Last week we highlighted the 14 Power programs who have two Power foes scheduled out of conference in 2016, this week we look at the flip side of the same coin.
If that was the honor roll, this is the naughty list.
The only Power teams the schools listed below will face are their fellow conference members, or future bowl partners.
It’s at least a one-win advantage over the rest of the field.
2016 Non-Conference Opponents: Northwestern State, SMU, at Rice
All-Time Series Records:
- Northwestern State (4-0), last played in 2014.
- SMU (38-36-7), most recent loss 1986, 12-0 since.
- Rice (48-30-2), most recent loss 1992, 7-0 since.
Baylor hasn’t played a Power team out of Big 12 play since 2009, when it edged Wake Forest in the season opener in Waco.
That was also the last year the Bears finished under .500 (they went 4-8) and missed the postseason. They’ve played in six consecutive bowl games since.
Future Non-Conference Power Opponents: Duke (2017-18), Ole Miss (2020), and Utah (2022-23). Baylor also has BYU (2021-22), but as of now the Big 12 does not consider the Cougars a Power foe.
2016 Non-Conference Opponents: at UMass, Wagner, Buffalo, UConn
All-Time Series Records:
- UMass (19-4), most recent loss 1978, 8-0 since.
- Wagner (0-0), never played.
- Buffalo (6-2), most recent loss 1969, 2-0 since.
- UConn (4-0), last played in 2004.
If Boston College was in the Big Ten, its game with UConn would satisfy the requirement of playing a Power team out of conference play. As of now, the ACC only counts BYU and Notre Dame as such opponents.
The Eagles did square off with No. 5 Notre Dame last season in Fenway Park and hosted No. 9 USC the year before. In fact, 2016 is the first season Boston College hasn’t faced a team from a Power league since 2006 when it played Central Michigan, BYU (still a Mountain West member then), Maine, and Buffalo.
Future Non-Conference Power Opponents: Notre Dame (2017, 2019, 2022 & 2025), Purdue (2018 & 2020), and Ohio State (2023 & 2024).
2016 Non-Conference Opponents: Rhode Island, Ohio, at Memphis
All-Time Series Records:
- Rhode Island (0-0), never played.
- Ohio (0-1), only-ever meeting in 1967.
- Memphis (0-1), only-ever meeting in 2015.
Not only has Kansas not posted a winning record since 2008, it hasn’t won a football game since November 8, 2014 when it beat Iowa State at home in Lawrence.
Maybe the Jayhawks deserve a break.
Kansas lost at Rutgers last season and at Duke in 2014. Before that, it’s most recent non-Big 12 Power foe was Georgia Tech in 2011, another road trip resulting in another loss.
Future Non-Conference Power Opponents: Rutgers (2018), Illinois (2023 & 2024).
2016 Non-Conference Opponents: Howard, at Florida International, at UCF
All-Time Series Records:
- Howard (0-0), never played.
- Florida International (4-0), last played in 2013.
- UCF (0-0), never played.
With back-to-back games in September at FIU and UCF, Maryland will play its own version of Spring Training in 2016.
The Terrapins did play at West Virginia last season and doubled-up in 2014 with both the Mountaineers and Syracuse. You have to go back to 2010 to find a season without a Power-conference foe. Maryland played Navy, Morgan State, West Virginia (still a Big East member then) and Florida International that year.
That team went 9-4, the best finish for the Terps since 2006.
Future Non-Conference Power Opponents: Texas (2017 & 2018), Syracuse (2019), West Virginia (2020 & 2021), and Virginia Tech (2026, 2027, 2028 & 2029).
2016 Non-Conference Opponents: Eastern Washington, at Boise Stat, Idaho
All-Time Series Records:
- Eastern Washington (1-0), only-ever meeting 2012.
- Boise State (4-0), last played in 2001.
- Idaho (61-8-2), most recent loss in 2000, 8-0 since.
Fresh off its first bowl victory in more than a decade, Washington State won’t face a school from a Power league outside of Pac-12 play for the first time since 2011 when it played Idaho State, UNLV and San Diego State.
The Cougars did open the 2012 season with a loss to BYU, but that was its second season as an independent.
Since then, Washington State lost at Auburn (2013) and split games with Rutgers (2014 and 2015).
Future Non-Conference Power Opponents: BYU (2019, at this time the Pac-12 doesn’t have any scheduling mandates, so it’s unclear how this game counts) and Wisconsin (2022 & 2023).
As a note, Purdue plays Eastern Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Nevada in 2016. Despite the fact that the Bearcats hail from the American Athletic, the Big Ten has deemed them a suitable Power opponent. For that reason, the Boilermakers technically don’t qualify for this list. Purdue last played a Power team in 2015 when they lost 51-24 to Virginia Tech.