Saulbadguy
09-23-2005, 09:22 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/12717968.htm
Posted on Fri, Sep. 23, 2005
Sweet deals
K-State was once widely criticized for its soft nonconference schedule. Now, everyone wants to take a bite out of a cupcake.
By HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star
Anybody who has been critical of Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder’s nonconference scheduling methods — and there probably are a few out there who despise them — might find this hard to believe.
The marquee: Kansas State. Notre Dame. Arrowhead Stadium.
“Notre Dame is looking for a home-and-home series down the road and wants to play in a big stadium. Bill said to pursue it,” K-State senior associate athletic director Jim Epps recently said.
No lie.
“It’s absolutely still on the table,” said David Gardiner, president of Blue Ridge Sports & Entertainment of Winchester, Va., the promoter who handled the Wildcats’ 2003 game against California at Arrowhead Stadium. Gardiner has been in contact with several schools for future games, and K-State and Notre Dame, which have never met on the gridiron, are in the mix.
Sound strange? Probably so to some college football fans who found it difficult to find the Wildcats the cute-and-cuddly, up-and-coming program they wanted to love. That’s because K-State seemed to pick on the Akrons and Ball States more often than not.
But based on how other programs are now scheduling, it appears Snyder has won the argument for doing things his way. K-State, 2-0, which finishes its nonconference schedule at 1:10 p.m. Saturday against North Texas, 1-1, at KSU Stadium, wasn’t the first to soften the slate. But it benefited as much as anyone.
Now, almost everybody does it.
Look no further than Nebraska. The Cornhuskers played Maine in their opener.
Minnesota coach Glen Mason buys into Snyder’s nonconference scheduling concept. Mason, who went 4-5 against K-State when he coached at Kansas during 1988-96, said Snyder’s blueprint for success should never be second-guessed.
“The media picked on Bill. But Bill won that battle a long, long time ago,” Mason said. “What is he now, he’s got to be in his 17th year I would guess at Kansas State. Most guys were fired after three years and they didn’t win any games. Everybody used to call it (K-State) the worst program in the country, so how could anybody be critical of the approach Bill Snyder took?”
Snyder says he doesn’t necessarily feel vindicated after being vilified for years.
“I’m not arguing with anybody about it because everybody has their opinion,” Snyder said. “And I’m not saying that that’s the best way for anybody else. I’m just saying what we do in the way of scheduling, by and large, is what’s in the best interest of our football program. I’ve never varied from that, and that’s the way it is.”
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the strength of schedule affects Kansas State, which this season tiptoes through three nonconference tulips.”
— Los Angeles Times, 1998
Move over, K-State. Here comes Texas Tech.
Now that the Wildcats have moved past the scheduling argument and don’t seem to be the target they once were for their schedule, Texas Tech has moved in line for ridicule for scheduling nonconference weaklings.
The Red Raiders already have annihilated Florida International and Sam Houston State by a combined 136-24, and Saturday will, in all likelihood, toy with Indiana State — unless the Sycamores have several Larry Birds in pads.
According to the Sagarin Ratings, that’s the 168th-best schedule in the nation. Considering there are only 119 teams in Division I-A (Sagarin includes I-AA teams for a total of 239), that’s not exactly a murderer’s row of opponents.
“That’s the kind of stuff we got roundly criticized for,” Epps said.
Taking on the huge underdog, though, isn’t a guarantee for success. Ask Stanford, a 20-17 loser this season to California-Davis.
ESPN analyst Lee Corso defends schools that downsize their schedules to rebuild. Like Kansas, which brought in Appalachian State. Or Baylor, which knocked off Samford.
That’s why Corso has no issue with Snyder. In fact, Corso wishes he would have have been more Snyderesque when he coached at Indiana. Instead, he took on too many teams such as LSU and eventually got fired.
“If I was coaching again, I’d go to the nearest bakery and play three cupcakes,” Corso said. “He (Snyder) was way ahead of his time. He did it the right way.”
“It is unclear if a diet of cupcakes can effectively train a team for the likes of Nebraska”
— Houston Chronicle, 1998
The art of scheduling at K-State emphasizes home games.
Football creates the lion’s share of revenue for the school. But, on occasion, the Wildcats have taken on challenges. Like Southern California, Marshall and Fresno State.
That doesn’t mean Snyder really wanted to do it.
“If I made some mistakes, it might have been USC. It didn’t turn out that way (K-State beat the Trojans in 2001 and 2002), but nevertheless … or traveling to Marshall. It didn’t turn out that way (K-State won 21-19 there two weeks ago). But that might’ve been one I’d take back.”
Epps said scheduling nonconference games, no matter how big or small or how good or bad the opposition, has grown more difficult.
“I called a school recently in the WAC and offered $600,000, and the A.D. promptly told me he signed a deal for $750,000 with a Pac-10 school,” Epps said. “I remember a $100,000 contract we had with New Mexico State. I thought that was all the money in the world. Now, it’s chicken feed.”
Penn State coach Joe Paterno has no qualms with how Snyder’s team fed off some pushovers along the way to build his program.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people have been very critical of our nonconference schedule (South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Michigan in 2005), but we’ve got to have seven home games,” Paterno said. “I think Bill’s done what’s best for Kansas State, and I’m trying to do what’s best for Penn State.”
As for Snyder, Epps is convinced the criticism he took over the nonconference schedule never affected him.
“I don’t think it bothers him in the least,” Epps said. “He charts a course, and he doesn’t stray from it. I feel vindicated. I really do. But I don’t think it made any difference to coach Snyder one way or the other.”
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden figures Snyder most definitely is the one who got the last laugh in all of this nonconference rhetoric.
“I think Bill’s probably been smarter than most of us,” Bowden said.
Posted on Fri, Sep. 23, 2005
Sweet deals
K-State was once widely criticized for its soft nonconference schedule. Now, everyone wants to take a bite out of a cupcake.
By HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star
Anybody who has been critical of Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder’s nonconference scheduling methods — and there probably are a few out there who despise them — might find this hard to believe.
The marquee: Kansas State. Notre Dame. Arrowhead Stadium.
“Notre Dame is looking for a home-and-home series down the road and wants to play in a big stadium. Bill said to pursue it,” K-State senior associate athletic director Jim Epps recently said.
No lie.
“It’s absolutely still on the table,” said David Gardiner, president of Blue Ridge Sports & Entertainment of Winchester, Va., the promoter who handled the Wildcats’ 2003 game against California at Arrowhead Stadium. Gardiner has been in contact with several schools for future games, and K-State and Notre Dame, which have never met on the gridiron, are in the mix.
Sound strange? Probably so to some college football fans who found it difficult to find the Wildcats the cute-and-cuddly, up-and-coming program they wanted to love. That’s because K-State seemed to pick on the Akrons and Ball States more often than not.
But based on how other programs are now scheduling, it appears Snyder has won the argument for doing things his way. K-State, 2-0, which finishes its nonconference schedule at 1:10 p.m. Saturday against North Texas, 1-1, at KSU Stadium, wasn’t the first to soften the slate. But it benefited as much as anyone.
Now, almost everybody does it.
Look no further than Nebraska. The Cornhuskers played Maine in their opener.
Minnesota coach Glen Mason buys into Snyder’s nonconference scheduling concept. Mason, who went 4-5 against K-State when he coached at Kansas during 1988-96, said Snyder’s blueprint for success should never be second-guessed.
“The media picked on Bill. But Bill won that battle a long, long time ago,” Mason said. “What is he now, he’s got to be in his 17th year I would guess at Kansas State. Most guys were fired after three years and they didn’t win any games. Everybody used to call it (K-State) the worst program in the country, so how could anybody be critical of the approach Bill Snyder took?”
Snyder says he doesn’t necessarily feel vindicated after being vilified for years.
“I’m not arguing with anybody about it because everybody has their opinion,” Snyder said. “And I’m not saying that that’s the best way for anybody else. I’m just saying what we do in the way of scheduling, by and large, is what’s in the best interest of our football program. I’ve never varied from that, and that’s the way it is.”
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the strength of schedule affects Kansas State, which this season tiptoes through three nonconference tulips.”
— Los Angeles Times, 1998
Move over, K-State. Here comes Texas Tech.
Now that the Wildcats have moved past the scheduling argument and don’t seem to be the target they once were for their schedule, Texas Tech has moved in line for ridicule for scheduling nonconference weaklings.
The Red Raiders already have annihilated Florida International and Sam Houston State by a combined 136-24, and Saturday will, in all likelihood, toy with Indiana State — unless the Sycamores have several Larry Birds in pads.
According to the Sagarin Ratings, that’s the 168th-best schedule in the nation. Considering there are only 119 teams in Division I-A (Sagarin includes I-AA teams for a total of 239), that’s not exactly a murderer’s row of opponents.
“That’s the kind of stuff we got roundly criticized for,” Epps said.
Taking on the huge underdog, though, isn’t a guarantee for success. Ask Stanford, a 20-17 loser this season to California-Davis.
ESPN analyst Lee Corso defends schools that downsize their schedules to rebuild. Like Kansas, which brought in Appalachian State. Or Baylor, which knocked off Samford.
That’s why Corso has no issue with Snyder. In fact, Corso wishes he would have have been more Snyderesque when he coached at Indiana. Instead, he took on too many teams such as LSU and eventually got fired.
“If I was coaching again, I’d go to the nearest bakery and play three cupcakes,” Corso said. “He (Snyder) was way ahead of his time. He did it the right way.”
“It is unclear if a diet of cupcakes can effectively train a team for the likes of Nebraska”
— Houston Chronicle, 1998
The art of scheduling at K-State emphasizes home games.
Football creates the lion’s share of revenue for the school. But, on occasion, the Wildcats have taken on challenges. Like Southern California, Marshall and Fresno State.
That doesn’t mean Snyder really wanted to do it.
“If I made some mistakes, it might have been USC. It didn’t turn out that way (K-State beat the Trojans in 2001 and 2002), but nevertheless … or traveling to Marshall. It didn’t turn out that way (K-State won 21-19 there two weeks ago). But that might’ve been one I’d take back.”
Epps said scheduling nonconference games, no matter how big or small or how good or bad the opposition, has grown more difficult.
“I called a school recently in the WAC and offered $600,000, and the A.D. promptly told me he signed a deal for $750,000 with a Pac-10 school,” Epps said. “I remember a $100,000 contract we had with New Mexico State. I thought that was all the money in the world. Now, it’s chicken feed.”
Penn State coach Joe Paterno has no qualms with how Snyder’s team fed off some pushovers along the way to build his program.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people have been very critical of our nonconference schedule (South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Michigan in 2005), but we’ve got to have seven home games,” Paterno said. “I think Bill’s done what’s best for Kansas State, and I’m trying to do what’s best for Penn State.”
As for Snyder, Epps is convinced the criticism he took over the nonconference schedule never affected him.
“I don’t think it bothers him in the least,” Epps said. “He charts a course, and he doesn’t stray from it. I feel vindicated. I really do. But I don’t think it made any difference to coach Snyder one way or the other.”
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden figures Snyder most definitely is the one who got the last laugh in all of this nonconference rhetoric.
“I think Bill’s probably been smarter than most of us,” Bowden said.