2015-2016 Schedule

Home Non-Con RPIs:

Iowa: 9
Hampton: 108
Southern: 229
N. Arizona: 267
Alcorn: 317
New Orleans: 300
Pine-Bluff: 338

Away(Neutral) RPIs:

Duke: 15
Drake: 105
UNI: 135
Texas State: 149
Idaho: 190

Average: 180
 
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Home Non-Con RPIs:

Iowa: 9
Hampton: 108
Southern: 229
N. Arizona: 267
Alcorn: 317
New Orleans: 300
Pine-Bluff: 338

Away(Neutral) RPIs:

Duke: 15
Drake: 105
UNI: 135
Texas State: 149
Idaho: 190

Average: 180

Frankly this shouldn't matter. There should only be one RPI number the selection committee looks at. If a team plays a 30 RPI and another team a 60 RPI schedule should it really matter that one team played most of their strength in their conference and the other team played most of their strength out of conference? The point is how strong was the overall schedule and how did they do against it?
 
It's the annual "whine about the schedule." I completely agree with Velo. If we were an elite program like UConn or Tennessee that consistently gets top 10 recruits then I would expect a tougher schedule.
 
It's the annual "whine about the schedule." I completely agree with Velo. If we were an elite program like UConn or Tennessee that consistently gets top 10 recruits then I would expect a tougher schedule.

And the typical "We are not good" so we do not need a good schedule response.
 
We can get revenge on that school whose name shall not be spoken so there is that.

But, on a serious note I appreciate the efforts Coach Johnson makes to actually elevate the volleyball program and challenge her program in NC. Like WBB, the Big 12 volleyball is not exactly loaded with ranked teams.

The WBB, even with improved recruiting, seems content to be a Top 40 team, make the NCAA each year and nip at the fringe of the Top 25. It's not a bad status quo but it is just that, status quo.
 
We can get revenge on that school whose name shall not be spoken so there is that.

But, on a serious note I appreciate the efforts Coach Johnson makes to actually elevate the volleyball program and challenge her program in NC. Like WBB, the Big 12 volleyball is not exactly loaded with ranked teams.

The WBB, even with improved recruiting, seems content to be a Top 40 team, make the NCAA each year and nip at the fringe of the Top 25. It's not a bad status quo but it is just that, status quo.

Dead on. Exactly how I feel.

Weren't we supposed to be doing a Sec/big 12 challenge? Or is it an off year for us....
 
But, on a serious note I appreciate the efforts Coach Johnson makes to actually elevate the volleyball program and challenge her program in NC. Like WBB, the Big 12 volleyball is not exactly loaded with ranked teams.

Both coaches are doing what's necessary to game the NCAA system. In WBB, you need wins and RPI. For ISU, the wins come in non-conference play, and the conference schedule brings the RPI number up. In VB, the committee is still heavily dependent on RPI for selection, and less so on number of wins. Because the Big 12 isn't as strong, CJL loads up the non-con with high-RPI teams to boost that number, and then hope that it is maintained as the season progresses.
 
Both coaches are doing what's necessary to game the NCAA system. In WBB, you need wins and RPI. For ISU, the wins come in non-conference play, and the conference schedule brings the RPI number up. In VB, the committee is still heavily dependent on RPI for selection, and less so on number of wins. Because the Big 12 isn't as strong, CJL loads up the non-con with high-RPI teams to boost that number, and then hope that it is maintained as the season progresses.

This. It's pretty much that simple.

What WBB will need to adapt to is any big decline in the strength of the Big XII. Last year, there was quite a bit of criticism nationally of teams with weak non-con schedules, including a couple in the Big XII. If enough Big XII teams fall off in quality, then the non-con will need to be bolstered.
 
I am an opposing voice here. I like the easy non conference schedule. Every year we have players and personalities leave the team and a new crop comes in. The easy schedule early gives this year's team a chance to jell before they hit the meat grinder that is the Big 12 conference. Iowa and Duke are good teams and will give this new squad tough games to prepare and to grow. I am more worried about the lack of verbals for 2016 then I am about a weaker schedule. Can't wait to see what this team has got in the tank.
 
This is supposed to be entertaining and blow outs are not.

Can't wait to leave at half time for almost every non-con game when we are up 45 to 15. Better yet, stay home and put a puzzle together, do some yoga, write a poem.

Why go to the blow out scrimmages? Every fall I say that I will not renew season tickets to watch blow outs, just buy at the games that are competitive, but I give in every summer. What a sucker!
 
This is supposed to be entertaining and blow outs are not.

Can't wait to leave at half time for almost every non-con game when we are up 45 to 15. Better yet, stay home and put a puzzle together, do some yoga, write a poem.

Why go to the blow out scrimmages? Every fall I say that I will not renew season tickets to watch blow outs, just buy at the games that are competitive, but I give in every summer. What a sucker!

Just curious but do you also renew because of the people that you sit next to? In my area none of us knew each other until BB and now I look forward to catching up with everyone at the beginning of the season. I mean BB is the real reason I renew, but it's always fun seeing everyone again.
 
This is supposed to be entertaining and blow outs are not.

Can't wait to leave at half time for almost every non-con game when we are up 45 to 15. Better yet, stay home and put a puzzle together, do some yoga, write a poem.

Why go to the blow out scrimmages? Every fall I say that I will not renew season tickets to watch blow outs, just buy at the games that are competitive, but I give in every summer. What a sucker!

I live too far away for season tickees. My SOP is Cyclone.tv, pie and wine. Lots of pie and wine. :smile:
 
The thing that most of us are missing is that there is probably a story behind each of these schools on the schedule. Of course, the in-state schools are givens. Others aren't just random schools pulled out of a hat. Bill and our staff may have connections with their staff, and it's a way to maintain them. Some of these connections may even help in recruiting at times. Most likely, the teams selected play various styles of ball that coach wants to play against in preparation for the conference season or postseason.

As fans, we may want more marquee match-ups. But realistically, once you count the in-state games, a great team like Duke, and a couple of strong mid-majors, that's pretty steady competition throughout the non-con.
 
The thing that most of us are missing is that there is probably a story behind each of these schools on the schedule. Of course, the in-state schools are givens. Others aren't just random schools pulled out of a hat. Bill and our staff may have connections with their staff, and it's a way to maintain them. Some of these connections may even help in recruiting at times. Most likely, the teams selected play various styles of ball that coach wants to play against in preparation for the conference season or postseason.

Every year at coach's monthly lunch session (will it resume this year?) BF is asked about the schedule. Every year, he says he wishes they could schedule more difficult games pre-conference, but people don't want to take on Hilton Magic. Which is understandable. Which then means, do you pay teams, do we take less than a home-away equal situation? People complain, but they never put forward a solution that understands the situation at all.
 
Every year at coach's monthly lunch session (will it resume this year?) BF is asked about the schedule. Every year, he says he wishes they could schedule more difficult games pre-conference, but people don't want to take on Hilton Magic. Which is understandable. Which then means, do you pay teams, do we take less than a home-away equal situation? People complain, but they never put forward a solution that understands the situation at all.

This isn't entirely true, and we have discussed this before. BF has turned down several elite team requests to play in Hilton. He has turned down both Tara and Geno most recently that we know of. A loss to either of these schools wouldn't hurt the RPI.

There are also several top mid major schools that would kill to play at Hilton, that are desperate to play D1 schools of name, but are probably not worth the RPI risk of a loss to ISU.

A lot of other teams are able to stack their non-con, I just think that BF is a numbers person and is very calculating in the RPI game. If the Big 12 has a down year, or continues to get a lot of criticism for its non-con as it did last year, his strategy will need to change.

My biggest problems with the weak non-con is one, the fans deserve at least one "exciting" team or celebrity coach to see as reward for their support, and 2, when the Big 12 gets here, the level of the game has been a bit of a shock for the players. I also have to think that for the players, it has to be hard to get motivated to play some of these games.