Texas A&M Schedule Snafu Address Playoff Predicament

Apr 13, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

The Houston Chronicle‘s Brent Zwerneman reports Texas A&M Aggies athletic director Eric Hyman said at the SEC spring meetings theAggies are dropping future non-conference dates against Pac-12 Conference powers Oregon and USC.

Per The Chronicle, Hyman said:

"“This is the schedule that we’ve had, and it’s basically based on the Big 12 schedule. During a transition like this (from the Big 12 to the SEC), it’s just been a little more difficult trying to schedule. Hopefully, in time, it will straighten itself out.”"

UPDATED, 11:11 a.m. PDT, John Canzano reports the following:

More:

The SEC schedule is in a state of flux, though conference commissioner Mike Slive said earlier this week that the slate is likely to remain at eight. Coaches voted overwhelmingly for the current eight-game schedule over a proposed nine-game docket, similar to the model the Big Ten is adopting and Pac-12 has played since 2006.

A&M is sure to receive some derision for opting out of these two marquee match-ups. Hyman’s argument these games were scheduled when A&M was a Big 12 Conference member. However, the Big 12 played eight conference games at that time, the same as the SEC plays, and appears to be committed to for the foreseeable future (or at least until 2015).

Moreover, scheduled opposition Oregon and USC both play in a nine-game conference. If they can make it work, why can’t A&M?

CBS Sports columnist Dennis Dodd notes:

"“Hyman also said the plan for A&M’s non-conference schedule in the future would be…’a game from a national standpoint.’ The USC and Oregon games certainly would have qualified as ‘national standpoint’ games."

The Aggies also played a weak non-conference slate in 2012, including two FCS opponents (Sam Houston State and South Carolina State) and two non-BCS teams (SMU and Louisiana Tech). This year, A&M both Sam Houston State and SMU again, but adds Conference USA opponents Rice and UTEP.

SEC defenders will counter with the conference’s overall schedule already impacting its members postseason chances. However, the LSU Tigers played Pac-12 opponents in the previous two seasons, and open with the Big 12’s TCU in August. The Alabama Crimson Tide faced Big Ten teams in recent non-conference seasons, and opens with perennial ACC contender Virginia Tech this year. And because A&M and Texas will not rekindle their historic, the Aggies do not have a quality, non-conference rivalry game a la South Carolina-Clemson or Florida-Florida State.

A&M is taking the SEC gauntlet with a softer approach than other conference members, but don’t necessarily put blame on Hyman for turning down the Oregon and USC dates. Blame the uncertainty hovering over the new College Football Playoff.

The restructured postseason is still shrouded in mystery, forcing teams to act based on conjecture. Barry Alvarez led the charge for the Big Ten to double down on the committee rewarding strength of schedule. Thus, the conference barred FCS opponents. Texas A&M is doubling down on straight-up record accounting for more.

If it’s the latter, who can blame A&M for serving its own best interests? Non-conference games have sabotaged plenty of championship dreams in recent seasons. Consider Stanford, which lost on a controversial goal line stand to Notre Dame last October. Had the Cardinal instead played a C-USA opponent, it may have landed in Miami for the BCS championship game. Similarly, Oregon opening 2011 with gusto and facing LSU made the Ducks’ late season loss to USC all the more damaging.

Athletic departments are sure to factor such precedent into their scheduling decisions. And plenty more knee-jerk reactions based on predictions are coming, so long as the College Football Playoff leaders drag their feet on establishing the system’s guidelines.