College Football 2012: 11 Teams That Rigged Their Schedules with Ideal Bye Weeks

Regardless of how many returning starters your team has or how good they were last year, success or failure is always somewhat dependent on the strength of your schedule.

And, as we well know, all schedules in college football are not created equal.

The following slideshow identifies 11 programs that have the advantage coming into the 2012 season of having their bye week timed fortuitously.

Yes, while some teams will have a bye week in Week 2 or before they play a weaker opponent, others will have their week of rest just in the nick of time.

And it could well change the face of their entire season.

Clemson

Clemson’s bye week comes in Week 7 and falls after the challenge of a Week 4 trip to Florida State and a Week 6 visit from Georgia Tech.

Most importantly, though, the off week comes directly before the Tigers’ Week 8 home stand against Virginia Tech, whom they bested twice in 2011 on the way to their first ACC title in 20 years.

The visit from the Hokies also represents Clemson’s biggest 2012 late season challenge other than the finale against South Carolina at home in Memorial Stadium.

Florida State

Florida State’s 2012 bye week comes deliciously late, falling in Week 10 and just before a final run at Virginia Tech, at Maryland and then the regular season wrap-up against Florida in Tallahassee.

If the ‘Noles can smoke through their 2012 slate like some thought they would do in 2011, the off week may be timed perfectly for a fantastic finish.

 

TCU

By the time the Horned Frogs Week 12 bye week rolls around many of the questions surrounding how they’ll look in the “big leagues” will be answered.

Yes, games against Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas State will be behind them, but up ahead will be one of the biggest one-two punches in all of college football.

TCU’s break comes just before a Week 13 trip to Austin to face the Longhorns and then the finale against Oklahoma in Fort Worth.

West Virginia

The other new member of the new Big 12, West Virginia, will enjoy their later season break in Week 8.

The Mountaineers’ pause comes just after a brutal run vs. Baylor at home, at Texas, at Texas Tech and then back at home against Kansas State, and it comes directly prior to what could be considered an even nastier streak.

Yes, post-bye week West Virginia will host TCU in Week 9, travel to Stillwater in Week 10 and then welcome the Sooners to Morgantown in Week 11.

Welcome to the Big 12, West Virginia.

 

USF

With 18 returning starters from a team that showed a full measure of promise in 2012, South Florida may well be one of the breakthrough teams of next season.

And what may serve as a silent partner in the Bulls’ quest for their first championship title ever is a schedule that includes two well-timed midseason breaks.

The first pause comes in Week 7 just two weeks after the Week 5 visit from Florida State, and just prior to a conference run at Louisville, vs. Syracuse and vs. UConn.

The second is really even more significant and gives USF a respite in Week 11 before a fantastic finish at Miami (Fla.), at Cincinnati and then vs. Pitt.

 

Iowa

Iowa’s Week 6 bye week looks like it was slated too early to be beneficial, but the rest comes just before a huge, meaty run of games that will decide the Hawkeyes' fate in 2012.

Iowa’s upcoming schedule is really a tale of two seasons. The first—before the break is a run of games that are decidedly “do-able" in Northern Illinois, Iowa State, FCS Northern Iowa, Central Michigan and Minnesota.

After the break, which will need to very well utilized, it’s on...well, like Donkey Kong.

At Michigan State, vs. Penn State, at Northwestern, at Indiana, vs. Purdue, at Michigan and then the finale vs. Nebraska.

Ohio State

Despite the fact that the Buckeyes won’t be vying for any titles or postseason play in 2012, it’s still a full season of college football that zealous Ohio State fans will live and die by.

The Buckeyes have a late off-week that falls in Week 11 and advantageously gives them a respite directly prior to their final two contests at Wisconsin, and then in the Horseshoe vs. Michigan.

Even if Ohio State won’t be eligible for its draw dropping 35th Big Ten crown in 2012, they may well play spoiler in the last two stanzas of the season and the timing of the bye week certainly won’t hurt.

Notre Dame

Whether you love or hate Notre Dame (and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of in between on that issue), the Irish have one hell of an exciting schedule coming into 2012.

Highlights include the opener vs. Navy in Dublin, Ireland, a game against Miami (Fla.) in Chicago and a blockbuster trip to Norman to face Oklahoma for the first time since 1999 and only the ninth time in history.

The Irish’s bye week comes very early, in Week 5, which almost shields the fact that it’s actually well placed.

The break comes immediately after a trip to East Lansing to face Sparty and a homestand against Michigan, and is placed directly before a four-game stretch that looks historic (at least on paper).

The Irish will come out of their respite and travel to Soldier Field to face Miami (Fla.), then return home to host Stanford, followed by a visit from BYU. Then they’ll pack their bags for the flight south to face the Sooners.

Though Notre Dame’s break is alarmingly premature, it really breaks up the run of games that will define the Gold Domer’s 2012 season.

 

Utah

The Utes inaugural Pac-12 campaign in 2011—which included them dropping their first four league games to finish 4-5 in conference play—will allow them the luxury of flying under the radar to some degree in 2012.

Further good news can be found in the fact that Utah returns 18 starters this season from a team that was one offensive attack away from applying some shock and awe to its new conference.

The Utes off-week in 2012 isn’t as fortuitous as others on our list, but it falls directly before a contest with USC in Salt Lake City, which could make some early decisions on who wins the second ever Pac-12 South title.

Yes, the break comes too early in Week 5, but it also gives a beginning break to a squad that finished better than they started in 2011.

Auburn

Though there is lots of change at Auburn for 2012, this is still an 8-5 squad that returns a whopping 18 starters.

The Tigers are yet another program with a 2012 bye week that seems blatantly early (in Week 5), but in reality its nicely nestled in between a home game with LSU and a call from the now leader-less Razorbacks.

It would be a huge stretch to claim that Auburn has any scheduling advantages and not having any rest later in the season may be costly, but their off-week is still fairly timely.

LSU

Though the 2012 edition of LSU vs. Alabama might not have all the pomp and circumstance of its 2011 edition, this is always a big game in the SEC West and may well have a huge impact on the outcome of the conference, the BCS and yes, the national title game.

Both the Tigers and the Tide had an open date before last year’s regular season “Game of the Century”, but this season only LSU will have a precious seven days off before the big game.

The good news for the Bayou Bengals in 2012 is that their schedule will be easier from a non-conference standpoint (West Virginia and Oregon are off the docket with Washington and Idaho in their place); meaning that a well-placed bye week may be just the ticket to get back in mix for the big enchilada.