Even Arkansas Head Coach Bret Bielema Laughs at Ohio State’s 2015 Schedule
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema has never been shy about speaking his mind or taking a shot at another program if the mood strikes him. Fans, and some media members, have been quick to point out the lack of a schedule No. 1 Ohio State plays this season on their way to defending their 2014 national championship. In true form, Bielema took a swipe at the Big Ten and Ohio State a day after the AP voters put a record 10 SEC teams into the Top 25.
When various coaches speak from a point of expertise about college football, some have better credibility than others. When Bielema vaguely but directly puts down the Big Ten after spending 18 years in the conference including seven as the head coach at Wisconsin, his words have a little more credibility than others.
On Wednesday during the SEC weekly teleconference, Bielema talked about the strength of schedule issue stating, “I spent a lot of time in that other conference. Ohio State’s ranked No. 1 and they have one game remaining on their schedule that has anybody ranked right now – Michigan State. We’re going to play eight straight (SEC) opponents that are ranked.”
Incredible enough, one year after all seven SEC West teams set a record by making a bowl game, all seven are ranked in the AP Week 2 polls. The SEC East teams that are ranked are Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri. Arkansas played Georgia and Missouri last season. The Hogs rotate out the Bulldogs for Tennessee in 2015 giving them eight ranked conference teams on the schedule out of eight SEC games scheduled.
Bielema sent a national message to the College Football Playoff Committee and their chairperson, Jeff Long, who happens to be the athletic director at Arkansas, adding, “Jeff Long and his committee has a huge task in front of them because if you truly do put a weight on strength of schedule, to get through this conference, everybody can make a joke about it but it’s truly unprecedented what every team in this league can bring. If anybody tried to argue with it they are completely nonsense. It’s a whole other level when it comes to competitive nature and balance.”
The knock on Ohio State is the weakness of their non-conference schedule and the weakness of the Big Ten top to bottom.
In favor of the Buckeyes, traditionally Virginia Tech has been a powerhouse football team. The trouble is the last three seasons the Hokies have been a step above .500 finishing with 7, 8, and 7 wins respectively. The other non-conference games include Hawaii, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan. Western Michigan is expected to contend for a MAC division title but Northern Illinois, another MAC team, is not expected to have as good of a team in 2015.
Buckeye fans will be quick to point out that Hawaii just beat Colorado, a Pac-12 team, in Week 1. The jury is still out on Hawaii and how their season ends, especially with road trips to Ohio State and Wisconsin and an in-conference trip to Boise State.
The Big Ten started the season with three ranked teams, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. Ohio State does not play Wisconsin during the regular season leaving a lone, as things currently sit, regular season game against a ranked team, No. 5 Michigan State on Nov. 21, the second to last game of the season. Wisconsin was voted out of the Top 25 after Alabama beat them in Arlington 35-17.
The Razorbacks, under Bielema’s guidance, navigated the nation’s toughest schedule in 2014 finishing 7-6. Time will tell if the Hogs are once again somewhere in the Top 10 of strength of schedule by seasons’ end and bowling or better yet contending for a SEC West title.
Photo credit: pickanddrop.net; Bret Bielema instructs during an Arkansas practice.