Big 12 Football: Power Ranking the 2011 Big 12 Schedules
The loss of Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-12 will no doubt significantly affect the Big 12 coming into the 2011 season.
Chief among the areas influenced by the new Big 12 format is scheduling.
Gone (for now) are the South and North divisions. With only 10 member teams, each Big 12 program will now be forced to face every other conference program yearly.
This change means that Big 12 teams will now play nine conference games (as opposed to eight in the previous format), leaving only three non-conference opponents (as opposed to four) on each schedule.
Therefore, each program has less control over the severity of its schedule, with conference games now accounting for 75 percent of opponents (previously 66 percent).
The following slideshow power-ranks, from easiest to hardest, the 10 Big 12 teams’ schedules for the 2011 season.
The rankings were determined by numerous factors, including the total number of home versus road versus neutral-sited games, the number of 2011 opponents that were bowl-eligible in 2010, the number of 2011 scheduled opponents that participated in 2010-11 BCS games, the number of opponents that are ranked in early preseason Top 25 polls, and finally whether upcoming non-conference opponents are BCS automatic qualifiers, mid-majors or FCS programs.
10. Kansas State
1 of 10
The Kansas State Wildcats come into 2011 with the easiest 2011 Big 12 schedule after going 7-6 overall (3-5 in conference) in 2010, including a close loss to Syracuse in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The Wildcats open up the year versus FCS Eastern Kentucky at home; another non-conference opponent is Kent State (also at home).
They'll take a daunting road trip to Coral Gables to face Miami (Fla.) on September 24.
Kansas State has seven true road games. It faces three of its five 2010 bowl-eligible teams at home, three of its five 2011 preseason Top 25 opponents at home and its only 2010 BCS foe (Oklahoma) at home.
9. Texas Tech
2 of 10
Texas Tech (8-5 overall, 3-5 in conference) capped off its 2010 campaign with a less-than-convincing 45-38 victory over Northwestern in the inaugural Ticket City Bowl.
The Red Raiders open up 2011 with three non-conference games: Texas State (FCS) at home in the opener, followed by a road trip to New Mexico and back to Lubbock to host Nevada, which finished 2010 13-1 and ranked No. 15.
Tech plays six home games in 2011, faces seven opponents that were bowl-eligible in 2010 (four at home, two on the road and one, Baylor, at a neutral site).
It squares off against five preseason Top 25 teams (two at home and three the road) and plays Oklahoma in Norman.
Texas Tech is one of only two Big 12 programs to not have a BCS automatic-qualifying team scheduled as a non-conference opponent. Baylor is the other, but the Bears have TCU scheduled, a team that Tech dropped from its 2011 slate.
8. Missouri
3 of 10
The Tigers finished 2010 ranked No. 18 in the AP poll, 10-3 overall (6-2 in conference). They narrowly lost to Iowa (24-27) in the Insight Bowl.
On the non-conference docket for Missouri in 2011 is a first week visit from Miami of Ohio, a trip to play highly thought of Arizona State and a visit from FCS Western Illinois, which lost in the second round of the 2010 FCS playoffs.
The Tigers have six home games and five true road games scheduled. They close the season against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Missouri will face only seven opponents which were bowl eligible in 2010 (three at home and four on the road) and will square off against five preseason Top 25 teams (two at home, three on the road).
The Tigers have preseason No. 1 Oklahoma on the road in Norman.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Texas
4 of 10
The 5-7 overall (2-6 in conference) Longhorns will surely be hungry to avenge their catastrophic (by Texas' standards) 2010 campaign.
The Longhorns' non-conference schedule is no cake walk, with Rice visiting Austin in the opener, followed by newly independent BYU (which should be very solid) coming to town for a Week 2 meeting.
The non-conference slate is closed out with a trip to Los Angeles to face UCLA.
On the whole, Texas has six true home games, faces eight bowl-eligible programs from 2010 (only three at home, four on the road and one, Oklahoma, at a neutral site) and squares off against four preseason Top 25 opponents (only one at home in Austin).
6. Baylor
5 of 10
Even though Baylor (7-6 overall, 4-4 in conference) finished its season with a 14-38 loss to Illinois in the Texas Bowl, the Bears first bowl appearance in 15 years must be considered a huge step forward.
In 2011 the Bears face the unenviable task of hosting TCU in the season opener, followed by a visit from FCS Stephen F. Austin (which lost in Round 1 of the FCS playoffs), then Rice.
In all, Baylor is one of only three Big 12 teams to have seven home games. It will take only four true road trips and faces Texas Tech at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Bears face seven bowl-eligible squads from 2010 (three on the road, three at home and one, Texas Tech, on a neutral site).
They square off against six preseason Top 25 teams (four at home, two on the road).
Baylor is one of only three Big 12 teams to face two teams which participated in the BCS in 2011—TCU and Oklahoma. Both will pay a visit to Waco this season.
5. Texas A&M
6 of 10
The Aggies finally fired on all cylinders for the last six regular-season games in 2010, finishing the season at 9-4 overall (6-2 in conference) despite a humbling 41-24 defeat to LSU in the Cotton Bowl.
Texas A&M opens its 2011 campaign at home against SMU (the runners-up in the 2010 C-USA championship), then hosts Idaho and Oklahoma State before playing its final non-conference game against Arkansas in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium.
The Aggies are one of only three Big 12 squads to play seven home games. They will only hit the road for four true road games (not including meeting the Razorbacks in Arlington).
Overall, A&M faces eight bowl-eligible squads in 2011 (four at home, three on the road, one neutrally) and meets five preseason Top 25 programs (three at home, one on the road and, again, one neutral-sited).
The Aggies are one of only three Big 12 programs to face two BCS teams from last season. They take on Arkansas in Arlington and travel to Oklahoma to face the Sooners in Norman.
4. Oklahoma State
7 of 10
After capping of an 11-2 (6-2 conference) 2010 season with a 36-10 drubbing of Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, the Cowboys open the season with three non-conference games: Louisiana Lafayette and Arizona at home, followed by a road trip to visit a good Tulsa team (10-3, No. 24 in 2010).
Oklahoma State has six home games on tap for 2011 and faces eight 2010 bowl-eligible opponents (only three at home).
It has Oklahoma at home. Of its four preseason top 25 ranked foes, it meets only one at home in Stillwater (again, Oklahoma).
The Cowboys will have to be road warriors to achieve similar success in 2011.
3. Kansas
8 of 10
The Jayhawks have a long way to go to improve on their 3-9 overall (1-7 in conference) finish in 2010, but unfortunately, the 2011 schedule doesn’t look to provide much aid.
Kansas opens 2011 by hosting FCS McNeese State. Then 2010 MAC-champion Northern Illinois (11-3 in 2010) makes a visit. The non-conference slate closes out with a trip down South to face Georgia Tech.
The Jayhawks have only six home games in 2011 and face nine bowl-eligible programs from 2010 (five at home, three on the road and one, Missouri, at a neutral site).
They will play five preseason Top 25 ranked teams (only one home, three on the road and one neutrally).
2. Oklahoma
9 of 10
The Sooners, which went 12-2 last year, look to make a real run at the BCS title in 2011 but will have to survive a fairly perilous schedule to do so.
Oklahoma will open 2011 with a home game against Tulsa (10-3, No. 24 in 2010 and returning most of its squad), followed by a trip to Florida State for a game that could have major BCS implications.
After a home game vs. Missouri, the Sooners close out the non-conference slate with a visit from Ball State.
Overall, Oklahoma has six 2011 home games, faces eight bowl-eligible opponents from 2010 (four at home, four on the road) and squares off against six preseason Top 25 ranked foes (three at home, two on the road and one, Texas, neutrally).
1. Iowa State
10 of 10
Phil Steele ranked the Cyclones' 2010 schedule the hardest in the country, and 2011 doesn’t look much better for a program that earned a 5-7 mark last year.
Iowa State opens up with FCS Northern Iowa (which lost in the first round of the 2010 FCS playoffs), followed by a road trip to face in-state rival Iowa in Iowa City.
The non-conference slate is completed by a road trip to face 2010 BCS team Connecticut.
The Cyclones have only six road games in 2011, they face a blistering nine bowl-eligible teams from 2010 (only three at home) and they face five preseason Top 25 squads (three at home, two away)
Iowa State is among only three Big 12 teams to face two BCS teams from 2010, and they are the only team to face both on the road (at UConn and at Oklahoma).
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
