Big Ten's weak slate this week raises questions about nonconference scheduling strategies

The Big Ten's lackluster schedule this week exemplifies a problem facing the conference: Not enough teams are testing themselves outside of league play. The Big Ten prides itself on having a nine-game conference schedule, which traditionally had set it apart from the Southeastern Conference. Yet the SEC will move to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026 while continuing to require its league members to play at least one nonconference game against a Power Four school or Notre Dame, something the Big Ten doesn't mandate. That could put more pressure on the Big Ten to step up its nonconference scheduling. This week's slate includes six games in which a Big Ten team faces a Championship Subdivision program. Six of the league's 18 members ( No. 2 Penn State, No. 22 Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers and Washington) aren't playing any nonconference games against Power Four schools or Notre Dame. Only four Big Ten programs (Michigan, Southern California, UCLA and Wisconsin) don't have a FCS program on their schedules. No. 7 Texas, which lost at No. 1 Ohio State in arguably the nation's best matchup so far this season, is the only SEC school that isn't playing an FCS team this year. But the SEC at least can point to all its nonconference games against Power Four programs. Penn State coach James Franklin says he wants more consistency in how each conference arranges its schedule. "The reality is we don't have a commissioner of college football, so that's where the commissioners of the Power Four conferences, specifically the Big Ten and the SEC, need to get together and come up with what's in the best interest of college football and the best interest of student-athletes and the fans," Franklin said. "And then you won't have to worry about all these different things when it comes to scheduling, because everybody is going to kind of have the same parameters." What are the options? The problem is determining the specifics. "Our schools are constantly evaluating the impact of nonconference scheduling across many variables — postseason access, home attendance, geographic rivalries, etc.," a Big Ten spokesman said. "The conference will continue to engage with all 18 to determine the best strategies to balance these factors, using the most current information available about an evolving landscape." The Big Ten could strengthen nonconference schedules by prohibiting FCS opponents, something the league did from 2015-16. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule noted that such a decision would hurt FCS programs that benefit financially from those games. Grambling State lost 70-0 at Ohio State last week but received $1 million for making the trip. This week, Indiana State is earning $475,000 for playing at Indiana and Houston Christian is getting $500,00 for visiting Nebraska. Montana State returned from its season-opening trip to Oregon with a 59-13 loss and a $680,000 paycheck. "I was in the FCS, and if you don't have an FBS team, it's hard to fund your football team, it's hard to fund the rest of it," said Rhule, a former Western Carolina assistant. "The SEC has been really smart. The years they play their FCS team it's late in the year, so as they're getting ready to go on their playoff run, they play them before the last game, which I think is a really smart way to schedule." Another possibility would be to copy the SEC strategy of requiring each school to include at least one Power Four opponent in its nonconference schedule. Does it matter for the postseason? Those non-conference games are taking on increasing importance: The College Football Playoff last month said its selection committee will place more emphasis on strength of schedule this year when determining which teams make the 12-team field. Last year, Indiana reached the playoff with a nonconference schedule that included lopsided wins over Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. If No. 2 Penn State makes it this year it will be with a non-conference schedule of Nevada, FIU and Villanova, but this season ended a string of eight straight years in which Penn State played at least one nonconference game against a power-conference school (except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Penn State's 34-0 win over FIU was a game arranged after a matchup with Virginia Tech was canceled. Northwestern isn't playing any Power Four nonconference games, but it did play at Tulane, an American Conference school that went a combined 32-10 from 2022-24. Northwestern lost that game 23-3. "I think that as we've learned in college football, everybody by nature does what's best for them and their program, and that's the way you've got to look at it," Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. "Whether you want to complain about the way somebody else schedules or the way you schedule, let's be honest, we've all got to do what's best for us." Michigan State athletic director J Batt offered a similar assessment. "At Michigan State we're building a football program to challenge for championships," Batt said. "Toward that end goal, we're going to look to play compelling, meaningful games which create opportunities for our team to prove themselves, while also providing great content for fans and television partners. Given the overall strength of the Big Ten Conference in addition to any marquee non-conference matchups, it's also important to create balance in the schedule, in whatever form that may take." There's a general agreement on the need for consistency among the conferences to make things easier for the selection committee. The trick is reaching a consensus on the best approach. "If you're in Power Four football, everybody should be playing a similar schedule so that the committee can get together at the end of the season and compare apples to apples as much as we possibly can," Franklin said.