Berry Tramel

Big 12 football: Mack Brown says UT will improve schedule

Posted July 28, 2010 by Berry Tramel Comment on this article Leave a comment

With the Big 12 headed for a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2011, much talk has centered on how schools will schedule non-conference. And Texas coach Mack Brown says the Longhorns will beef up their slate.

Texas head football coach Mack Brown talks with reporters at Big 12 media day in Irving, Texas, on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes) ORG XMIT: TXMF101
Texas head football coach Mack Brown talks with reporters at Big 12 media day in Irving, Texas, on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes) ORG XMIT: TXMF101

In recent years, UT has backed off its schedule. The Longhorns are playing UCLA this season, but since a home-and-home series with Ohio State in 20005-06, UT has played mostly rumdums.

“We’ve gotta look at strength of schedule,” Brown said. “We’ve at getting more Ohio State-type matchups for the future.”

Brown said the loss of the Big 12 title game motivates Texas to increase its schedule, because of the loss of a marquee, profile stage.

Brown said realignment possibilities in the last year has been a big problem for athletic directors trying to schedule. Schools don’t know how many games they might need. Texas, for instance, might have to get ride of games in 2011 or 2012.

OU’s recent scheduling philosophy has been different from Texas’. OU played BYU and Miami last season. The Sooners play Florida State and Cincinnati this season. Florida State and TCU await next year. The rest of the decade, OU has series scheduled with Notre Dame, Tennessee, LSU and Ohio State.

Someone asked Bob Stoops if he would consider playing Nebraska non-conference, after the Huskers jump to the Big Ten. Sure, Stoops said, “if you get rid of Florida State and Cincinnati and Notre Dame and Tennessee, all the other people we’re playing. See if you guys can get that done.”

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