Schedule Upgrades

Nebraska's 2009 membership in the Sun Belt Conference appears to be just a one year fad, as Jeff Jamrog is preparing to sign contracts for a three-game series with Fresno State and a home-and-home series with Miami. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know that Nebraska has always tried to schedule a Miami or Virginia Tech each season. The difference is that over the next three years, it's one premier opponent and three mediocre or worse teams.

And that's horrible for college football. Look at the crap that passed for a schedule in the Big XII conference last weekend. This week is much better: Arkansas @ Texas (now postponed due to Hurricane Ike), Iowa State @ Iowa, Washington State @ Baylor (moved to Friday night due to Ike, but still televised by FSN), Missouri State @ Oklahoma State, SMU @ Texas Tech, Nevada @ Missouri, Oklahoma @ Washington, Kansas @ South Florida, and New Mexico State @ Nebraska. But still, you'd like to see a few more big name matchups.

So now, Nebraska has two games scheduled each year from until 2017:

• 2011: TBA, Fresno State, Washington, TBA
• 2012: Southern Miss, @ UCLA, TBA, TBA
• 2013: TBA, @ Southern Miss, UCLA, TBA
• 2014: TBA, Fresno State, Miami-FL, TBA
  
• 2015: Southern Miss, @ Miami-FL, TBA, TBA
• 2016: TBA, Tennessee, Fresno State, TBA
• 2017: TBA, @ Tennessee, TBA, TBA

How will Jeff Jamrog and Tom Osborne fill those games? Personally, I'd like to see another home and home deal with a BCS conference team or a 2-for-1 deal with another decent mid-major. Then, go ahead and schedule another MAC or Sun Belt team for a 4th game. One of those is ok each season. Three is not.

And lets face it... Nebraska needs to play three home non-conference games each season. So only one game can be on the road. So go on the road in 2011 and then get a return game in 2012. A home game in 2013, and return it on the road in 2014. A home game in 2015, and a road game in 2016. Maybe a Big Ten team, such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Iowa. How about some ACC schools, such as Boston College or North Carolina? Maybe some SEC schools like South Carolina or Arkansas? I'm not suggesting that Nebraska needs to take on the likes of Florida or LSU with the schedules they've set up. But let's put something on the field that fans will want to attend and the TV networks would love to show.

Speaking of Ike and Arkansas, that Arkansas at Texas game has now been moved to September 27th. That game will probably now grab the 2:30 ABC time slot for that day, unless ABC talks the Big XII into allowing to move this game to primetime on the 27th. Versus has an 11:30 am game that day, and FSN has a 2:30 or 6 pm timeslot as well. My money's on the FSN 6 pm timeslot right now.

Ike did AJ the Huskerh8r a favor. Since Baylor/Washington State got moved to Friday night, FSN switched the 11:30 am Missouri/Nevada game from pay-per-view to FSN. (Even if Nebraska was playing New Mexico State at 11:30 am, I still think FSN would have stuck with the Mizzou game.) Better game for TV anyway; I figure that FSN chose the Baylor game just to get one of their required Baylor telecasts out of the way.