far superior to any scheduling efforts made by Iowa.

Wisconsin's non-conference looks a lot like Nebraska's -- and most teams.

Nebraska played Oregon twice during Riley's tenure, Colorado was our toughest non-conference opponent in 2018 and 2019 (CU had a losing record both seasons, which has been their mantra longer than ours). 2021/2022, Oklahoma. 2023/2024, two more with Colorado. 2025, Cincy. 2026/2027 Tennessee.

So again, Wisconsin: Alabama (3 times in 10 years), LSU, BYU, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA.

Nebraska: Oregon, Colorado (4 games within 10 years), Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Tennessee.

I suppose we'll just have to disagree. I don't see Wisconsin's non-conference as bad or worse than Iowa's.
Agree
 
What should matter is the games against the Iowas and the Wisc’s of the world not who the played or didn’t play before that
 



I suppose we'll just have to disagree. I don't see Wisconsin's non-conference as bad or worse than Iowa's.
You are doing only a recent look back on Wisconsin and a look forward. Here is UW's non-conference schedule in the 21st Century:

Red signifies the team was ranked

2000: 3-0: W. Mich, Oregon, Cincinnati
2001: 1-2: Virginia, Oregon, Fresno St
2002: 4-0: Fresno St, UNLV, West Virginia, No Illinois
2003: 2-1: West Virginia, Akron, UNLV
2004: 3-0: UCF, UNLV, Arizona
2005: 3-0: Bowling Green, Temple, UNC
2006: 3-0: Bowling Green, Western Ill, San Diego State
2007: 3-0: Washington State, UNLV, The Citadel
2008: 3-0: Akron, Marshal, Fresno St
2009: 3-0: No Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford
2010: 3-0: UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona St
2011: 3-0: UNLV, Oregon State, No Illinois
2012: 3-1: No Iowa, Oregon State, Utah State, UTEP
2013: 2-1: Massachusetts, Tennessee Tech, Arizona St
2014: 3-1:
LSU, Western Ill, Bowling Green, So Florida
2015: 3-1: Alabama, Miami OH, Troy, Hawaii
2016: 3-0: LSU, Akron, Georgia State
2017: 3-0: Utah State, Florida Atlantic, BYU
2018: 2-1: Western Kentucky, New Mexico, BYU
2019: 3-0: So Florida, Central Michigan, Kent State

Sooooo ... in the 20 years between 2000 and 2019 ...

Wisconsin has played 64 non-conference games ... 3.2 games per year
Wisconsin is 56-8 in those games ... 87.5% winning percentage
In those 64 games they've played 6 ranked teams ... that's one ranked team every 3 years or so
Wisconsin is 2-4 in those games against ranked opponents ... 33.3% winning percentage

In those 20 years Wisconsin has played 16 teams who are now in a P5 conference. This includes teams like West Virginia, and Cincinnati who were not at the time UW played them.

Wisconsin has played as many non-D1 teams in these 20 years as they've played ranked teams in those 20 years.

Yes Wisconsin has improved their non-conference schedule recently and going forward. But they built their program rise from obscurity (pre-Alvarez years) by scheduling cupcakes for the vast majority of their non-conference schedule.

I guarantee you that NU has played more ranked opponents and more P5 opponents than Wisconsin during the same time period. I also guarantee that Iowa's non-conference schedule during that same time is very similar. And Iowa has the argument that they've played a P5 opponent every season ... if you count ISU as one during those years.

Going forward UW has gotten better but that's because they think they belong with the big boys now. That's because they know to contend for a NC that their non-conference has got to get better.
 
They did not play Division 2 schools

They lost to one FCS School (more below)

FBS schools playing Division 2 schools (i. e. Chadron State/Black Hills State) is pretty much not allowed in the modern era as the FBS school can not count them as a win.

Some triva:Nebraska lost to Hawaii in Lincoln in 1955 by the score of 6-0. Hawaii was a D-2 school at the time ( they played two games vs Navel Station Pearl Harbor that season)

Iowa lost to only one FCS (formerly called 1AA) school in the 2000's

FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in 2016
.
North Dakota State has won 9 of the last 11 national title games in FCS so hardly a walk in the park
My reference to FCS being division 2 was a bit tongue and cheek. The point stands that they have scheduled some pretty questionable competition and made a habit of losing to them, or winning in the last possible moment.
 

My reference to FCS being division 2 was a bit tongue and cheek. The point stands that they have scheduled some pretty questionable competition and made a habit of losing to them, or winning in the last possible moment.
In the grand scheme of things who cares? At some point we need to begin beating them again. We have fallen so far behind Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota that I find it difficult to poke fun at anything they do or anyone they schedule.
 

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