Birk's Eye View: Jim Harbaugh slams the joke that is most non-conference schedules
Stanford coach and former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh raised eyebrows in these parts two years ago when he challenged Michigan's academic integrity when it came to admitting football players.
"Michigan is a good school and I got a good education there," Harbaugh said. "But the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they're in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They're adulated when they're playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won't hire them."
At Pac-10 media day last week, Harbaugh fired another salvo, this one aimed at BCS programs (like many in the Big Ten) that fill their schedule with cupcakes every year.
From Bruce Feldman's Insider blog on ESPN:
"Somebody really ought to take notice of this stuff," Harbaugh said. "You have eight or nine wins and so you're a great football team? Well, what if you played four patsies in your non-conference and then you only won half your conference games and so you get to go play in the Alamo Bowl and everyone says you're a great team. That's what happens. ... There's no question that the Pac-10 doesn't get that respect for playing teams out of conference of like caliber."
The Pac-10 hasn't earned a second BCS bid since 2002, when Washington State won the conference and USC played in the Orange Bowl as an at-large team. Since the conference plays a true round-robin schedule - Pac-10 teams play nine conference games, whereas Big Ten teams, in an 11-team league, play only eight - some out west feel the league is unfairly penalized by its strength of schedule.
Harbaugh suggested half-jokingly that the Pac-10 go to five league games. Then, he said, everyone would be 9-2 and the computers would spit "out two Pac-10 teams for BCS bowls."
He has a point. Oregon State's season last year would have looked much better had it won a non-conference game against Montana instead of losing to Penn State. USC's one loss, by extension, wouldn't have looked as bad, and who knows if the Trojans would have slipped into the national title game.
With the money stake in a BCS bid - and bowl games in general - it's no wonder teams schedule the way they do. It pays to guarantee some FCS school half a million dollars to improve your chances of a seven-figure post-Christmas payday.
The better solution, and one Harbaugh would endorse, is to make strength of schedule an even bigger part of the BCS formula than it is now. Reward teams for playing good teams and road games, like they do in the NCAA tournament, and you'll see better football throughout the year.
I'm realistic enough to know that's not going to happen anytime soon. Minor conferences won't endorse a higher SOS component because of their built-in scheduling disadvantages, and major conferences prefer to keep hiding behind phony partnerships like the one bringing us 14 Big Ten-MAC games this year.
So until there's a playoff, get used to Delaware State and UMass on Michigan's schedule.
Comments
Dave Birkett
Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 8:57 p.m.
Good point, BDub. Though I will say, I like what Harbaugh brings to the table both as a coach and as someone who's not afraid to speak his mind no matter whose feathers he ruffles. I'd like to see what he could do at a more football-centric school.
bdub
Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 7:31 p.m.
I find it ironic that Harbaugh talks about scheduling when Stanford has Non-conference schedules that look like this 2009 @ Wake Forest vs. San Jose State vs. Notre Dame 2010 vs. San Jose State vs. Wake Forest @ Notre Dame 2011 vs. Notre Dame @ Duke vs. San Jose State 2012 @ Notre Dame vs. Duke vs. San Jose State 2013 vs. Notre Dame @ Army vs. San Jose State 2014 vs. Northwestern @ Notre Dame TBA 2015 @ Northwestern TBA TBA So what do we learn? Stanford basically employs the same tactic other schools do. Schedule one big non-conference game (Notre Dame) and then schedule a smaller local school who's alright some years, but mostly not that good (San Jose State) and then fill in with a cupcake (Duke, Army...Wake isn't too bad) and playing that 9th conference game isn't always an indicator of strength of schedule because last year you got to play Washington State and Washington who combined or 1 total win. So seriously, get off the high and mighty "we schedule tougher" mountain....it just doesn't hold water.
KenCooper
Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 9:55 a.m.
For OSUbeBetter - I graduated from MSU, but remain a huge fan of the Wolverines. Since I'm not a grad of UM, I can assure you there's no bitterness toward Harbaugh for the information he's shared. Rather, I think his method of repeatedly sharing stuff like this in the media comes across very poorly.
Michigan_Jayhawk
Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 9:34 a.m.
We Michigan Fans are sometimes a little to arrogant! Jim was right two years ago as proved by the Ann Arbor News investigation. And guess what? He is right again. Jim may not be popular in Ann Arbor, but he would bring a lot of integrity to Big-10 football.
Sparky79
Tue, Aug 4, 2009 : 8:21 a.m.
U-M had ND on their non-conference schedule and unless they tank they're still a quality game? ND has been mediocre at best for the past several years. And their scheduling is no different. They play a few good teams then play all the military academies to pad their overall record. Though I will say I am very impressed with the Irish's schedule this season. Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Washington, USC, Boston College, Washington State, Pittsburgh, and Jimmy's Stanford. Great "name value" opponents. Even their lesser known opponents...Nevada, UConn, and their annual game with Navy...bring much more to the table than Eastern and Delaware State. But for Michigan, one non-conference game every year against a mediocre ND team does not make up for Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Delaware State. Not even close. You pretty much prove with Jimmy is saying. Schedule a bunch of cup cakes, proclaim team "great" despite being untested, make bowl game, earn $$$. That's how it rolls.
uminks
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 9:59 p.m.
The BCS system started all these cupcake games. Major programs don't want to ruin their BCS chances by loosing to a tough non-conference team, so they schedule the cupcake teams to go undefeated going into conference play. We need a playoff system where the winner of BCS conferences will play each other. The b10 needs to add or dump a team. There should be two divisions and a conference champion who will go on to the national championship playoffs.
0SUbeBetter
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 7:30 p.m.
KenCooper ".....anybody with a decent degree from a great institution should've learned when to shut his mouth....." Ooh im sorry, i thought a great college institution would teach someone to speak their mind. i guess by definition a university would teach someone to expose the truth wouldn't it? Come on Cooper, your just upset that your university which was outed as putting 99% of its athletes into the general studies and kinesiology was outed again by a beloved member and a finalist (In the eyes of the fans and sports writers) in your recent search for a new coach. Harbaugh was supposed to be a good fella. how can you discredit someone who came threw the system and saw everything first hand? maizenbluenc ".....Question: would you rather pay the same amount for your season tickets and watch one less home game....." The answer is absolutely yes, as long as you have the chance every other year of watching USC, Texas, Miami (Fl) and the Cal Bears come into town. or you could keep scheduling 3 crap games a year and give those tickets away to your friends and co workers. let them fight the crowd and watch Toledo beat you at home. whats the fun in that? if it was the same price would you rather have mcdonalds or lobster tail?
tater
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 6:34 p.m.
UM already has ND on their noncon schedule. Unless they really crash and burn, they still count as a quality game. Is it just me, or does Harbaugh whine a lot more now than he ever did at UM?
KenCooper
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 4:40 p.m.
Harbaugh provided a great many highlights during his days in Ann Arbor, and any UM fan loved his style and his clutch play. However, I would agree with him that his education was lackluster. That is, anybody with a decent degree from a great institution should've learned when to shut his mouth, and he clearly still needs to learn that. He's pushing Lane Kiffin for the SpoiledBabyPoorMeOverpaidJerkCoachOfTheYear award.
maizenbluenc
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 3:38 p.m.
Good 'ole Jimmy Harbaugh. Maybe we need to schedule Stanford for the 2010 home opener, and have our Sports Communication majors lay a shellacking on his Finance majors. (What is Sports Communication anyway, "How not to say 'You Know' every third word when you speak to the press 201"?) Anyway, he is right: non-conference scheduling has become a money grubbing embarrassment -- and not just in the Big Ten. Oh, and I've always thought adding Penn State to the Big Ten was a good move, IF we dropped one of the perennial non-performers. Question: would you rather pay the same amount for your season tickets and watch one less home game, but only have one warm up patsy in the schedule, and two real non-conference opponents?