We never got a return trip from ODU either. UAB is also one up on us. We traveled there in 2014 then they quit.
We never got a return trip from ODU either. UAB is also one up on us. We traveled there in 2014 then they quit.
I suppose Thanksgiving weekend is preferred for home games over the weekend before. The weekend before has the same issues of students being out and many residents out of town, but without some of the families that travel in for Thanksgiving.
I presume Tech could request to play the final two conference games on the road, but I doubt many of us see that as a good option either. I also recall that per CUSA all schools are to play one home and one away game for their final two conference games.
While I agree that Tech has been given no favors in conference scheduling, it appears to me to be as much bad luck as anything. The two cross-over games the past two years were determined after the 2016 season when FAU was 3-9. The continued series with WKU appeared to be largely about an early open date and wanting to avoid a week three bye. While it does seem odd the number of times Tech has started the conference season on the road, if Tech finishes the season at home it is more likely it will start the season on the road to avoid multi-week conference road trips during the middle of the season.
OUT OF DIVISION GAMES: In 2013 - 2018, we played/will have played 15 out-of-division games. We play/have played some teams multiple times, but others not at all. It got me wondering so I did a little research.
WKU - 5 times (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
FIU - 3 times (2013, 2015, 2016)
FAU - 2 times (2017, 2018)
MTSU - 2 times (2015, 2016)
ODU – 1 time (2014)
UAB - 1 time (2014*)
USM - 1 time (2013*)
*UAB and USM were in Eastern Division
TECH hasn't been scheduled to play Charlotte nor Marshall in out-of-division games through 2018.
Of the 5 WKU games, Tech lost only one of those (2015 38-41) in Bowling Green so the lop-sided scheduling didn’t hurt us much. Of course, it would have been nice to have played Charlotte then.
Looking back at our bye schedule since joining CUSA. Bye week date, where we played the week before / where we played the week after:
09/15/18 Home (Southern) /Road (LSU)
10/14/17 Home (UAB) /Road (USM)
11/19/16 Home (UTSA) /Road (USM)
11/14/15 Home (UNT) /Road (UTEP)
11/15/14 Home (UAB) /Road (ODU)
10/12/13 Road (UTEP) /Home (UNT)
I wonder if Skip would prefer getting bye weeks in the middle of the season a little more often. And if everyone else is going on the road after a bye week 6 out of 7 years then I'm ok with it.