power program. We haven't been invited to a P5 conference, so until we are (if ever), we need to grow the program. We can only do that through scheduling good teams. These good teams have negotiating leverage against us, because we need their games far worse than they need ours. So, we end up traveling away first, and get return trips later. And we have to mix in the occasional 2-1 or neutral game.

So, yes, next year, we play our toughest games on the road. We're likely to lose most of those games. Our home slate is a lot better than you give credit for - those are some of the best G5 teams. The home schedule is certainly better than we would have in any G5 conference. And, there's still a home game yet to be announced, and it sounds like it will be a good game - maybe even a P5 opponent. Anyway, tough schedule. But it's what we need to do as a program. There's no way around playing many of these P5 games on the road. However, we will be rewarded with some occasional very good home schedules. And, as time goes by, things will even out a lot more, as evidenced by the P5 games already scheduled in the future.

Basically, the only way to avoid these lopsided schedules for now is to not schedule many P5 opponents. That is, give up on the idea that we can build our schedules into something representative of a power program. Essentially, it would mean admitting that we can't cut it in independence, and go back to scheduling like a G5 team. Might as well join a G5 conference at that point.