Vic taking some heat from espn on his early schedule...

[99jc]

ESPN Which Top 25 coach will most regret her or his soft schedule?
Hays: Vic Schaefer and Mississippi State welcomed more than 7,500 fans for each of the team's first two games, so everyone in Starkville seems pretty content with the current arrangement. But with so many new faces or familiar faces in expanded roles -- and with so many of its big SEC games on the road -- opening with Southern Miss, Tennessee Martin, Murray State, Troy and Jackson State doesn't serve this team's development all that well. Put another way, I don't really think of Schaefer as someone inclined to coddle people. But here we are.

I don't have a problem with this schedule he is trying to figure out a rotation.

[Dawg2003]

It's a terrible schedule, but you can argue it both ways. A program of our caliber should play a better schedule, and bad teams don't expose your weaknesses the same way good ones do. But I do understand he's trying to figure out a rotation.
IMO, the problem is the sub 100 RPI teams. We are playing too many teams that are in the 200 and 300 RPI level.

[msbulldog]

In Schaefer we trust!

[NCMSTFAN]

It's hard to question anything Shaefer does. And we played really good competition this summer representing USA. We will be just fine, he is one coach I believe in 100%

[StigsMcQueen]

It's a terrible schedule, but you can argue it both ways. A program of our caliber should play a better schedule, and bad teams don't expose your weaknesses the same way good ones do. But I do understand he's trying to figure out a rotation.
IMO, the problem is the sub 100 RPI teams. We are playing too many teams that are in the 200 and 300 RPI level.

Agreed that it should be stronger. However, thus far this season:

- Missouri State beat Minnesota
- Hampton beat Alabama
- USF beat Texas
- Harvard beat Cal
- Navy beat Clemson
- Rider beat Penn State
- UNC-Greensboro beat Wake Forest
- Holy Cross beat Boston College
- Missouri State beat Oklahoma

I realize that some of the above are not the strongest Power Five schools and some have brand new coaches, but it still feels like a lot of upsets.

Thus, if Vic wants to be a little cautionary with having so many newcomers and bring up the difficulty level more gradually, I guess that's understandable.

[Dawg2003]

I don't really have a problem with it either. Kim Mulkey has been criticized for her soft schedules, and she has 2 national championships.

[NCMSTFAN]

We still have Marquette, west Virginia and South Florida from power schools, plus Texas A&M and South Carolina. We will be fine

[R2Dawg]

Our schedule is fine; we play in SEC. I don't recall ESPN giving UConn grief over their soft schedule all these years beating opp by 80 every night. Yes they played some top out of conf but their schedule is always a joke.

[Dawg2003]

Actually, UConn always has a high SOS because they play a hard OOC schedule. Also, the SEC was the worst P5 conference last year. I think it could be worse this year. A lot of bad teams in the SEC.

[crackerjax]

We play at Marquette soon, and they were one bucket away from making the Sweet Sixteen last season. Also going to be playing Stanford in a tourney in a couple weeks. So there are opportunities to get some nice non-conference wins, and hopefully we will have a more established rotation and chemistry by the time those roll around. Wish we could set up a home and home with Baylor, or continue the series against Oregon.

[munk_munk92]

There are 5 teams ranked in top 25 and about to be 6 when Tenn gets ranked. 3 are top 10. The sec is still tough and it's getting better.

[R2Dawg]

Actually, UConn always has a high SOS because they play a hard OOC schedule. Also, the SEC was the worst P5 conference last year. I think it could be worse this year. A lot of bad teams in the SEC.

Yes I noted their OOC handful of tough games but outside of a handful showcase games, they win by 60 every night; it is a joke. SEC is not easy. UT just beat NotreDame. Who does Baylor have to play in conference?