Southern Cal and Virginia Sign Home and Home Deal

[UNHWildCats]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-05-02-notebook_N.htm

[AppGuy04]

This makes no sense for USC, UVA is on the downside. Playing this game when Schaub was there would have made sense, but not now

[813Jag]

It's a good chance for the Trojans to continue recruiting the east coast.

[NE MT GRIZZ]

USC has no business wasting their time with Virginia.

An average WYoming lost to VA on a missed XP last year.

xnonono2x

[poly51]

Give the Trojans a break. They play one of the toughest OOC schedules every year.
2008: Virginia
Ohio State
Notre Dame
2009:San Jose State
Ohio State
Notre Dame
2007 Idaho
Nebraska
Notre Dame

Not many easy games in the PAC 10 either.

Interesting note: This year Idaho opens with the Trojans and has Cal Poly for the 2nd game.

[AppGuy04]

Trust me, they could do much worse, just a couple years late, thats all I was saying

[ucdtim17]

UVA is a legit BCS team - you want USC to schedule every year like last year, with 9 Pac 10 games and 3 top-20 teams OOC? They are in a league of their own when it comes to scheduling. I hate em but you have got to be kidding me if you're knocking them for "only" scheduling a non-elite UVA team.

[ucdtim17]

Looking at those schedules again - it's just insane. Most other top teams don't schedule ONE elite nonconference team. USC plays one more BCS team to start with in the Pac-10, then adds another elite team in Notre Dame, then adds another elite team in Nebraska, Ohio State, Auburn, Arkansas, etc. And then their final spot doesn't go to Sac State - it's a home and home with UVA. It's ridiculous

[GannonFan]

Agreed, USC plays a real good schedule compared to some big time BCS teams. Nothing wrong about scheduling UVA.

[ucdtim17]

Not to mention, they travel all over the country instead of just paying patsies to come and take a beating before 92,000 fans.

[813Jag]

Not to mention, they travel all over the country instead of just paying patsies to come and take a beating before 92,000 fans.
Agreed. The fact that they went signed a home and home with Arkansas and pasted them both times. Not to mention the year they played Virginia Tech in the Meadowlands.

[Marcus Garvey]

Agreed. The fact that they went signed a home and home with Arkansas and pasted them both times. Not to mention the year they played Virginia Tech in the Meadowlands.
Actually, that was at FedEx Field near D.C.

When the NCAA allowed teams to schedule a 12th game, the Pac-10 elected to schedule a 9 game conference schedule, thus making them one of only 2 BCS conference to play a full round-robin schedule (the other being the Big East). That leaves USC with only 2 OOC slots to fill most years (unless they visit Hawaii), because they've got a long-term arrangement with Notre Dame that is not going to end anytime soon. Since they're perpetually in the hunt for the National Championship, they aren't interested in scheduling an FCS school. Getting a "middle-of-the-road" level BCS team like UVA is a good deal for them. It looks a hell of a lot better than Idaho, that's for sure.

[ucdtim17]

There are a lot of other teams that are always in the hunt for a national title that have no problems scheduling an FCS every year. SC is one of only a handful that refrain (ND, UCLA, UW, Tenn, etc). SC certainly could schedule an FCS and get away with it, but they choose not to cheapen their schedule. Everyone should applaud that

[89Hen]

Careful with the UVA bashing. I have some negative rep points ready for the next wise guy who lets fly. xmadx xmadx xmadx ;)

UVA is struggling, but that can change quickly. They've had some good recruiting classes and they can play with most teams. They've also had a lot of great home and homes over the years, with them splitting most of the series. xnodx Texas, Penn State and Auburn come to mind.

[Marcus Garvey]

There are a lot of other teams that are always in the hunt for a national title that have no problems scheduling an FCS every year. SC is one of only a handful that refrain (ND, UCLA, UW, Tenn, etc). SC certainly could schedule an FCS and get away with it, but they choose not to cheapen their schedule. Everyone should applaud that

I just said SC only has 2 OOC dates to work with.
ND is not in a conference. Excluding their tradtional rivalries (Navy, Michigan, Purdue and S.C.), they have 8 dates to fill.
UCLA is rarely in the hunt. Incidently, what FCS teams have they played. None as far as I know? Unless UL-Monroe was I-AA still in '96. Which would make just 1 in the last 15 years.
UW - Going back 20 years, I find no record of them having played a I-AA/FCS team.
Tenn -Has 4 OOC dates available, plus a share of the payout from the SEC Championship.

SC's situation is different. It's easy to for the A.D. to fill those 2 dates, as long as they promise a home and home.

[AppGuy04]

I'm not knocking UVA, just saying I wish it was back in the day, not now

[UNHWildCats]

UVA IS DA BEST!

[89Hen]

I'm not knocking UVA, just saying I wish it was back in the day, not now
Eh, there really wasn't any 'back in the day' for UVA. They've had some mild flashes, but again, 2008 is a full year away. The bigger problem isn't that UVA might not be better, but USC might be better still! I've seen lots of mags predict them to be the #1 team this year.

[AppGuy04]

I've seen lots of mags predict them to be the #1 team this year.

Thats like predicting that there will be a fight on the Jerry Springer show

[Go...gate]

Eh, there really wasn't any 'back in the day' for UVA. They've had some mild flashes, but again, 2008 is a full year away. The bigger problem isn't that UVA might not be better, but USC might be better still! I've seen lots of mags predict them to be the #1 team this year.

in 1990, Virginia was one FG (GA Tech) away from a National Championship. They had a Hell of a club under George Welsh.

[Marcus Garvey]

in 1990, Virginia was one FG (GA Tech) away from a National Championship. They had a Hell of a club under George Welsh.

Umm... I wouldn't say their title hopes were that close. They were #1 when they lost to Georgia Tech. In fact, they'd already accepted a bid to the Sugar Bowl, despite the fact that they had 3 more games to play AFTER the GT game. They wound up losing 3 of their last 4 regular season games to finish 8-3 before losing the Sugar Bowl.

[89Hen]

in 1990, Virginia was one FG (GA Tech) away from a National Championship. They had a Hell of a club under George Welsh.
xoopsx That team will go down as one of the worst folds in the history of CF. They lost a couple more games after that before losing to Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. Like I said, there were some flashes, but no real 'day'.

[ucdtim17]

I just said SC only has 2 OOC dates to work with.
ND is not in a conference. Excluding their tradtional rivalries (Navy, Michigan, Purdue and S.C.), they have 8 dates to fill.
UCLA is rarely in the hunt. Incidently, what FCS teams have they played. None as far as I know? Unless UL-Monroe was I-AA still in '96. Which would make just 1 in the last 15 years.
UW - Going back 20 years, I find no record of them having played a I-AA/FCS team.
Tenn -Has 4 OOC dates available, plus a share of the payout from the SEC Championship.

SC's situation is different. It's easy to for the A.D. to fill those 2 dates, as long as they promise a home and home.

I don't get what you're arguing. SC could schedule an FCS like all the other teams in all the other conferences, except for the handful I mentioned (ND, SC, MSU, UW and UCLA are the only teams to never have played I-AA/FCS - Ohio State and Mich fall off that list this year). They don't, which is to be applauded. What's the problem?

[Marcus Garvey]

xoopsx That team will go down as one of the worst folds in the history of CF. They lost a couple more games after that before losing to Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. Like I said, there were some flashes, but no real 'day'.

Exactly. It was because of that UVA team that the Bowl Bids stopped going out before the season was over.

[Marcus Garvey]

I don't get what you're arguing. SC could schedule an FCS like all the other teams in all the other conferences, except for the handful I mentioned (ND, SC, MSU, UW and UCLA are the only teams to never have played I-AA/FCS - Ohio State and Mich fall off that list this year). They don't, which is to be applauded. What's the problem?

I misunderstood, I thought you were citing those teams as examples of playing I-AA opponenets. My bad.

Why should SC play an FCS? They get a lot of grief from their boosters and alums for playing week FBS teams like Idaho. They have a goal of making it to the NC game every year. Weak non-conf. schedules won't help them in that department.
Don't applaud Michigan and Ohio State either. They had little choice but to schedule FCS schools. They won't do "home and home" agreements like Southern Cal. Schools like Pitt, UVA, Syracuse, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Kentucky, etc.. are more than willing to play the top-flite teams if a home and home is offered. Since Michigan and Ohio St. insist on scheduling 8 home games, they can't get FBS teams.

[blur2005]

As a UVA student and fan, I was pretty shocked to hear this. The general opinion of my fellow students is that we're going to get knocked around but I keep reminding them that things can happen in college football and that they still have to get on the field and play the game. Moreover, UVA is so young right now that who knows how decent the Cavs might be in 2008. Granted, USC is on a level almost all their own in college football, with the recruiting and all, but if football was won by just recruiting then a lot of teams would've won more titles than they have and a lot that have won would not have. All in all, I'm excited about it. Having USC at Scott Stadium will be pretty cool.

[poly51]

I would think that just about anybody on this board would love to have USC at their home stadium.

[GeauxColonels]

RIP Cavs. xsmhx xsmhx xsmhx

[Fresno St. Alum]

Thats an interesting matchup. I don't think UVa has much of a chance.

[813Jag]

Actually, that was at FedEx Field near D.C.

When the NCAA allowed teams to schedule a 12th game, the Pac-10 elected to schedule a 9 game conference schedule, thus making them one of only 2 BCS conference to play a full round-robin schedule (the other being the Big East). That leaves USC with only 2 OOC slots to fill most years (unless they visit Hawaii), because they've got a long-term arrangement with Notre Dame that is not going to end anytime soon. Since they're perpetually in the hunt for the National Championship, they aren't interested in scheduling an FCS school. Getting a "middle-of-the-road" level BCS team like UVA is a good deal for them. It looks a hell of a lot better than Idaho, that's for sure.
I don't know why I thought that game was in Jerseyxconfusedx

[Go...gate]

Umm... I wouldn't say their title hopes were that close. They were #1 when they lost to Georgia Tech. In fact, they'd already accepted a bid to the Sugar Bowl, despite the fact that they had 3 more games to play AFTER the GT game. They wound up losing 3 of their last 4 regular season games to finish 8-3 before losing the Sugar Bowl.

You are right - I forgot they lost a couple more!!!. Another senior moment on my part! xoopsx