Inside the SFA Coaches' Minds - Scheduling

[Nittany Boiler]

by Nittany Boiler

 

A new weekly-ish feature to invoke some thoughts, insights and maybe roll some marbles inside the minds of the Sim Football Association coaches. With every act, remark, and success or failure under constant scrutiny from the media and fans, SFA coaches must be either crazy, competitive or both. There should be a general agreement that what is required is the ability to learn and evolve especially in the inaugural season. Who shall emerge as the preeminent minds in SFA?

 

Today's Topic:

Out of Conference Scheduling as a Strategy

 

One of the appealing aspects of the SFA world is that teams don't necessarily mirror the on-field success or failures of their RL college football counterparts (although we can all agree that ND and The OSU suck). Opponent evaluation is still evolving and intelligence was scarce prior to the 2021 season. So how did it work inside the minds of the SFA coaches as they scheduled the inaugural out-of-conference games for Season 1? How will out-of-conference scheduling be used as a strategy in the future?

 

Scheduling for Season 1 felt like this:

A tentative first time experience knowing that there would not be a great hook-up but rather that you just wanted to not make a fool of yourself.

 

Scheduling was highlighted by: somewhat advanced time line, no prior team histories, generally unknown coaches' talent, and a new simulation, making scheduling a free-for-all trying to even the home and away games and build a season. I, for one, just wanted to get a full schedule with Power 5 opponents.

 

But even at the awkward high school dance the sometimes the prettiest girl asks you to partake. Scheduling can be used to fit each team's agenda.

 

After two weeks (plus Week 0) there are only 32 unbeaten teams out of 130 SFA college football teams. Is this a function of competitiveness of the initial team set-ups? Is it reflective of the OOC scheduling? Or is it just the Season 1 wide open competitive balance prior to recruiting and the inevitable dynasty building?

 

Out of Conference Scheduling as a Future Strategy

Oscar Wilde said' " Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Now, Wilde may not know anything about football or scheduling, for that matter, but to be sure some repetitive patterns (just like RL) will emerge in future seasons. Coaches will use their resources and scheduling to make their OOC case for bowl and playoff eligibility. It should be a factor in determining the top teams.

 

Some recognizable strategies:

The Cupcakes: A steady diet of huge underdogs, overmatched by talent, conference, experience or all. Often favored by poor teams looking to improve but also the borderline elitist teams who stake their superiority in an inherently tough conference and need OOC wins for bowl eligibility (SEC! SEC!). No G5 teams are getting a guaranteed paycheck in SFA so that is one difference from RL scheduling.

Cupcakes with Sprinkles: The diet of underdogs with one solid to tough opponent taking away the argument of pure sugary cupcakes. Sometimes seen with G5 powers looking to stamp a resume with a solid Power 5 win; middle level Power 5s seeking respectability purely based upon win totals and other cannibalistic cupcakes looking for wins and the one possible upset.

 

Local Ties/Rivals: Buy local, drink local and play local teams from other conferences to prove the regional superiority. At least, it can be discussed in recruit's living rooms and perhaps claim some weird geographical trophy or at least bragging rights. SFA has set up some standing rivals for each season but this strategy goes beyond to bus rides only for away games. This category can also extend to appropriate coach relationships who like to fight it out for bragging rights on a regular basis. Remember, a competitive game or an occasional win is required to make a true rival (See: Kansas and Bundy vs. Missouri).

 

The Pitching Wedge: Looks good from 100 yards out but has lots of warts close-up. A schedule typically padded with middling, struggling or down Power 5 teams that pose no real threat but look good on paper or through name recognition; the toughest game always at home; giving a historically better G5 school a chance (not really) or some research to compete against a new coach /QB or a lot of lost talent from the prior season. Takes some finesse to not appear too soft yet look good. Often crafted for each season with different opponents.

 

The Safe Zone: A somewhat sweet spot often sought by middle Power 5s and better G5s where OOC has no real threats to lose with the goal to enter the Conference with an unblemished record. Better than a cupcake but more solid and repetitive than a pitching wedge. Tougher games at home; often includes a dominated "rival" and the uses the Power 5 caste system of conference and teams to the best advantage like playing and beating the lowest Power 5 conference team but still proudly claiming a Power 5 conference resume win.

 

The Gauntlet (Hell Weeks): The most noble, but rarest, of efforts with tough games week in and week out in hostile away environments before the Conference even starts. Accepts all challenges - plays the best to be the best. Start with a sexy Week 0 game and go from there. This strategy does have room for the "good" loss and still have a post season invite. Only for the strongest in confidence with a talented, experienced team. Like a cougar..... rarely seen in the wild....

 

Discussion:

What works best for you?

Is this an annual each season decision of a long term strategy?

"Inside the SFA Coaches' Minds" asks is this the first planned step and deliberate coach thought in a season's start strategy?

Or is this overthinking scheduling?

Is scheduling more critical because of the little room for losses and lack of RPI type measurement in football?

What is your plan for next season?

 

Thank you for looking inside the minds of the SFA coaches!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Nittany Boiler

[tsweezy]

In previous sim I was kind of a pitching wedge guy, but it heavily depends on my team. My typical philosophy was 1/2 games against teams I knew I would win, 1 against a team I was pretty sure I'd win, and 1 that could be a toss-up if I thought I'd have a good season. And then I was on the lookout for teams that I thought would rack up a lot of wins but I was still confident I could beat (for the opponent win bonus) so usually tried to target an ok/good team in a bad conference. For this year with no real idea of who would be good I just went thematically. Rivalry game with Memphis will hopefully stick every year no matter how good either of us is. Then I wanted the UMD game, and decided to try and get all-orange games with Syracuse and Clemson (and also because I had a suspicion I could win those).

 

In the future I think my scheduling philosophy for my 3 games is: 1 game I'm 90% sure I'll win, 1 I'm 60% sure I'll win, and 1 that I'm 40% sure I'll win with some kind of personal links to those teams or coaches.

Although if I think I'm not going to have a great year I'll probably replace the hard game with MTSU for an in-state cupcake lol

[Rocketcan]

Excellent content!

 

What works best for you?

I like the Safe Zone when I know I'm going to be a good team, but this year I don't think I am. I definitely just went for teams I know were piloted by active users. As a result, I kind of ended up with a cupcake with somewhere from a sprinkles schedule (no offense to Wash St. or Boise St. (G5)) despite that not being a conscious strategy.

 

Is this an annual each season decision or a long term strategy?

Definitely long term. Success partially informs how well you can recruit. If you want to set up a good program long term, I think you have to consider scheduling over a few years. You have some easier scheduling the years you are bad, but as you build and get better, you have to transition to more difficult opponents to impress the pollsters.

 

"Inside the SFA Coaches' Minds" asks is this the first planned step and deliberate coach thought in a season's start strategy?

Or is this overthinking scheduling?

It's not my first thought (that is roster composition and scheme), but its right afterwards. I have to know how good of a team I have before I commit to what kind of opponents I want to play.

 

Is scheduling more critical because of the little room for losses and lack of RPI type measurement in football?

Absolutely. One game can be the difference between a playoff berth and a bowl game, or a bowl game and sitting at home for the postseason. That's partially what makes football so interesting: The pressure to win every game.

 

What is your plan for next season?

Not sure just yet, but I don't think I will be ready to compete for a while, so I will likely just stick to an "easier" schedule.

[TuscanSota]

What works best for you?

Depends on the scenario. Wazzu scheduled all-away OOC games on purpose (so that's a gauntlet). I'm not sure if this is a rebuilding year for us but it's a year where our weaknesses are larger than our strengths. Honestly, I kinda said "screw it" because I doubt anyone wants to travel to the Palouse.

 

Is this an annual each-season decision or a long-term strategy?

Sometimes, but I mostly schedule these for fun.

 

"Inside the SFA Coaches' Minds" asks is the first planned step and deliberate coach thought in a season's start strategy?

Or is this overthinking scheduling?

Eh... maybe? I think it comes to an evaluation of where I think my team is before I schedule. If I know on paper that my roster is good, I will schedule to accommodate that. If I'm not entirely sure, I tend to throw in tougher matches to get a gauge on where we are.

 

Not overthinking. Just don't let it go to your head.

 

 

Is scheduling more critical because of the little room for losses and lack of RPI type measurement in football?

Yeah, but not in a bad way. Fan bases take losses seriously, especially at the top. The fewer L's on a schedule, the more likely a team will be considered for certain bowl games and playoff matches. (Also, money). One moment, you can take plenty of losses because you're expected to lose. The next, after a couple of seasons and plenty of championships, your fan base complains over one loss and decides to boot you despite the previous success brought. Football is futile.

 

What is your plan for next season?

Y'all are coming to the Palouse whether you like it or not.

[Bundy]

My strategy for KU was

1. Missouri. Shouldn’t need explanation, they should be Kansas’ biggest rival.

 

2. game against team in KU recruiting hotbed (Midwest/Texas) which both Houston and Ball State fall into

 

3. Game against coach I’m familiar with. Again, both Mahrow and Klemm fall into this with Houston and Ball State.

 

I wouldn’t shy away from playing the Florida States or Cals of the world (and almost did play Cal if I wasn’t going to play Ball State), but for me the games have to make sense for Kansas, especially in priorities 2+3. I think I’d love to maybe play a Big Ten team annually or maybe like the more central PAC and MWC teams. Tulsa might be one I’d seek out since I’ve noticed them on a lot of croots on my board ? or like Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the schools in Illinois, etc. but hard to slot all of those in when I only have 2 games to fit them in besides the Missouri rivalry.