Looking ahead to next year - Top 25 birth

[HRE Otto IV]

I love stats and numbers and history - but I’d throw out Dino vs P5 numbers, and go with recent history of better OL + Shrader + Tucker to go along with this D. This years P5 performances are probably more representative. I think we can compete with everyone.

Until proven otherwise it is an issue. If we go 2-7 again this year it will be more of the same. I will be back on the bandwagon once Dino proves he can go .333 in a season vs P5 teams.

 

[jgeorge322]

Bleich is. RS sophomore. So two years left

Yea he started as true frosh at Florida, then transferred, sat out last year which is a free year but could have been used as a RS anyways, so sophomore eligibility wise

 

[money3189]

You're missing my point.

What point?

 

[Scooch]

2025 is even worse. ND on the road and Tennessee neutral. Then Army and UConn so no FCS (unless UConn drops down by then).

2024 I bet we end up with 2 P5 games. We only have Army scheduled now. If we are late as usual (I believe that is why we had Purdue after knowing about ND), then we will have few options.

2026 is fine, we don't have anything scheduled beyond that.

We always seem to be late to the scheduling table and get leftovers. This has happened way too often the last decade. Whomever is in charge probably should be changed.

2025 is too tough, I agree. But we couldn't turn down the chance to open with Tennessee in Atlanta. It's a huge payday, and will be great pub for the program. I'm all for scheduling for success, but once in a while you gotta stretch, and 2025 will be that year.

I know it's a common refrain that we're always "late" in scheduling. But looking at some other peer schools, we don't really seem much different. Just quickly looking...

SU: 2 games scheduled in 2024, full slate in 2025-2026, 1 in 2027
BC: 2 games in 2024 (Mizzou and Michigan State, woof!), 3 each from 2025-2028
Pitt: 3 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and just 1 from 2026-2028.
Duke: 3 in 2024, full slate in 2025, 3 in 2026, 2 in 2027-2028
Virginia: full in 2024, 2 each in 2025-2026, 1 in 2027-2028
NC State: full 2024-25, 2 in 2026, 1 in 2027

Some schools are better (Wake, VaTech and UNC are nearly full for the next several years, for example), but its not like everyone has a full schedule out the next several years. Lots of holes all over the conference.

 

[sutomcat]

I think we're starting to open with a softie, as you suggest. Next year we open at UConn. Granted its a road game, but I bet the crowd will be 50% SU fans (if not more) and it don't get more easy than a game against UConn. 2023 we open at home vs. Colgate. 2024 it's home against Ohio. 2025 is the aforementioned neutral site game vs. Tennessee, but 2026 is home vs. New Hampshire.

So I think we're generally on the right path.

I wish we were going to open next season at home against Colgate but unfortunately, we are surely going to open the season with a conference game.

I think Chris02M pointed out based on existing scheduled games for ACC schools, that the opponent is likely going to be Louisville. The game will be played in the dome (after 3 lovely games in a row in Louisville).

To be fair to SUAD, the ACC is intruding on football scheduling a lot more these days. They want attractive games early in the season, especially for the ACCN, and one of the best ways to get one for the first week of the season is to schedule a conference game.

I would not be surprised if we were asked to leave week one open for an ACC game by the conference and that is why we will not schedule UConn in week one.

 

[Scooch]

2025 is too tough, I agree. But we couldn't turn down the chance to open with Tennessee in Atlanta. It's a huge payday, and will be great pub for the program. I'm all for scheduling for success, but once in a while you gotta stretch, and 2025 will be that year.

I know it's a common refrain that we're always "late" in scheduling. But looking at some other peer schools, we don't really seem much different. Just quickly looking...

SU: 2 games scheduled in 2024, full slate in 2025-2026, 1 in 2027
BC: 2 games in 2024 (Mizzou and Michigan State, woof!), 3 each from 2025-2028
Pitt: 3 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and just 1 from 2026-2028.
Duke: 3 in 2024, full slate in 2025, 3 in 2026, 2 in 2027-2028
Virginia: full in 2024, 2 each in 2025-2026, 1 in 2027-2028
NC State: full 2024-25, 2 in 2026, 1 in 2027

Some schools are better (Wake, VaTech and UNC are nearly full for the next several years, for example), but its not like everyone has a full schedule out the next several years. Lots of holes all over the conference.

By the way, if you want to talk about a program that has overscheduled P5 OOC opponents, look at BC...

2024: Mizzou, Mich State
2025: ND, Mich State
2026: Cincy, Rutgers, Ohio State
2027: Cincy, Rutgers, Ohio State
2028: Stanford, ND

Their 2023 and 2024 OOC schedules are Charmin soft, and they better take advantage, because the following 5 years are brutal.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

By the way, if you want to talk about a program that has overscheduled P5 OOC opponents, look at BC...

2024: Mizzou, Mich State
2025: ND, Mich State
2026: Cincy, Rutgers, Ohio State
2027: Cincy, Rutgers, Ohio State
2028: Stanford, ND

Their 2023 and 2024 OOC schedules are Charmin soft, and they better take advantage, because the following 5 years are brutal.

Hafley better leave after 2023 and leave that for someone else to deal with

 

[kcsu]

Next year this is true, we made a mistake scheduling Purdue in a season where we also have ND. In fairness, I don't remember the circumstances of this, so its possible we signed the deal with Purdue before we knew how the ND schedule would shake out. Still, far from ideal.

That aside, I think we've done a good job of scheduling for success in recent years. You have to go back to 2014 to find an OOC schedule that was un questionably too challenging with two P5s (Nova, CMU, MD and ND). Since then we've largely done what you suggest.

2015: URI, CMU, LSU, USF
2016: Colgate, USF, UConn, ND
2017: Central CT, Middle Tennessee, CMU, LSU
2018: WMU, Wagner, UConn, ND
2019: Liberty, MD, WMU, Holy Cross
2021: Ohio, RU, Albany, Liberty

We get back to this model in 2023 (Colgate, WMU, Purdue, Army).

*edit* Looking ahead, our 2025 is too challenging with both ND and Tennessee. But I can't blame the AD for taking the Tenn. game. It's a huge payday and will be tremendous early season publicity for the program. We'll need to be ready to win a lot against our ACC peers that season.

WMU Purdue and Army are all tough.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Not gonna worry about next year's schedule or team until Spring Ball closes. I do think teams like WF and Pitt come back down to earth a little and will be more winnable games

 

[TheCusian]

Until proven otherwise it is an issue. If we go 2-7 again this year it will be more of the same. I will be back on the bandwagon once Dino proves he can go .333 in a season vs P5 teams.

Eh - those 3 “by 3” losses tell a much different story about the quality of team we have. Unlike 2018 > 2019, we’re not graduating our best player on O.

I’d bank on being competitive in all games next season, no matter what.

 

[orangepassion]

I wish we were going to open next season at home against Colgate but unfortunately, we are surely going to open the season with a conference game.

I think Chris02M pointed out based on existing scheduled games for ACC schools, that the opponent is likely going to be Louisville. The game will be played in the dome (after 3 lovely games in a row in Louisville).

To be fair to SUAD, the ACC is intruding on football scheduling a lot more these days. They want attractive games early in the season, especially for the ACCN, and one of the best ways to get one for the first week of the season is to schedule a conference game.

I would not be surprised if we were asked to leave week one open for an ACC game by the conference and that is why we will not schedule UConn in week one.

Would love to play week zero, so we can have an extra bye

 

[Chris02M]

Would love to play week zero, so we can have an extra bye

we have a bye week 2 vs uconn already

 

[All4SU]

Next year? I’m still hopeful for a ranking THIS year! Run the table, finish 8-4. Win our bowl. Finish 9-4. Ranked in the final poll! Go ‘Cuse!

 

[OmahaCuse]

Need to recruit the DE from Albany

 

[qdawgg]

I love stats and numbers and history - but I’d throw out Dino vs P5 numbers, and go with recent history of better OL + Shrader + Tucker to go along with this D. This years P5 performances are probably more representative. I think we can compete with everyone.

LOL. Of course.

 

[Ozcuse]

It's crazy what a difference 3 games and a little over a month makes in perception.

 

[kcsu]

Its never how you start. Its all about the finish

 

[JRHEETER]

Its never how you start. Its all about the finish

I love a good finish