nycdad posted:Sorry if this has been asked, I can't seem to find it.
Outside of conference play, how are schedules created and what goes into it? Obviously location for mid week games, but what about all the early non-conference games? Are the guidelines/rules the same for D1-D3? For all other NCAA sports?
A while back, the NCAA punished quite a few P5 teams for having cupcake schedules. They punished them by leaving them out of the regionals, if they were on the bubble. They then expanded the field to 64 for more opportunities, for power teams as well as mid to lower conference teams.
While many teams do need a guarantee to cover expenses, ALL teams choose teams that will help boost their RPI. And many coaches who have relationships with certain programs play them year in and year out. And it's obvious the teams from the cold north have to travel south, for some it's the first time outdoors.
In the end, it's the weaker teams, IMO, that benefit more from playing tough non conference opponents early on.
D2 programs are usually limited due to geography to just a few non conference games before they begin conference play, I cant speak for D3.