After months of speculation and alterations, Ohio announced its 2006 football schedule on Saturday.
The Bobcats' fall slate features road games against teams from the Big East, the Big XII and the Big Ten. Their season opens Sept. 2, with Tennessee-Martin visiting Peden Stadium.
Athletics director Kirby Hocutt touted the schedule as a collaborative effort that allows Ohio to achieve several goals.
(Coach) Frank (Solich) and I have spent a lot of time talking about our football schedule
Hocutt said, and we have two main criteria as we make scheduling decisions: First and foremost we are focused and committed to assembling a balanced non-conference schedule that is going to allow our team to compete for the Mid-American Conference championship; and second we are focused on creating scheduling agreements that are of current market value that financially benefit our athletics department.
While operating during what Hocutt called financially stressful times
Ohio's scheduling strategies offer significant fiscal benefits. The 2006 schedule provides the athletics department with 480 percent more guaranteed revenue than last season. In addition, the Illinois game allows for the completion of the Peden Tower project, and the Rutgers game will bring in enough funds to renovate the team's locker room and weight room.
Along with the financial side of scheduling, cooperation with the MAC gave the Bobcats the opportunity to restructure some contracts and line up more lucrative contests.
Our conference did take an active and constructive role in assisting us as well as other institutions in the MAC to transition our schedules to a place we feel comfortable with
Hocutt said. It resulted in more conference involvement in the non-conference piece of our schedule than ever before.
For the second year in a row, the Bobcats' schedule was not released until April, mainly because Ohio and the MAC needed time to switch around some contracts, including those with Utah, Illinois and Rutgers, as well as Virginia Tech, which was renegotiated to further benefit Ohio.
Hocutt also said the holdup was due to the addition of a 12th game to the schedule and Temple's role in the conference. Temple, which will become a full-fledged member of the MAC next season, needed six games scheduled against conference teams.
The delay also prompted several rumors about the Bobcats' non-conference opponents, especially after Boston College's schedule listed a game against Ohio.
There was never extensive conversation with Ohio University about (the Boston College) game
Hocutt said. It was a game that we never agreed to.
Hocutt attributed the misunderstanding to the conversations that Boston College had with the MAC regarding possible opponents and said that no contract was made with the Eagles.
Other modifications include Ohio's two-year, home-and-home deal with Louisiana-Lafayette. The series was supposed to begin this season but has temporarily been pushed back. Hocutt said he would like the Bobcats and Ragin' Cajuns to meet in 2007.
While currently just one game ' the Nov. 16 contest with Akron ' is set to be televised, Hocutt mentioned the Missouri, Bowling Green, Buffalo and Miami games as possibilities for additional TV coverage.
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