yellow bellied varmints

After the NCAA approved a 12 game schedule for the football playin' time the Pac 10 Conference went ahead and made everybody play everybody in conference. Meanwhile, the Big Ten was left twiddling around with it's collective thingy, with teams for the most part using the schedule expansion as an opportunity to add another cupcake team to their schedule. Bearing that in mind the Rustbelt staff is fully aware of the fact that another cupcake to any big schoo'sl sked. will not be making or breaking their season in BCS standings or what have you. That said we just feel that.. you know the teams could've manned up a bit as opposed to say, adding Buffalo to the schedule. With that in mind the staff of Rustbelt would like to offer a breakdown of the teams that have been added and a general looksy at the non-conference schedules.



Very likely the culprit behind scheduling UW Madison's candy ass non-Big Ten schedule


"Wuss"consin

The guiltiest party regarding soft-as baby's ass-scheduling (for this season) could very well be UW. Not only do they face Bowling Green in Cleveland. [Weird contract obligation for determining game's location. Thanks to savvy BG Athletic Department telling UW, "You can kick our ass, but we want to be smacked around in downtown Cleveland. Look, this is as close as some our boys will get to playing at the next level."-Ed.]
The Falcon's starting qb and convenient scapegoat for what will most likely be a 'rebuilding' season with the departure of Omar Jacobs, Anthony Turner, has been suspended for the season opener against the Badgers. So, yes, more than likely the Badgers will be undefeated following this one.
Following the clash in Cleveland, Wisco faces off with the always dangerous and perenially D-IAA, Western Illinois University and the marginally more talented and alma mater of Marshall Faulk, San Diego State the week following with both games in Madison.
Now a few years ago (2002) UW barely defeated the talented directional University in Illinois (NIU, if you're keeping score at home) could this happen again? Not bloody likely. In spite of their Marine based moniker-Leathernecks-WIU has a snowball's chance to beat UW. Seems as though Barry, Brett and the boys learned their lesson after getting burned by the U of Cincy in '99, Fresno State in '01, UNLV in '03 and countless close calls, U of Cincy in '00 and NIU in '02 for starters to fuck around with mid majors that might embarass the Cardinal and White.

Remember that in 2001 Fresno State was not regarded as the giant slayers of mid-conferences that they are nowadays. No, this was still pre-Pat Hill going all Scarecrow on the coaching staffs across the country. So in some respects UW has reason to be afraid of those non-conference games. However, the question will always remain: Really you had to schedule Buffalo? I mean why not just Syracuse or some school with a degree of modest acclaim that's in a downspell? Shit, why not have some balls and schedule the U of Miami or a team from another power conference.

Pat Hill is inside your head, are you listening Les Miles?