Big 12 football: 2013 non-conference schedules more of the same

The 2013 Big 12 football non-conference schedules are more of the same. Some schools more than pulling their weight. Some schools standing on the side, letting others do the heavy lifting. Here are the non-conference opponents of each Big 12 school, ranked in order from toughest to easiest:

1. Oklahoma: Louisiana-Monroe, Tulsa, at Notre Dame. The Irish are playing for the national championship. Tulsa and Louisiana-Monroe have had solid mid-major seasons.

2. Texas Christian: LSU at Arlington, SMU, Southeastern Louisiana. The Frogs get Les Miles’ Bayou Bengals to come to JerryWorld. What a game to open the season.

3. Texas: New Mexico State, at Brigham Young, Ole Miss. Solid schedule. Playing in Provo won’t be easy, plus a home against a decent SEC team that made a lot of progress in 2012 after the ‘Horns administered a September whipping.

4. Iowa State: Northern Iowa, Iowa, at Tulsa. The Cyclones always represent. The Iowa series is good, and the home-and-home with Tulsa is a sign that the Cyclones aren’t looking for automatic victories. Even the in-state Northern Iowa series is better than some, since UNI is a good I-AA program.

5. Oklahoma State: Mississippi State at Houston, at Texas-San Antonio, Lamar. The Mississippi State game at Reliant Stadium is an excellent season opener. And though UTSA was scheduled as an automatic victory, at least the Cowboys are going on the road.