College Football's Best Schedulers: Looking Beyond 2009

With the 2009 season just around the corner, most everyone already knows what non-conference games are coming up. There's Alabama vs. Virginia Tech, USC at Ohio State, and BYU at Oklahoma.

So just for fun, I am going to go farther in to the future. I am doing this by team to highlight some of the more ambitious schedules.

For the sake of not making this a million pages long, I am just going list the teams that I think have some attractive-looking dockets.

I am also ignoring already established rivalries, so no UGA-Georgia Tech, Iowa-Iowa State, and the like.

Air Force Falcons

I am kind of surprised not to see any WAC or Pac-10 teams on the schedule. In 2010, they go to Oklahoma. In 2011 and 2012, they have a home-and-away series with Florida State. In 2011, they also go to Wake Forest.

Way down the road in 2015, a home-and-away starts with both Oklahoma State and Cincinnati. The second games of these series are at Oklahoma State in 2016 and at home against Cincinnati in 2017.

Arizona State Sun Devils

In 2010 and 2012, they play at and then at home against Wisconsin. In 2011, they will go to BYU and host Illinois, which is game one in a home-and-away( they play at the Illini in 2012).

They have a three-game series with Notre Dame, with game one coming 2013 in Texas. Then, in 2014 and 2017, they will play home-and-away with the Irish. Between those two, in 2015 and 2016, the Devils will dance with LSU twice.

BYU Cougars

In 2010, the Cougars play at Florida State and host Nevada. They'll travel to Arizona State in 2011.

Starting in 2012 and running through 2015, we'll have four occurrences of one of the most anticipated matchups: BYU and Boise State will play a two at home and two away in a showdown of non-BCS powerhouses.

Colorado Buffaloes

In 2010, Colorado will be playing teams from coast to coast, bot to mention beyond the coast. They play at California before hosting Hawaii and Georgia. In 2011, California will be coming to their place. They also start a home-and-away that goes into 2012 with Fresno State.

Both Minnesota and Utah will be seen twice over the 2012 and 2013 seasons. And in 2014 through 2019, they begin playing a series of games with various Pac-10 teams: 2014 and 2017 is home-and-away with Oregon, 2015 and 2016 is away-and-home with Washington, and 2018 and 2019 is away-and home against Arizona State.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State and Oklahoma will play once at each other's places in 2010 and 2011, and FSU will host BYU in 2010. In 2011 and 2012, a home-and-away series will be played with Air Force. That latter year will also see the 'Noles making a trip to play another against South Florida (their first matchup is forthcoming in '09).

And that’s still not all for 2012. A home-and-away series will also start with West Virginia and will wrap the year after.

Fresno State Bulldogs

First, the Bulldogs are hosting Cincinnati and Illinois in 2010. But beyond that, they've also signed a number of two-for-one deals.

They will travel to a number of schools twice in order for those schools to visit Fresno once. A series will start in 2010 with Mississippi, and it includes a home date in 2011 and another visit to Mississippi in 2015. The 2011 season will also feature away games with both Nebraska and Colorado.

The Nebraska series will continue in 2014 with the Huskers making the trip to Fresno and in 2016 with the Bulldogs traveling. Colorado will travel in 2012 and host again in 2013.

Rutgers will also make a trip to Fresno in 2013.

Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State is playing in both the West and East a couple times through the years. In 2010 and 2011, they will host a couple Pac-10 schools, UCLA in 2010 and Oregon in 2011. In 2011, they travel to Miami to play the Hurricanes. They'll meet the beavers and 'Canes in opposite locales in the off years.

The years 2014 and 2016 mark a home-and-away series with Virginia Tech. Auburn will make the trip to Kansas State in 2014 as well.

Miami Hurricanes

In a rematch of the 2002 National Championship Game, the 'Canes and the Ohio State Buckeyes will play two over the course of 2010 and 2011.

Miami will also will also be traveling to Pittsburgh in 2010, starting a four-game, two home and two away set. This is actually a continuation from the 2005 and 2009 matchups between these two.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

For the next few years, Nebraska plays some home-and-away series with a couple of West Coast teams. There's Fresno State in 2011, 2014, and 2016; and UCLA in 2012 and 2013.

A series with Miami will start in 2014 and wrap in 2015, and after that, in 2016 and 2017, there is a home-and-away with Tennessee.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State is going after a team in every conference. As I mentioned, they'll meet Miami in 2010 and 2011. In 2012 and 2014, I see a couple home dates with Cincinnati, but I don’t see a date where Ohio State plays at Cincinnati.

They do, however, play home-and-away with California in 2012 and 2013. The 2014 and 2015 campaigns feature a home-and-away with Virginia Tech.

After that, they head to Oklahoma in 2016 before hosting the Sooners in 2017. And finally, in hopes of quieting the talk about Ohio State vs. the SEC, the Buckeyes play two with Tennessee in 2018 and 2019.

Oklahoma Sooners

I have mentioned some of these in other sections already, but just to recap: 2010 and 2011 versus FSU, 2010 versus Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium, and 2012 at TCU (the return from the 2008 game).

In 2014 and 2015 there is a series with Tennessee. And as you just read above, the Sooners will meet the Buckeyes in 2016 and 2017.

Oregon Ducks

It has been a number of years since Oregon played an SEC team. Starting in 2010, they'll see Tennessee twice, once at each team's stadium. The second game will be in Eugene in 2013.

The Ducks play a series with Kansas State in 2011 an 2012. Also in 2011, there'll be a trip to Utah (the game in Eugene in the series is coming this season).

Starting in 2014 and ending in 2017 is a series with Colorado. Georgia is another SEC school that is on the schedule, in a 2015 and 2016 home-and-away.

Syracuse Orange

Not a premier team on other people's schedules, but they play quite a few tough contests. A series with Virginia Tech occurs in 2010 and 2011, and in 2010 through 2015, they play three home and three away with former Big East conference member Boston College.

For some reason, they decided a series with Southern California would be a good idea. That takes place in 2011 and 2012.

In 2015 and 2016, they will play Georgia Tech. Wake Forest, Minnesota and Northwestern also sprinkle the schedules of 2011, 2012 and 2013.

TCU Horned Frogs

TCU will finish its series with Oklahoma that started in 2008 in the 2012 season. Before that, they have two with Texas Tech in 2010 and 2011.

The 2013 and 2014 seasons have the Horned Frogs playing LSU twice, on at each place, and after that, they continue their war on SEC West teams, switching over to Arkansas for 2015 and 2016.

Tennessee Volunteers

While doing this the one team that seems to really come up a lot is Tennessee. In 2010 they host Oregon. In 2011 they travel to North Carolina before hosting the Tar Heels in 2012. The Vols then travel to North Carolina State in the same year. In 2013 and 2014 they make a couple of trips. First to Oregon then to Oklahoma. In 2015 they finish the series with Oklahoma and start a new one with Connecticut. The 2015 UConn game is at Connecticut and the 2016 game is at Tennessee. In 2016 and 2017 they will play a home and away series with Nebraska. Finally as noted before, Tennessee will play home and away with Ohio State in 2018 and 2019.

West Virginia Mountaineers

From 2010 to 2013, the Mountaineers will play two home and two away games with Maryland. On top of that, 2010 and 2011 they play a home-and-away series with LSU.

In 2012 and 2013, they meet up with Florida State, and in 2014 and 2015 a home-and-away series with Michigan State will be played.

Wyoming Cowboys

The 2010 and 2011 campaigns mark two contests between the Cowboys and Boise State. That first year also sees them travel to Texas, and in 2012, they do it again.

Looking tough all-around is 2011; besides the game at Boise, they play at Missouri and host Nebraska.

A home date with Missouri comes in 2012, and in 2013, they travel to Nebraska. In 2014 and 2015, they play a home-and-away with Oregon, and they'll once again visit Nebraska in 2016.

There were of course other games worth noting for some other teams but they only had maybe one or two coming up in their future. So when the conversations go to weak non-conference schedules here are the teams no one should be talking about.