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The College Football Board of Managers (CFBM), has, at least for now, decided that the long awaited CFP expansion will begin at the completion of 2024 regular season. The CFBM consists of 11 University Presidents & Chancellors, representing the 10 FBS Conference and Notre Dame. It remains unclear if ND represents the 3 other Independents (U-Mass, U-Conn, & Army) or just its own interests?

If you think college football is in a … Ready, Fire, Aim mode, with Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL), the Transfer Portal, & the CFP expansion, you ain’t, & I mean ain’t, alone!

Yet, for the purposes of this blog, I want to explore with you what the current CFP format (as of 8:44 Friday night (1/27/23) … as it will likely change) would have looked like in 2022!

The final CFP rankings were as follows: 1) UGA, 2) TCU, 3) Michigan, 4) Ohio State, 5) Alabama, 6) Tennessee, 7) Penn State, 8) Washington, 9) Tulane, 10) Utah, 11) Florida State, & 12) USC

The 12 team format will follow these guidelines: The highest ranked top four conference champions, in 2022, would have been awarded a BYE in the 1st round. In 22′, that would have been Georgia (SEC), Michigan (B-10), TCU (B-12) & Utah (PAC 12). So three (3) of the four (4) CFP finalist in 2022 would have been given a BYE, Utah would have replaced Ohio State in the top four (the Utes won the PAC 12)!

The remaining eight (8) selections would have come from, first, the next 2 highest ranked Conference Champions (this year, that was Clemson (ACC) & Tulane (AAC) and the final six (6) would have been determined by how those teams were placed in the final CFP rankings.

The remaining six (6) would have likely been, but not necessarily in this order, Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State, Washington, & Florida State.

Fitting that Tulane, in this format, would have gotten in the CFP over SC, who they beat in the Cotton Bowl, 46-45! However, the Trojans would have been ‘talking stuff’ and yelling bloody murder about Clemson getting in over them … ND beat Clemson, 35-14, while the Trojans dominated the Irish, 38-27! Controversy will NEVER go south!

Having 6 Conference Champs given a seat at the table, ensures that at least 0ne (1) team from the Group of Five (G5) will make the Tourney! This approach also means that Notre Dame, who could be the #1 team in the country yet it would not matter, the Irish would still not get a 1st round BYE … or any Independent … ever!

That said, in the 1st round, teams ranked 5 through 8, would host opponents seeded 9 thru 12.

In the 2nd & 3rd rounds, games would be played in the six (6) New Day Bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach, & Fiesta); four (4) sites are needed for the quarter finals & two (2) for the semi finals! The Bowl sites will rotate.

The #1 seed gets to pick where they want to play in the Quarter finals, then the 2nd seed, picks 2nd and so on … (Georgia could select to play their game @ the Peach Bowl & Michigan the Rose Bowl, if those sites were in the quarter final rotation. Same process for the Semi finals, highest ranked seeds remaining, pick the venue!

The Championship Game is played at a Neutral Site!

Segment One

Game Review: Wisconsin 66 NMSU 7

• Mertz 12/15 (75%) for 251 Yards, 16.7 YPA, & Ratio 3/1
• Braelon Allen 15/86 yards, 5.7 YPC, 3 TDs, & LR: 39 yards
• Skyler Bell 4/108 yards. 27.0 YPR, 2 TDs & LR: 49 Yards
• C.J. Goetz OLB: 6 TOT, 3 Solo, & 1.5 TFL
• Darryl Peterson OLB: 5 TOT, 1 Solo, & 2 QB Hurry

The web Address listed below will take you our Game Simulator Page (Head to Head) when you arrive you will see Wisconsin vs Notre Dame, replace the Irish with New Mexico State, by clicking on the arrow to the right of ND, a menu will fall, go to the desired team, in this case, New Mexico State.

The Simulator will list Wisconsin offense along side of NMSU offense and then both teams defense immediately below. The Head to Head will compare/compute eight areas; ( Total Offense, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, Scoring, Turnovers, 3rd Down Conversions, Red Zone All Scores, & Red Zone TDs only) to calculate a statistical outcome!

The formula: We take Wisconsin’s Offense, 479 YPG and add it NMSU Total Defense, 352 YPG (479 + 352 = 831 / 2 = 415.5), the Simulator then reverses the process by adding NMSU Offense (300 YPG) to Wisconsin’s Defense, 246 YPG (300 + 246 = 546 / 2 = 273) Since Bucky’s number is greater (415.5 to 273) UW wins the point in Total Offense.

We then apply SCFP Game Simulator/ Head to Head to the seven (7) other criteria we evaluate to determine a statistical winner. The higher score is awarded the point in all categories, with the lone exception of turnovers, where the lower score wins the point!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Matchup.cfm

The next Web-Site listed here is the home page for the Badgers on Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP). A couple of things to review, 1) the statistical dominance of Washington State by Wisconsin in a 14-7 loss & 2) The Total data readout found at the bottom of the page, where the Badgers have dominated their opponents in all categories, with the exception of Penalties!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Team_Details.cfm

Mertz’s Score Card

1. A minimum of 22 passes Attempted (Chryst) 15 Passes Attempted that is on the player caller …
2. 65% Completion Rate: 12/15 = 75% is Excellent … 60% is the floor
3. Throw for 225 Yards Per Game is the goal: Passed for 251 Yards … on 15 attempts nor 22 … impressive!
4. Average 9.0 YPA: 16.7 YPA … Lights out good … Note: Attempts not completions
5. WR’s lead in receptions & yards (not the TEs or RBs) is the goal .. WR’s Bell, Engram, Dike & Allen had Rec. 8 for 221 Yards (221/251 = 88.04% of the passing yards & 67% of Passes Completed to WRs 8/12). Bucky has needed to throw the ball down the field for a long time! There going to need to this week ,… Badgers are @ the Shoe!

Game Preview

Wisconsin 2-1 @ Ohio State 3-0

• Since Bucky took down Brutus, in 2010, 31-18, the Bucks have won 8 in a row over the Badgers!
• That said, three of the UW losses were in B-10 championship Games, in 2014 59-0 (Ohio State won the National Championship that year), 2017, 27-21 & in 2019, 34-21!
• In the 2019 B-10 Championship Game, UW led 21-7, before allowing OSU to score 27 unanswered!
• The Buckeyes, in 2022, have beaten ND, 21-10, Arkansas State, 45-12, & Toledo, 77-21
• QB, CJ Stroud, RB, TreVeyon Henderson, & WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba may be the nation’s best players at their respective positions.
• TV: ABC 6:30 / Favorite: OSU 18.5

To get Head to Head Results, use the Web-Site provided below and when reaching the site … substitute OSU for ND (@ the top of the page) and you will get the Simulator’s prediction? Please Note: you can have the Simulator review any FBS/FCS game of your choosing!

Simulator Says: https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Matchup.cfm

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https://aprilrosemurgy.exprealty.com/West Division:

7. Northwestern: When Fitz (Pat Fitzgerald) has a QB, NW is a threat to win the West (like they did in 2018 & 2020). Respectfully or not, Fitz would disagree with that assessment, last year the Cats were 3-9 when the dust settled and he thought it had more to do with who they were in the front 7 on D and the o-line. That said, Ryan Hillinski (a South Carolina transfer) returns at QB, yet, the word is he will be challenged by red-shirt freshmen, Brendan Sullivan. The Cats are good at RB, Evan Hull & Cam Porter and should be improved in both the D & O lines! If true, were back to QB play and of coure, it is an even year, 2022 (remember, the Cats won the division in 2018 & 2020)!

6. The Illini will be improved in Coach Bielema’s 2nd year. Shockingly, Illinois went from dead last in scoring defense in the B-10 in 2020 to the 4th best in the conference in 2021. The Fighting Illini were 5-7 a year ago and lost 4 games by one score ( UTSA, 37-30, Maryland, 20-17, Purdue, 13-9, & Rutgers, 20-14), so not far from a 9-3 slate. They also won some big games, beating Minnesota (who finished 9-4 & tied for the West Division Championship), 14-6 and PSU, 20-18 in an NCAA record, nine (9) OT’s (a shocking low score, when one recalls the 2018, the 7 OTs game between A&M & LSU, 74-72 … going from the 3 yard line with one play has not sped things up). We will know about Illinois early as they line-it-up @ IU on September 2, and host UVA on September 8. Chase Brown, is one of the best running backs in the B-10! Look for the Illini to be bowl eligible in Bielema’s 2nd year at the helm!

5. Minnesota: If the Gophers are going to hit that nine win mark again in 2022, QB, Tanner Morgan and WRs, Chris Autman-Bell & Daniel Jackson are going have perform at a higher level. The running game will be slowed with 4 offensive lineman moving on, even with the return of RB, Mo Ibrahim, who many regard as the 3rd best runner in the conference (behind only OSU’s TreVeyon Henderson & UW’s Braelon Allen). Speaking of Bucky, the Gophers are finally playing effectively against Wisconsin (had lost 15 of 16), winning two of the last four. That said, they continue to struggle against Iowa, losing five of the last five to the Hawks! Tanner Morgan, who is 27-12 as a starter, is the key factor in the Gophers producing the same number of wins in 2022 (9) as in 2021. Given significant losses in the O-Line and front 7 on D are going to cause growing pains early, Morgan’s insights & leadership will be key in getting the season off to a good start. A big step in that direction is Offense Coordinator (OC) Kirt Ciarracco (who led the Gopher attack in 2019) is back in Minneapolis for the 2022 season. Goldy was a top 10 defense in 2021 (in scoring & total yards), however they have replace 6 of their top 8 in their D-line rotation & leading tackler, LB, Jack Gibbons is also gone. that is why they are going to have to score points vs NM State & W. Illinois, & have the O-Line & front 7 ready for Colorado on Sept 17th!

4. Nebraska: I have to say these Nebraska guys have been a ‘game winning’ predictive mystery during the Scott Frost years (15-29 in his 4 years @ the helm). The Huskers have been (currently are) the 20th best recruiting program in the nation, 4th best in the B-10 (OSU, Michigan & PSU attract better), and the best in the West Division (the Badgers are ranked 23rd, while Iowa comes in @ 32nd) Northwestern has won the West twice in the past 4 years with an average recruiting rank in the 50’s (currently 52nd)! https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/content.cfm?PageID=14 Last year the Huskers set an NCAA record for most losses by single digit numbers, nine (9) in a single season! In fact, they did not lose a game by double digits in the 2021 campaign. The Cornhuskers lost to 11-2 Oklahoma by 7, an 11-2 Ohio State, 26-17, a 12-2 Michigan, 32-29, & Michigan State (11-2) in OT, 23-20 … So how do they end up 3-9 playing these four teams, that won a combined 45 games in 2021… to late in the 4th quarter or a final possession? No clue!! They bring back 10 starters from the 21′ team (5 on offense & 5 on defense) This team has the roster to win the Division and a lack of focus to finish last!

3. Iowa: The Hawks won the West in 2021 and in fact, after they beat Penn State, 23-20, in Iowa City, the Associated Press (AP) lost their minds, and ranked, Herky the Hawk, 3rd in the nation, right behind Bama & UGA? C’mon on man. All I could think of was the writers have suffered brain-damage, or better said, ‘dain bamage’! On Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) we could think of 15 teams off the top of our heads that were not just better, but clearly better, than Iowa! The week after the AP’s bazaar behavior, Purdue traveled to Iowa City and hammered the 3rd ranked team in the country, 24-7! The next week, Iowa traveled to Madtown and were blown-up by Wisconsin, 27-7. They won their last 4 regular season games, yet 3 of the 4 wins were against teams were not bowl eligible and all the games were close (Northwestern, 17-12, Illinois, 33-23, & Nebraska, 28-21). Their best win in this stretch was over Minnesota, 27-22, in Minneapolis, to be sure, a great divisional win! Finally, it should be noted that the Hawks did not play, Ohio State, Michigan, or Michigan State during the 2021 regular season. In the B-10 championship game, they kicked-it-off vs Michigan and were pounded by the Wolverines, 42-3! You may think from the tone of this blog, I am hostile to the Hawks, quite the opposite. They are a developmental program that routinely beat teams with far better rosters. The Hawks are both impressive & fun to watch! That said, last year the stars aligned for the Hawks! This year, the Hawkeyes draw both Michigan (home) & travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes … the stars have moved!!

2. Purdue: Two words are the key to the Boilers 2021 season, Aiden & O’Connell or better said, Aiden O’Connell. Last year, O’Connell passed for 3,711 on 439 attempts / 315 completions hitting on 71.75% of his passes. He passed for 309 yards per game with a ratio of 28 TDs to 11 INT, and his 71.8 completion percentage was the 4th best in the country. While there is little discussion as to who is the best QB in the B-10 (OSU’s CJ Stroud may be the best in the country) neither is there much debate that Aiden O’Connell is the 2nd best, signal caller, in the conference. The Boilermakers lost their All American WR, David Bell and then, WR, Milton Wright was declared ineligible for the 2022 season. It now falls to WRs, Broc Thompson or Iowa transfer, Tyrone Tracy to step up in the receiving game. The run game is a needed element in any offense, just more so in Jeff Brohm’s land assault. Purdue has two backs that can compliment one another, King Doerue, a power back and Sampson James, while not a home run threat, has the best speed in the RB room and has a good combo of power & quickness. Purdue loses All American, do it all end, George Karlaftis, yet return 8 starters and have good depth on D! The Boilers have Wisconsin @ home, a win on 10/22 and Purdue will likely win the West!

1 Wisconsin: Will the real Graham Mertz … please step up and Badger fans everywhere are hoping & praying that he hasn’t already! To say that he has been less than advertised would be one of the greatest understatements in Wisconsin football history. On SCFP we talked about a 5 star from Kansas is simply not the same thing as a 5 star from Florida, California, or Texas. The speed of the high school game in those states, the populations impact on the depth of talent, and the coaching pressure placed on players … all impact the perception of how good & how ready a player is for the college game. It is now or unlikely for Graham, 11 INTs to 10 TDs coupled with a 59.50 completion percentage, and throwing for 1,958 yards, simply will not cut it! Wisconsin scoring output the last 2 season (25.4 & 25.1) has been the lowest since the early days of Berry Alvarez and needs to be addressed. Braelon Allen, in my opinion, is the best RB in the B-10, and the 3rd best in the country, behind only Texas’s, Bijan Robinson & Kansas State, Deuce Vaughn. The return of RB Chez Mellusi, will help keep Allen fresh in 4th quarter play and as well, reduce the ware and tear of the a B-10 season. The WR corps is led by Chimere Dike as no other Badger has more than 3 receptions heading into 2022. Gone are Ferguson, Davis III, & Pryor, that said, UCLA transfer, Keontez Lewis & Skyler Bell need to contribute early and often. TEs Jack Eschenbach & Clay Cundiff have to be integrated into the offense on 1st as well as on 3rd down. The O-Line is led by 3 returning starters, LT, Jack Nelson, Center, Joe Tippmann, & LG, Tyler Beach. The Badger defense lost 8 starters, including LBs Leo Chenal & Jack Sanborn, yet optimism is running high for this unit. OLB, Nick Herbig will get good help from Tatum Grass & Jordan Turner on the inside and the secondary is solid after getting 3 transfers from UICLA, Toledo, & Kentucky. The D line is massive, Isaiah Mullens 6’4′ 300 & Keeanu Benton, 6’4 318. All this and Jimmy Leonhard’s scheme on D!

This blog is brought to you by the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet, one of Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) 38 sponsor. Please visit the web address listed below for more information on the school!

https://cwschoolofballet.com/

In my humble opinion, the best conferences in the FCS are 1) Missouri Valley Football Conferences (MVFC), 2) Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), & 3) Big Sky (B-SKY).

The Southern Conference (SoCon) once considered the best FCS conference has lost to many teams in recent years to the FBS (Appalachian State, Georgia Southern to the Sun Belt Conference and Elon (left for an FCS league, the CAA).

In 2021, the B-Sky took on 10 FBS opponents playing in the following Power Five Conferences (ACC, B-12, Big Ten, PAC 12, & the Southeastern Conference), six of the 10 teams were from the P-12. The Big Sky managed two (2) wins, both against PAC 12 teams (Montana beat Washington 13-7 & Northern Arizona shocked Arizona, 21-19) while losing the other eight (8) games. They also played 7 games vs teams affiliated with Group of Five (G5) Conferences (AAC, C-USA, MAC, MWC, & the SBC)! They won two (2) of these contests and lost the other five (5). The B-SKY went 4-13 vs the FBS in 2021!

One other note: The B-Sky qualified 5 teams for the FCS Playoffs and Montana State made it all the way to the championship game, before falling to North Dakota State, 38-10!

The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) lined it up seven times vs P5 opponents, losing all seven (three of them to ACC squads) games and went 2-3 vs FBS teams playing in G5 conference. It needs to be mentioned that both wins were against the same team, U-Mass (Maine beat the Minutemen, 35-10 & Rhode Island outscored U-Mass, 35-22)! The CAA was 2-10 vs FBS opponents in 2021!

The Colonial qualified only 2 teams for the FCS Tourney in 2021, Villanova, who lost in the 2nd round to South Dakota State, 35-21 and James Madison, who fell in the 3rd round, to eventual champ, North Dakota State, 20-14!

The Missouri Valley struggled in their ‘step-up’ games vs the FBS. The Valley challenged 6 Power Five opponents and fell short in each of the six contests. That said, they did beat Colorado State, (South Dakota State) 42-23, going 1-3 vs G5 teams! Overall, in 2021, the MVFC went 1-9 vs the FBS.

The MVFC qualified 6 teams for the FCS Championship series, including the 2021 FCS Champion, North Dakota State!

The three best FCS conferences were 7 and 32 against the FBS in 2021!

FCS can give a maximum of 63 full scholarships and / or partials up to 85. However, they can give fewer if they choose to do so! While the FBS must give 85 full scholarships to stay in good standing with NCAA guidelines for maintaining Football Bowl Subdivision status.

This year (2022) the B-Sky plays 8 games vs the Power Five and takes on the Group of Five in seven games, all 7 battles are with the Mountain West Conference (MWC)

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=3&DVID=14

Please note: We color code our schedules (Red = Conference game; Yellow = Power five opponent; Green = Group of 5 team; & Blue = an FCS team!

The Colonial has scheduled 12 FBS opponents for the 2022 season (7 vs P5 & 5 vs G5). Here is their 2022 line-up!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=3&DVID=16

Finally, here is the MVFC schedule of the 2022 season. It includes 10 games vs P5’s (B-10 on 6 dates) and only one (1) game vs a G5 team (Northern Iowa travels to Colorado, to take on the U.S. Air Force Academy!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=3&DVID=18

This Blog is brought to you by Loppnow’s Sports Bar, one of Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) 38 sponsors! Please visit the web address listed below for more information on Loppnows Sports Bar!

https://www.facebook.com/loppnows.bar/

You may not know that there was a legal battle being waged in C-USA these past several months, re: three teams: Southern Miss, Marshall, & Old Dominion. The teams stated their intent to leave C-USA & join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) for the upcoming season (2022)! According to Conference-USA by-laws & contractual obligations, a team wishing to leave the league must give 14 months notice, all 3 universities failed to announce their departures in the agreed upon time frame.

As a result, believing they had the high legal ground, C-USA scheduled their 2022 football season with all three (3) teams playing in their conference! However, when the litigation dust settled, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, & Marshall were gone goslings!

Sully in his infinite legal wisdom, agreed with C-USA interpretation and published their 1st edition of Conference USA’s 2022 league schedule on Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP). Seemed like a done deal … honor the contract!

However, as many of you suspected, my legal insights are better thoughts of as ‘extremely limited’ and my wisdom is associated with two words, ‘lack of’ to explain why I provided the schedule prior to the final determination of conference affiliation!

As you do know, this whole mess (Conference Realignment) began with Texas & Oklahoma announcement that they were leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference!

Here is the revised and final (hopefully), 2022 C-USA’s game slate!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=2&DVID=8

And as always, Enjoy the Games!

The MAC currently has 12 teams, divided into two (2) divisions, East & West! The East Division consists of: Ohio, Kent State, Akron, Miami of Ohio, Bowling Green, & Buffalo, while the West is made up of the following universities: Northern Illinois, Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan & Toledo.

The MAC plays eight (8) conference games and schedules four (4) Non-Conference (NC) dates. Like other Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams, they are limited to twelve (12) games in their regular season’s (unless they play Hawaii on the Islands, if so, they can add a thirteenth competition) As a result, the MAC plays 96 conference games (12 X 8 = 96) and schedules 48 NC engagements (4 X 12 = 48)!

If you have read earlier blogs that I have written, re: 2022 schedules, the information provided below will be redundant, I always place this data on/in the blog for 1st time readers!

On Sully’s College Football Page, we use a system of color coding to make the reading of a particular team’s strength of schedule, easily recognized and understood!

The color Red is used to identify conference games, Yellow, for Power Five (P5) opponents, Green, to signify Group of Five (G5) teams, and finally, we use Light Blue for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FCS can offer up to 63 scholarship (not more than 63, yet can offer fewer), while the Football Bowl Subdivision ( P5 & G5) must provide 85 scholarships or lose their status as an FBS program!

In should be noted, the terms P5 & G5 are not NCAA language, but rather the constructs of five conferences (ACC, B-10, B-12, PAC 12, & SEC) and Notre Dame! No one is quiet sure of the origin of these terms, Power Five & Group of Five, they seem to have evolved over time, suffice to say, they are not NCAA Terms!

The link provided below will take you to Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) featuring Mountain West Conference (MWC) 2022 schedule information!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=2&DVID=10&ScheduleYear=2022#Top

The MAC, as mentioned, plays 48 NC games in 2022! Here is the break down

VS P5: The MAC will line-it-up 21 times vs Power Five opponents: The Big Ten & the Southeastern Conference on seven (7) occasions apiece! They take on the Big 12, three (3), the PAC 12 three (3), & the Atlantic Coast Conference once. That said, of these twenty one (21) encounters with P5 programs, only two (2) are played in MAC stadiums ( NIU plays Vanderbilt {SEC} & Western Michigan battles Pitt {ACC} in MAC Arenas)!

In 2022 vs G5 conferences, they will kick-it-off 15 times: American Athletic Conference (AAC) twice (2) C-USA two (2), Mountain West Conference (MWC) a couple (2) of times, the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in four (4) tilts, & Independents (U-Conn, U-Mass, & Liberty) on five (5) dates! Of these fifteen (15) NC games, vs Group of 5 Conferences, six (6) are played in MAC ‘Houses’ while 9 are settled on the road.

VS FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), as stated earlier, this subdivision can only award, up to, 63 full scholarships compared to the FBS’ 85 full rides.

That said, an FCS program could award 50 full athletic scholarships and then combine the remaining 13 scholarships as partial athletic dollars to/for students, who may have been awarded academic or economic (need) $’s, up to the equivalent of the FCS’ 63 full scholarships allotment. It should also be noted, an FCS program can provide this math combo (Athletic, Academic, Economic dollars) up to a total of 85 students (the # 85 is used to limit an FCS program to the FBS’ allotment of 85 full rides)! In other words, 85 student athletes playing on FCS teams can/could receive full or partial football dollars … not 86!!! … and the dollar amount, can not, exceed the cost of/for providing the 63 scholarships!

This year the MAC plays 12 FCS opponents (every team in the league plays one (1) FCS team). The MAC plays all 12 of these games in their stadiums!

In 2022, the MAC plays 48 NC games, 20 at home, and 28 on the road!

And as always … Enjoy the Games!

If my humble opinion (Note: opinion) is ‘right on’ about the American Athletic being the Cadillac of the G5 Conference, then the Mountain West, is the best of the muscle cars, the 1966 Pontiac GTO Coupe, the coolest conference.

That said, back in the day, I always liked the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner better then the 1966 GTO, when ranking the 1960’s Muscle cars. However, that is not what the experts say. They always go with the 66′ GTO as being the coolest of these machines. So, for the purposes of this blog, the 1966 Pontiac GTO Coupe = the 2022 Mountain West Conference as the coolest of the Group of Five leagues!

The MW conference has great rivalries, here are some of the best; 1) Boise State vs Fresno State, they play for the ‘Milk Can Trophy, related to both States dairy industries’, 2) Wyoming vs Colorado State, the Border War, the teams play for the ‘Bronze Boot’ (an ROTC history); 3) Utah State vs Wyoming, these teams play in the ‘Bridger Battle’ the winner gets a .50 caliber Rocky Mountain Hawken rifle (American Mountain Man, Jim Bridger’s weapon of choice); And my favorite, UNLV vs Hawaii or Sin City vs Paradise Island (Evil doers & Temptation everywhere). I may be the only guy in Wisconsin, who never misses this this game, one of my favorites!

If you have read earlier blogs that I have written re: 2022 schedules, the information provided below will be redundant, I always place this data on/in the blog for 1st time readers!

On Sully’s College Football Page, we use a system of color coding to make the reading of a particular team’s strength of schedule, easily recognized and understood!

The color Red is used to identify conference games, Yellow, for Power Five (P5) opponents, Green, to signify Group of Five (G5) teams, and finally, we use Light Blue for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FCS can offer up to 63 scholarship (not more than 63, yet can offer fewer), while the Football Bowl Subdivision ( P5 & G5) must provide 85 scholarships or lose their status as an FBS program!

In should be noted, the terms P5 & G5 are not NCAA language, but rather the constructs of five conferences (ACC, B-10, B-12, PAC 12, & SEC) and Notre Dame! No one is quiet sure of the origin of these terms, Power Five & Group of Five, they seem to have evolved over time, suffice to say, they are not NCAA Terms!

The link provided below will take you to Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) featuring Mountain West Conference (MWC) 2022 schedule information!

https://www.sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=2&DVID=11&ScheduleYear=2022#Top

The MWC has twelve (12) teams and is divided into two (2) divisions of six (6) teams a side The Mountain Division (Utah State, New Mexico, Colorado State, Wyoming, Air Force, & Boise State) and the West Division six (6), (Hawaii, San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Nevada, & UNLV).

The conference plays eight (8) conference games annually, for a total of 96 conference dates (12 conference teams x 8 Games = 96 dates) and four (4) Non-Conference battles for a total of 48 games. Since Hawaii gets an extra game (to off-set travel costs), the MWC plays 49 NC games!

This year, the Mountain West takes on 21 Power Five (P5) opponents, here is the breakdown … they play the Pac 12 in seven (7) games, the Big Ten in four (4) tilts, the MWC has four (4) dates with the Southeastern Conference, One (1) game with the B-12, and five (5) meetings with independent playing programs. Of the 21 meetings, seven (7) of the games are being played in MWC Arenas, while fourteen (14) are scheduled in P5 stadiums.

The conferences that make up the Group of Five (G5), are the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference–USA (C-USA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Sun Belt Conference (SBC), & of course the Mountain West Conference (MWC)!

On Sully’s College Football Page, we break up the 7 Independents in the following manner, Army, BYU, & ND are considered part of the power Five (P5) realm and we integrate, U-Conn, U-Mass, Liberty, & New Mexico State into a G5 designation for identification & scheduling purposes.

The MWC gets-it-on with sixteen (16) G5 programs in 2022! The breakdown goes as follows: they take on the AAC twice (2), they battle C-USA in five (5) games, the MAC on two (2) occasions, and the SBC once (1)! The Mountain also kicks-it off, on six (6) dates vs teams that play as Independents! in 2022, 10 of these games are scheduled to be played @ MWC sites, while six (6) will be played on the road.

Every team in the MWC will play an FCS (63 scholarship program) opponent in 2022. All twelve (12) of these games will be on MW fields, with the majority, seven (7) games being played against Big Sky opponents. They also will be taking on 5 other FCS teams, from five (5) different conference (Missouri Valley Football Conference {MVFC}, Ohio Valley Conference {OVC}, Northeastern Conference {NEC}, Southland Conference {SLC}, & Colonial Athletic Association {CAA}.

An important fact re: FCS programs, that is rarely discussed is that while Football Championship can only award up to 63 scholarship, they can offer partials up to the 85 scholarships that the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) can/must offer to maintain their good standing with-in that subdivision.

In other words, North Dakota State, an élite, FCS Program, could offer 50 full rides and then use the remaining 13 scholarships, to supplement academic & economic dollars. As a result, NDSU could field a team of 85 players, who pay zero tuition dollars out of pocket.

This explains why FCS (63 scholarship) teams, can and often do, beat FBS (85 scholarship) programs, while, on paper, having 22 fewer scholarships!

And as Always … Enjoy the Games!

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) is the Cadillac of the Group of Five (G5) leagues, at least, for one more year. In 2023, Cincinnati, Central Florida, & Houston (arguably the AAC’s three best programs) will be leaving the American for the Big 12! The B-12 will be a 16 team conference for one year, as Oklahoma & Texas will not be vacating from the B-12, for the Southeastern Conference, until the 2024 season.

BYU, an Independent, will be joining Cincy, UCF, & Houston bringing the B-12 back to twelve (12) teams for the 1st time since 2010.

The American will be welcoming six (6) new members in 2023, all from C-USA (UNC Charlotte, FAU, UAB, North Texas, Rice, & UTSA). While these programs field credible teams and take the AAC from am eleven (11) to a fourteen (14) team conference; they are not the quality of the three (3) teams that are leaving!

If you have read earlier blogs that I have written re: 2022 schedules, the information provided below will be redundant, I always place this data on/in the blog for 1st time readers!

On Sully’s College Football Page, we use a system of color coding to make the reading of a particular team’s strength of schedule, easily recognized and understood!

The color Red is used to identify conference games, Yellow, for Power Five (P5) opponents, Green, to signify Group of Five (G5) teams, and finally, we use Light Blue for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FCS can offer up to 63 scholarship (not more than 63, yet can offer fewer), while the Football Bowl Subdivision ( P5 & G5) must provide 85 scholarships or lose their status as an FBS program!

In should be noted, the terms P5 & G5 are not NCAA language, but rather the constructs of five conferences (ACC, B-10, B-12, PAC 12, & SEC) and Notre Dame! No one is quiet sure of the origin of these terms, Power Five & Group of Five, they seem to have evolved over time, suffice to say, they are not NCAA Terms!

The link provided below will take you to Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) featuring Conference-USA (C-USA) 2022 schedule information!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=2&DVID=32

The AAC currently has 11 teams and they play 8 conference for a total of 88 league tilts, (11 teams X 8 games = 88 contests). Like the B-12, the American is not currently organized into divisions. That said, one major distinction is that the B-12 play 9 conference games and having 10 teams in their league, they are able to play a round-robin (every team plays every other team in the league).

To play a round-robin the AAC would have to play 10 conference games not the 8 they currently play!

The American plays 44 Non-Conference (NC) games in 2022 (11 X 4 = 44), here is the breakdown for the 2022 season!

The AAC takes on 20 power Five (P5) opponents! The AAC plays ACC in 5 battles, the B-12 in 4 games, the Southeastern in 4, & Independents (Army, BYU or ND) 4 times. The also line-it-up vs B-10 on 3 occasions and do not play a PAC 12 team in 2022!

Of the 20 meetings the AAC has with P5 opponents, 8 are home games and 12 are played in Power Five stadiums. Compare this ratio of home games 8/20 = 40% to C-USA’s ratio of 2 @ home & 15 away, 2/17 = 12% @ home. It becomes clear, that the American Athletic Conference carries greater respect than any other G5 conference (this fact, will be shown as we continue to explore 2022 G5 schedules), in that P5’s are willing to travel to take on AAC teams!

In the 2022 season, the AAC will get-in-on with 14 teams from four (4) G5 conference and teams playing as independents (C-USA 7 games, four (4) games vs the Mid-American Conference & Mountain West Conference, 2 vs Independent teams, & 1 game vs Sun Belt Conference).

The AAC vs G5 opponents home/away breakdown is as follows; the American play 9 of the 14 games in AAC Arenas and hit the road for 5 of these games in the 2022!

Finally, the American Athletic plays 10 games against the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Houston is the only AAC team that does not play a 63 scholarship program (Please note: an FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) member must offer 85 scholarships or lose their FBS status. All ten (10) meetings will be decided in AAC stadiums!

And as always … enjoy the games!

C-USA has 14 teams in their league, with seven (7) teams in the East Division (UNC Charlotte, Old Dominion, Marshall, Florida Atlantic [FAU], Florida International [FIU], Middle Tennessee, & Western Kentucky) & seven (7) teams in the West Division (University of Alabama @ Birmingham [UAB], Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, Rice, North Texas, University of Texas @ El Paso [UTEP] & University of Texas @ San Antonia {UTSA)

The Conference will/may have a different look for / in the 2022 season! Southern Miss, Marshall, & Old Dominion all announced, in November, that they would be leaving C-USA to join the the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and doing so for the 2022 season. A legal battle is brewing because of the November timeline in sharing their intent to leave the conference.

C-USA’s Bi-Laws require schools’ to give conference officials, a fourteen month notice of their intent to leave the league. The November notification falls short of the fourteen (14) month requirement and as a result, C-USA has scheduled these three (3) universities into their 2022 schedule. The SBC schedule is set to be released on March 1 and according to some reports (Southern Miss, Old Dominion, & Marshall) have been integrated into the SBC schedule as well!

To make matter more complicated for C-USA, six (6) other league teams (North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UNC Charlotte, UAB, & FAU) will be leaving the league for the American Athletic Conference (AAC) at the start of the 2023-24 season. These departures are compliant with the fourteen month notification window.

The sad reality is that when the dust settles in 2023, these desertions will leave a conference that had 14 teams in the 2021, with five (5) teams (Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, FIU, Louisiana Tech, & UTEP) for the 2023 FB Season!

C-USA will be adding: Liberty, New Mexico State and two (2) FCS programs, Sam Houston & Jacksonville State! This will leave with C-USA as a nine (9) team football conference for the 2023 season!

If you have read early blogs, the information provided below will be redundant, I always place this data on/in the blog for 1st time readers!

On Sully’s College Football Page, we use a system of color coding to make the reading of a particular team’s strength of schedule, easily recognized and understood!

The color Red is used to identify conference games, Yellow, for Power Five (P5) opponents, Green, to signify Group of Five (G5) teams, and finally, we use Light Blue for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FCS can offer up to 63 scholarship (not more than 63, yet can offer fewer), while the Football Bowl Subdivision ( P5 & G5) must provide 85 scholarships or lose their status as an FBS program!

In should be noted, the terms P5 & G5 are not NCAA language, but rather the constructs of five conferences (ACC, B-10, B-12, PAC 12, & SEC) and Notre Dame! No one is quiet sure of the origin of these terms, Power Five & Group of Five, they seem to have evolved over time, suffice to say, they are not NCAA Terms!

The link provided below will take you to Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) featuring Conference-USA (C-USA) 2022 schedule information!

https://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Conference_Listings.cfm?MCID=2&DVID=8

C-USA plays an eight (8) game conference schedule and each team schedules four (4) Non-Conference (NC) contests to reach the allowed 12 game ceiling. Please note, if a team travels to the Islands, to take on Hawaii, they are allowed to schedule a 13th game to off-set expenses.

This year, Western Kentucky flies out to Honolulu, to take on the Rainbow Warriors, and as a result, they are playing five (5) NC games!

As stated, C-USA has 14 teams (for now) and plays 8 conference games for a total of 112 games (14 X 8= 112) with-in the league. The Conference pays 4 NC games for a total of 56 tilts (14 X 4 = 56)! However, in 2022, because of Western Kentucky’s trip to Hawaii, C-USA will compete in 57 NC games!

The League takes on 17 Power 5 programs (ACC, 5 games, SEC 4, Big Ten 3, Big 12 two games, PAC 12 one game, & Independents 2). C-USA plays fifteen (15) of the seventeen (17) games on the road and only 2 @ Home! UNC Charlotte hosts Maryland & Old Dominion welcomes fellow Virginian, Virginia Tech to S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk!

C-USA lines-it-up 27 times vs Group of Five (G5) teams in 2022! They get-it-on against the American Athletic Conference (AAC) & Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in fourteen (14) games, seven (7) apiece! They take on Independents (IND) programs in six (6) battles and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) in five (5) engagements. Finally, they will kick-it-off vs the Mid-American Conference (MAC) twice (2) in 2022!

C-USA will play 13 games with 63 scholarship programs (FCS / Football Championship Subdivision) FCS programs are often confused with G5 programs, the true facts are that G5 programs (AAC, C-USA, MWC, MAC, & SBC) award 85 scholarships, the exact number that the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences provide in their respective conferences! All of these games will be played in C-USA stadiums, except for one (1) … Middle Tennessee will travel to Virginia, to-take-on James Madison, currently playing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)!

In 2022, C-USA will play 17 Power 5 programs, 27 Group of 5 teams, & 13 games with FCS opponents, 63 scholarship conferences! (17 + 27 + 13 = 57 NC games). Remember, for a FBS team to become Bowl Eligible they must win a minimum of six (6) games and only one vs an FCS team counts toward the six wins!

and as always … Enjoy the Games!