I am excited for the schedule, that doesnt change the need for a conference. What happened when we lost our first game this year? I know you will bring up injuries, but what about the year before or the year before that? We lose at all and there is nothing to play for. Utah loses a few games and are still in the running(not really but hypothetically) for the PAC South and possibel rose bowl berth. We lost our first game and all bets were off. You might say, "Boise State lost 2 games this year and still got into a NY6 game." They are also in a conference. You might also say, "Notre Dame is not in a conference and they still have plenty to play for after a loss" While this may be true, we are not Notre Dame, we don't have the reputation or the recruits. And, if Notre Dame loses four games, they don't have much to play for either. You will also notice they are aligning with a confrerence.
I love the future schedule, but we need a conference.