The Art of Scheduling

July 2, 2014

Oklahoma State's deputy director of athletics is DAVE MARTIN. He has a very clean desk. So clean, in fact, it looks like he could change offices at a moment's notice.

BUT IN ONE OF THOSE DESK DRAWERS HE HAS A THICK FILE. It's the home of football schedules past, present and future. It holds contracts, cancelled contracts and general correspondence in regards to Cowboy football opponents. It's sort of messy.

In short, it's not nearly as neat as the desk. And neither is the business of scheduling for college football administrators. In the era of conference realignment, power ratings, made for TV games, skyrocketing game guarantees for opponents, strategically placed open dates and football games played on just about every day of the week, the task of assembling college football schedules has never been more difficult. It is an ironic development considering the number of non-conference games that need scheduling is dropping in just about every power conference.

And just to add to the degree of difficulty, a college football playoff is coming with moving targets for future criteria.

The variables are many and that doesn't include the target audiences. Fans want entertaining games - preferably at home. Coaches look at the big picture and the wear and tear of a season that continues to grow longer. Athletic directors have to look at budgets, and the Dave Martins of the world have to be thinking years in advance when home games have to be reciprocated and what that means to future schedules.

"One of the series that was cancelled was a home-and-home with Purdue."

In just the past two years, OSU's non-conference schedule has dropped from four opponents each year to three with the Big 12 Conference's decision to play nine league games annually instead of eight. As a result, Martin had to unload contracted non-conference matchups by cancelling games or by moving them to future dates.

"One of the series that was cancelled was a home-and-home with PURDUE," Martin said. "We tried multiple dates in multiple years, but the Big Ten was changing its league schedule as well. Both schools wanted to keep the contract, but we couldn't coordinate dates - even several years out."

In that regard, Martin might as well be a teenage boy. He's always looking for dates, and he sometimes has a commitment problem.

But there are extenuating circumstances in Martin's case. He might be too nice. Several years ago, Oklahoma State was approached by fellow conference member TEXAS A&M, which needed a favor. The Aggies were about to sign a non-conference series with Arkansas to be played in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but they needed OSU's help by moving a game, or two, or more.

In an effort to help out a fellow Big 12 member, OSU acquiesced and moved several games.

The Cowboys had trouble filling an open date to start the 2012 season

"I know we moved three to help them, and I think it may have affected two more games," Martin said.

As it turns out, Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, and OSU got caught in a schedule squeeze for its troubles. Not only did OSU have to play at Texas two straight seasons, but the Cowboys had trouble filling an open date to start the 2012 season as an indirect result of the A&M-Arkansas series. After making contact with approximately 25 schools, OSU finally had a taker in SAVANNAH STATE.

But just maybe OSU got the last laugh in a deal that wasn't so funny after the 84-0 win over Savannah State. The Cowboys sent the Aggies off to the SEC with a 30-29 Kyle Field loss in a game that changed both seasons and helped catapult OSU to the Big 12 title.

And as an added benefit, new league member TCU inherited Texas A&M's schedule. That meant two straight visits to Stillwater for the Horned Frogs in a year in which OSU and TCU were considered top contenders for the Big 12 title.

"Coaches and athletic directors and administrators always look at scheduling from different perspectives."

Oklahoma State has an unwritten goal of seven home games each season, but that target is a little harder to hit in the new-look Big 12 with its unbalanced schedule, which includes four home games and five road games every other season.

"We had eight home games a couple of seasons ago (2009), and we really think there was a bit of fan fatigue by the end of year," Martin said. "So we always have six and we would like to have seven home games each season."

As the facilities around Oklahoma State athletics have changed, so has the blueprint for football scheduling. During the years of Boone Pickens Stadium construction, OSU's home-field capacity shrunk to approximately 44,000.

With the loss of seating comes a drop in game-day revenue, which leads to smaller guarantees for the visitors. A guarantee is the amount of money a visiting team receives for making the trip and it is one of the tools used to balance a budget year. Quite simply, schools that pay smaller guarantees often have trouble attracting non-conference opponents who might be seeking a bigger check.

To help offset this particular scheduling dilemma, Martin began a 2-for-1 phase. Most teams outside of the "power conferences" have trouble landing marquee home opponents. OSU struck deals that resulted in smaller guarantees for opponents in exchange for a visit by OSU to their stadium -- the infamous 2-for-1. Oklahoma State played one game at TROY and Troy visited Stillwater twice, thus 2-for-1. As a result, OSU saved money with a smaller guarantee for the Trojans when they visited Stillwater, and Troy got the rare chance to host a Big 12 opponent.

OSU's stadium capacity has now climbed to more than 60,000 and 2-for-1 deals are very nearly a thing of the past. The only one currently remaining in Martin's messy schedule file is with CENTRAL MICHIGAN.

In 2015 and 2016, OSU has seven home games scheduled with a 10-member Big 12 seemingly set. But sometimes things change. And often-times those changes are television driven.

Oklahoma State is often approached by the Big 12 Conference's TV partners about potential matchups or date changes. OSU at times responds with a "no thanks" to the league. But sometimes the answer is yes, which was the case with Thursday night games in 2009 and 2010 (vs. COLORADO and Texas A&M).

"WE HAVE CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS THAT COME WITH BEING A MEMBER OF THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE," MARTIN SAID. "WE ALWAYS LISTEN AND THEN WEIGH THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES. THE NETWORKS ARE PAYING US (THE BIG 12) FOR OUR GAME INVENTORY SO THEY CERTAINLY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO MAKE REQUESTS. THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS INVOLVED."

And this is where the art of scheduling comes into play.

In 2013, OSU agreed to play MISSISSIPPI STATE in Houston on Aug. 31. in a game that was held in Reliant Stadium and televised by ABC. In 2014, Oklahoma State will open the season in AT&T Stadium in Arlington against likely preseason top-rated FLORIDA STATE. It could well be the best matchup of the opening weekend of the college football season.

Those matchups have been the source of some debate. They both provide high-profile season-openers and big guarantees (the amount of money the participants receive by playing in off-campus games), and they help Oklahoma State maintain a healthy relationship with the deal makers of sports television.

Oklahoma State opens the 2014 season vs. Florida State at AT&T Stadium.

A VICTORY OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE HELPED CATAPULT OSU TO A 10-WIN SEASON. A VICTORY OVER FLORIDA STATE WOULD BE AN EPIC SPRINGBOARD. And on the balance sheet, OSU figures to clear more in the neutral site games than a typical home game, especially when subtracting the bills that come with hosting events.

But the early-season matchups certainly don't come without risks as the 2011 OREGON DUCKS can attest. Oregon, ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll, opened that season in Dallas against No. 3 LSU. After suffering a 40-27 loss to the Tigers, it took an eight-game winning streak for the Ducks to get back to their preseason ranking. They eventually finished the year as Rose Bowl champions.

And there you have the dichotomy of scheduling.

For conference officials, fans and TV execs, what's not to love? Great non-conference matchups within driving distance for OSU fans to open a new season in the national spotlight against marquee opponents with a healthy payday.

But for coaches, Labor Day Weekend takes on an entirely different feel with a high-quality opponent on the agenda after just four weeks of practice.

"Coaches and athletic directors and administrators always look at scheduling from different perspectives," said OSU head coach Mike Gundy. "It's just the nature of our jobs."

Perhaps the toughest aspect of scheduling is the moving target that is the future. A football schedule constructed as recently as 2008 has probably been made obsolete by realignment and the looming playoff. Back in the day, the Big 12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference helped place conference football championship games front and center.

Today, the Big 12 is the only power conference without a championship game.

THINGS MOVE FAST. THINGS CHANGE. AND AS A RESULT, EVEN DAVE MARTIN HAS A MESSY FILE OR TWO.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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