Tag: future schedule

What could Oklahoma’s 2023 and 2024 schedules look like in an expanded Big 12?

What could schedules in 2023 and 2024 look like for the Oklahoma Sooners in an expanded Big 12?

On Tuesday at Big 12 media days, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark reiterated that Oklahoma and Texas would remain in the conference for the next two years before making the jump to the SEC in the fall of 2025 after the current grant of rights agreement expires.

According to Yormark, Oklahoma and Texas have committed to Yormark that they’ll be present for the 2023 season when the Big 12 welcomes in new members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. The new 14-team conference won’t have divisions. Instead, the two teams with the best record will meet for the Big 12 championship game.

So what could the schedules look like for Oklahoma over the next two years in Big 12 play? As we attempted to work through what a potential schedule could look like, we wanted to make sure a few things landed.

Oklahoma needs to play Texas (because, of course) and Oklahoma State twice. After 2024, we have no clue when Bedlam will be replayed. So the Big 12 will want to make sure that game happens while it can.

Here are a few other scheduling “rules” we came up with for both Oklahoma and Texas that honors historical and regional matchups before the Sooners and Longhorns leave for the SEC.

  • Oklahoma would play Texas twice and former Big 8 conference mates Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Kansas, and Iowa State in home-and-home contests over the next two years.
  • Oklahoma would play two of the four current Big 12 schools (Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia) in 2023 and the other two in 2024.
  • Oklahoma would play two of the four new members (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF) in 2023 and the other two in 2024.
  • Texas would play Oklahoma twice and home-and-home series against Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia over the next two seasons.
  • Texas would play two of the four remaining Big 12 schools (Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State) in 2023 and the other two in 2024
  • Texas would play two of the four new members (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF) in 2023 and the other two in 2024.
  • Oklahoma and Texas would split home games with the new members. OU would play Cincinnati and Houston at home, while Texas would play UCF and BYU at home.

In this format, half of the current Big 12 would get home-and-homes with Oklahoma, and half would get home-and-homes with Texas. Oklahoma and Texas would play everyone at least once, and schools that don’t get home games against Oklahoma would get home dates against Texas and vice versa.

So with that groundwork laid, let’s take a look at what schedules could look like for Oklahoma in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Oklahoma has yet to fill their final nonconference game for the 2024 season, but we left an open week for Joe Castiglione to work with.

Lions secure the last-place schedule, opponents for the 2022 season

The Detroit Lions secure the last-place schedule and learned their opponents for the 2022 season after Week 16

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There are still two weeks left in the 2021 regular season, but we can already look ahead to the 2022 NFL schedule with some degree of certainty. The week 16 outcomes around the league finalized the variables on the Detroit Lions schedule for the 2022 campaign.

Detroit’s loss to Atlanta secured last place in the NFC North for the Lions when coupled with the Chicago Bears road win over the Seattle Seahawks. That Bears-Seahawks outcome also ensured that Seattle will finish in last place in the NFC West.

Detroit will face all the teams in the NFC East and the AFC East in 2022. We already knew that. The divisional crossover games are where the 2021 standings matter.

Based on the rotating divisional schedules, the 2022 season pits the NFC North in sequential matchups with the NFC West and NFC South. The first-place teams in each division will square off, as will the second, third and fourth-place finishers against one another. So the Lions are locked into playing Seattle from the West and Carolina from the South. Atlanta’s win over the Lions and Carolina’s lifeless loss to the Buccaneers ensures the Panthers will be in last place in the NFC South.

The other division with that arrangement for 2022 is the AFC South in the “17th” game. And when the Houston Texans stunned the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars clinched last place. Due to the nature of the schedule matrix, the Lions will host the Jaguars.

We won’t learn the sequence of the games or when the bye week takes place until at least May, but the opponents are locked in already.

Thanks to FBSchedule for the resourcing info. 

Notre Dame Schedules First-Time Opponent for 2022

UNLV will be making the trek to South Bend on October 22, 2022 and get a guaranteed $1.35 million for their troubles.

When 2022 gets here, or if it gets here, Notre Dame will be playing an opponent for the first time in school history.  UNLV will be making the trek to South Bend on October 22, 2022 and will get a guarantee of $1.35 million for their troubles.

UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois released the following statement in regards to the future match-up:

“Nothing says college football history more than playing a game at Notre Dame,” said Reed-Francois. “We are looking forward to taking our team and our fans to South Bend for what is sure to be a memorable experience.”

This game is a result of Notre Dame wanting to schedule Cal in 2022 but Cal having to move their date with UNLV to make things work that year.

If you’re wondering, the Rebels aren’t exactly a powerhouse, having appeared in just two bowl games the last 20 seasons.  In their 42 seasons of playing college football, they’ve gone to a post-season game just four times altogether.

Notre Dame Football: Future BYU Matchup

Much has been made recently of Notre Dame’s future schedule as we learned last week they’d be paying Cal 1.9 million dollars for a contest at Notre Dame Stadium in 2022. On that same note we received a bit of information about another future …

Much has been made recently of Notre Dame’s future schedule as we learned last week they’d be paying Cal 1.9 million dollars for a contest at Notre Dame Stadium in 2022.

On that same note we received a bit of information about another future opponent for the Fighting Irish, as BYU’s athletic director made it known that Notre Dame still owes BYU a home game (at BYU).

Or at least a game where BYU wears the home uniforms.

Notre Dame hasn’t played BYU since the 2012 and 2013 seasons as both games were played in South Bend. That was originally set to be a six game series that was cut down to three after Notre Dame announced its sweetheart deal with the ACC.

However, that third game in which BYU is to be the home team still hasn’t been scheduled.

Because of the proximity to Las Vegas and the brand new Raiders stadium being completed there a lot of belief is that the game could and should be played there. Obviously Notre Dame enjoys NFL venues, if you don’t believe just look at their schedule this coming season.

But as Jude from over at One Foot Down points out, the game potentially being played in Vegas makes sense for another reason.

I’m not as worried about Notre Dame crossing off the 50 states checklist but the amount of passionate Catholics or Mormons in the area doesn’t hurt the cause.

I’m all for it being in Vegas for two reasons:

1) How many NFL venues or trips does Notre Dame play in that feel unique or special? Their first time playing in Las Vegas would absolutely accomplish that.

2) I’m team “Avoid Provo, Utah at all costs.”

Nothing against the fine folks who live there but it given the choice of playing there, where strange things just tend to happen (see 2004 opener or ask USC & Boise State about last year) or in Las Vegas, it’s an easy answer for me, 21 times out of 21.

Notre Dame and BYU have met eight times on the gridiron with the first in the series being played in 1992. The Irish lead the all-time series 6-2. Six of the games have been played in Notre Dame Stadium while the Irish have twice made the trip west to Provo, splitting those two contests (1993 and 2004).