2016 Football Schedule
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 11:59 pm
Our non-conference schedule is already set for next year (posted below), and the MAC will be releasing the conference schedule in several weeks (in February). The real question will be does Miami just roll onto our schedule next year in place of UMass with the MAC at 12 teams now? And who are the other MAC West teams BG will face? The schedule would be easy to figure out if we just roll Miami on it in place of UMass, however - there cold be a new rub this year with MAC scheduling - read on.
If Miami simply rolls onto our schedule and we simply flip our East schedule, that would give us East home games vs Buffalo and Kent State and East road games at Ohio, Akron and Miami. But here's the rub....
Because of the unbalance number of teams in the MAC in past years with 13 teams (7 in the East, 6 in the West), schedules in past years saw some MAC East teams playing only 5 East teams (such as BG not playing Miami), while others played all 6 East foes (such as Akron, Kent State and Buffalo last year). Teams like BG, OU, Miami and UMass all played three MAC West opponents while UA, KSU and UB played just two. Similar to what the MAC did in the mid-1990's when reconfiguring the conference, the MAC could essentially reshuffle the home and away schedule for division members and we could potentially see a couple repeat home and away games vs the same East teams like we had this year. This is going to be very interest to see what the MAC does with this. I am actually hoping the MAC does in fact reshuffle the East matchups.
As for our crossover games, since we'll be playing all 5 East teams which will complete the East slate as opposed to missing a team like we've had the last two years with Miami, everyone should be playing their entire division and three crossover games to give us all 8 conference games (5 vs your division, 3 cross division). BG will be playing at Toledo. We already know that. Assuming the MAC doesn't also reshuffle crossover games like they could division ones, that would essentially take WMU and BSU off our schedule since we played them both twice the last two years. My top guess as who one of our West opponents will be is CMU, since they're the team we have not played the longest (not since 2010 on the road). That leaves NIU as the other potential crossover opponent because despite having played them each of the last three times, each time was in the MACC and we haven't played them since 2011 in the regular season. So my guess is is could be a home game vs CMU and likely also a game vs NIU.
So in short, here's what we do know, the non-conference will be this:
Sept 3 at Ohio State
Sept 10 vs North Dakota
Sept 17 vs Middle Tennessee
Sept 24 at Memphis
That also means we won't be playing an early season MAC game like we did at KSU a few years ago. I'm also hopeful that the MAC will finally give us a conference opener at home as the last five consecutive years BG has had to open conference play on the road.
If our schedule is just a flip with Miami in place of UMass (but as I stated above, I hope it's not and that we see a reshuffle with the altered alignment of 12 teams now in 2016), should see this for the MAC East:
vs Buffalo
vs Kent State
at Ohio
at Akron
at Miami
And our crossover games should likely go something like this vs the MAC West:
at Toledo
vs Central Michigan
vs Northern Illinois
If Miami simply rolls onto our schedule and we simply flip our East schedule, that would give us East home games vs Buffalo and Kent State and East road games at Ohio, Akron and Miami. But here's the rub....
Because of the unbalance number of teams in the MAC in past years with 13 teams (7 in the East, 6 in the West), schedules in past years saw some MAC East teams playing only 5 East teams (such as BG not playing Miami), while others played all 6 East foes (such as Akron, Kent State and Buffalo last year). Teams like BG, OU, Miami and UMass all played three MAC West opponents while UA, KSU and UB played just two. Similar to what the MAC did in the mid-1990's when reconfiguring the conference, the MAC could essentially reshuffle the home and away schedule for division members and we could potentially see a couple repeat home and away games vs the same East teams like we had this year. This is going to be very interest to see what the MAC does with this. I am actually hoping the MAC does in fact reshuffle the East matchups.
As for our crossover games, since we'll be playing all 5 East teams which will complete the East slate as opposed to missing a team like we've had the last two years with Miami, everyone should be playing their entire division and three crossover games to give us all 8 conference games (5 vs your division, 3 cross division). BG will be playing at Toledo. We already know that. Assuming the MAC doesn't also reshuffle crossover games like they could division ones, that would essentially take WMU and BSU off our schedule since we played them both twice the last two years. My top guess as who one of our West opponents will be is CMU, since they're the team we have not played the longest (not since 2010 on the road). That leaves NIU as the other potential crossover opponent because despite having played them each of the last three times, each time was in the MACC and we haven't played them since 2011 in the regular season. So my guess is is could be a home game vs CMU and likely also a game vs NIU.
So in short, here's what we do know, the non-conference will be this:
Sept 3 at Ohio State
Sept 10 vs North Dakota
Sept 17 vs Middle Tennessee
Sept 24 at Memphis
That also means we won't be playing an early season MAC game like we did at KSU a few years ago. I'm also hopeful that the MAC will finally give us a conference opener at home as the last five consecutive years BG has had to open conference play on the road.
If our schedule is just a flip with Miami in place of UMass (but as I stated above, I hope it's not and that we see a reshuffle with the altered alignment of 12 teams now in 2016), should see this for the MAC East:
vs Buffalo
vs Kent State
at Ohio
at Akron
at Miami
And our crossover games should likely go something like this vs the MAC West:
at Toledo
vs Central Michigan
vs Northern Illinois