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Paul Chryst espouses value of huge non-conference football games
By Andrew Kulha
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It’s pretty common for big-time college football programs to schedule “cupcake” games in the beginning of the season in order to help their team “warm up” and pick up a few easy wins to start the year.
Of course, sometimes those games don’t work out all that well. Just ask the Michigan Wolverines. Even more recent, ask Purdue or Northwestern.
Other times, though, the games end as expected. They’re tune-up games, and we saw a handful of those this past weekend in Big Ten Football. Michigan beat Western Michigan by a huge margin, Wisconsin flew by New Mexico and Penn State destroyed Pitt.
Every now and then the college football gods will bestow upon us a huge college football game or two to start the season, though, and that’s a practice that has been more common with TV ratings skyrocketing when out-of-conference powers play each other to start the season.
We saw Michigan take on Notre Dame to start the season in a marquee matchup. It was a game the Wolverines ultimately lost, but it was a big spot none the less and wins in those situations can lead to some major College Football Playoff potentail.
That’s something Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst recently alluded to in the Big Ten’s weekly coaches’ teleconference. Per Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press, Chryst seems to know the value of those big football games to start the season.
“They’re hard to get,” Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst said. “When you do get those chances for big nonconference games, I think they’re great for our players. If you’re going to be a team that’s in the national picture, playing those games is good.”
Even more important than a tune-up game is a major moment that your players have the opportunity to step into, which can be extremely valueable experience for later on in the season when the chips are really done.
Ironically, Wisconsin has started the season with Western Kentucky and New Mexico and this weekend the Badgers will play 1-1 BYU at home.
Andrew covers the B1G on Saturday Tradition.