OSU could open the 2014 season against Florida State in Arlington, Texas.
Mike Gundy acknowledges those are nonconference games TV viewers would want to see. But he doesn't want must-see TV to override what he thinks is best for his team.
Gundy's stance: OSU's Big 12 schedule is difficult enough. He doesn't want the Cowboys to get so beat up in September that it cripples pursuit of a conference championship. It was to his liking when, because of issues related to conference realignment, OSU mutually agreed to scrap future home-and-home series with Clemson, Air Force, Purdue and North Carolina State.
Now, the other side of the story.
If OSU is fortunate enough to vie for Big 12 titles and wants to be considered for college football's four-team playoff in the future, people on the selection committee will examine schedule strength, nonconference games included.
And - Gundy understands this - football pays the bills, so games are played for financial reasons. Gundy said as much when offering damage control quotes Friday about his relationship with athletic director Mike Holder.
When Arkansas and Tennessee flirted with Gundy about their head coaching positions, a topic that came to light was the football coach wants more control over aspects of his program, including scheduling.
Gundy confirmed last week that he and Holder don't see eye-to-eye on scheduling. But, during the same press gathering, Gundy also told reporters nobody wants to win more than Holder.
"We are trying to build everything," Gundy said, rattling off facility upgrades that are on Holder's to-do list.
"So football has to put that on their shoulders. We have got to carry the load. Now, I may not see it that way. But he may say 'that's the way it is' and if he does, I say 'that's what we do.' But I still express my opinion."
Holder's opinion? He responded to scheduling questions Tuesday by sending an email to the Tulsa World. The email closed with these words:
"I will continue to work in concert with coach Gundy to make the best decision for our athletic department and university. These decisions may not always be correct, or popular, but they will be made for what we think are the right reasons."
A team effort
Who is responsible for scheduling and what happens when there is a disagreement?That question was pitched to officials from Big 12 schools. A consensus answer: Scheduling is done via a cooperative effort between coaches and athletic directors. And, ultimately, the athletic director has final say.
That's the way things are done at Oklahoma, according to athletic director Joe Castiglione, who made it clear that he is talking about his program and not offering commentary on how things should be done at OSU or any other school.
Castiglione said he tries to come up with scheduling options. He presents them to his coach and they proceed from there.
Castiglione said he views scheduling as "one of the top four or five key elements of any successful program." He indicated scheduling is right up there with having state-of-the-art facilities and having good coaches who can identify recruits and teach the game. So important is scheduling that scheduling philosophy was a topic when Bob Stoops interviewed for the OU job.
When former University of Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham became North Carolina's AD, he sat down with football coach Larry Fedora and athletic department staffers to map out a scheduling philosophy. Because a philosophy was agreed upon, everyone is on the same page, according to North Carolina senior associate athletic director Rick Steinbacher, who teams with another senior associate AD (Vince Ille) to facilitate Tar Heel schedules.
Many athletic directors, because they wear so many hats, delegate scheduling duties to assistants. But when there is a disagreement, the athletic director must pick a side and do what he views as best for the program and the athletic department.
Senior associate athletic director Larry Keating coordinates football and basketball scheduling at Kansas.
Keating visits with coaches and goes over scheduling possibilities. If a coach doesn't want to play a game, it probably isn't going to be scheduled.
Keating said he can remember only one time in 10 years when a football coach didn't want to play a game. It was played anyway because the Jayhawks were out of options.
"The coach at the time would have preferred not to play that game and we wound up beating them anyway," Keating said. "Ninety-nine times out of 100 (scheduling) works out perfectly."
Keating said he has handled scheduling long enough that football coaches know he's not looking to load up a nonconference slate with schools like Michigan and UCLA in the same year. He indicated KU tries to play one game per season against a BCS-league opponent, one game against an FCS opponent and one game against a team from a conference like the Mountain West or the MAC.
Kansas officials determined that to be an ideal scheduling formula. But what's ideal for one school isn't ideal for all.
Different philosophies
While elevating the Kansas State program from college football's cellar, coach Bill Snyder seemed to have carte blanche (or AD approval) to schedule as many confidence-building games as possible. Considering where the K-State program is now, it can't be called anything other than smart scheduling."I can't say this with any proof, but I would think the cases where the coach is completely controlling the schedule without any institutional approval, they are very few and far between," Castiglione said. "There is so much more to it."
Scheduling strategies vary in relation to what programs are striving to accomplish. K-State wanted program growth and scheduled accordingly. Some schools play "money" games to keep their athletic departments afloat. Some schools schedule with an eye toward reaching six victories and bowl eligibility. TV plays a role (that's how Mississippi State and Florida State landed on OSU's radar). And, high up the food chain, schools attempt to schedule themselves into the hunt for BCS bowls and a national championship.
Castiglione said he and Stoops share a similar scheduling philosophy. Oklahoma is an iconic name in college football and the Sooners try to schedule one "cornerstone" non-league game each year, including Notre Dame this season. Castiglione said that's in line with OU's goals "and as a bonus, it's good for college football when traditional powers play each other."
Moving forward, individuals in the OSU regime will decide what scheduling philosophy is in the best interests of their program.
Big 12 schedules arguably got more hazardous since the league downsized because members play a nine-game, round-robin conference schedule. The fallout is five league road games every other year. In the past, one of those games likely would have been at home against a lesser opponent. Perhaps that's among reasons why Gundy believes his schedule is challenging enough.
Booster Boone Pickens weighed in with an opinion before a 2012 opener against Savannah State, saying he wanted to play a stronger nonconference schedule.
And Holder? This is how his Tuesday email began:
"One of my priorities as athletic director is to do everything in my power to help our football coach build a championship team. A very prominent athletic director gave me some great advice my first month on the job when he suggested that I never say no to the head football coach. I've done my best to follow that advice. However, the realities of college athletics have forced me to compromise, reluctantly, on a few occasions. And to be quite honest, if the football coach and athletic director don't have a difference of opinion on occasion, then neither one of us are doing our jobs.
"Coach Gundy and I have agreed on every nonconference game scheduled to date with the exception of the 2013 season opener versus Mississippi State in Houston or, potentially, Florida State in Dallas to open the 2014 season. I agreed to schedule the Mississippi State game for revenue, national exposure and proximity to a great recruiting area for our university. My preference was to side with coach Gundy and schedule a game in Boone Pickens Stadium, but the opportunity in Houston was too good to pass up. My hope is that our team continues to be successful and I face similar tough decisions in the future."
Future OSU schedules
2013Mississippi State (in Houston)
At Texas-San Antonio
Lamar 2014
Possible: Florida St. (Arlington)
Missouri State
Texas-San Antonio 2015
Central Arkansas
Texas-San Antonio
At Cent. Michigan 2016
TBA
Central Michigan
McNeese State 2017
Tulsa
At South Alabama
Rice
CONSTRUCTING A SCHEDULE
Beauty is in the eye of the schedule-maker when it comes to scheduling philosophies in college football. Approaches to scheduling differ based on what programs are trying to accomplish:Building confidence
Kansas State was among the worst programs in college football before Bill Snyder arrived in Manhattan. He loaded up the nonconference schedule with cupcakes, but wins energized a fan base that previously had endured years of misery.Paying the bills
Schools outside the "power" leagues (and at the FCS level) schedule road games against heavyweight competition in exchange for big paychecks that keep their athletic departments running.It's all about the bowl trip
The bowl schedule this season includes 35 games, which means there are spots for 70 participants. Getting in one of those games can be viewed as the difference between being successful and unsuccessful. Some schools try to schedule at least six wins in order to guarantee bowl eligibility.Must-see TV
College football programs covet chances to be on television because of benefits reaped from exposure. Networks sometimes engage in match-making.Playing it safe
For some schools, smart scheduling is taking it easy in nonconference games in hopes of sustaining program momentum. And, if the chips fall right, playing a difficult league schedule might be enough to play for high stakes in postseason.Eye on the prize
Top-tier programs schedule risk-reward nonconference games in hopes that strength of schedule will result in a BCS bowl appearance or a spot in the BCS title game. A four-team playoff is around the corner. A selection committee will consider schedule strength.HEART OF DALLAS BOWL: OSU (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)
11 a.m. Jan. 1 At Cotton Bowl, Dallas TV: ESPNU-253 Radio: KFAQ am1170Original Print Headline: Art of the schedule
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20121219_93_B1_CUTLIN476277&rss_lnk=93
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