FanHouse

Much has been made of the cupcake scheduling employed by many Division I-A Football Bowl Subdivision teams for the 2007 season.

In fact, we already chronicled the worst schedules in the Big Ten this season. The best games, too.

For those who are too lazy to click, we present a bit of a refresher. We'll also take a look at the strangest non-conference pairings we could find.

Best schedule: Michigan

The Wolverines have allowed themselves a layup, though it's not nearly the layup that a team like, say, The Citadel would be. Michigan opens with two-time Division I-AA Football Championship Subdivision champion Appalachian State. The non-league schedule includes a visit from Pacific Ten power Oregon, a team that beat the Wolverines in Eugene back in 2003. Following that game, Notre Dame visits Ann Arbor, and it's likely the Irish haven't forgotten that little 47-21 thrashing they had put on them last year in South Bend. The other non-conference game is what should be a mid-season pasting of Eastern Michigan. In Big Ten play, the Wolverines don't play Iowa or Indiana. Home dates with Penn State, Purdue, and Ohio State mean that season-ticket holders are likely to get their money's worth this season.

Worst Schedule: Indiana

With all the issues facing IU off the field this season, their Bill Snyder Award is not a high concern. It would be great to see everyone in the Big Ten challenging themselves in non-conference play, but reality is that the mediocre/bad programs are going to schedule some cupcake opponents in hopes of moving closer to bowl eligibility. The Hoosiers do visit Western Michigan, but the MAC isn't what it used to be, so saying that you're playing one of the MAC's better teams just doesn't ring anymore. The Hoosiers also get visits from MAC teams Akron and Ball State, and they open with FCS also-ran Indiana State.

Best Game: Oregon at Michigan, September 8

Not only did Oregon beat Michigan back in 2003, but they may have a comparable team this year. The Ducks bring a top QB in Dennis Dixon, a high-powered offense, an improving defense, and some ugly threads to Ann Arbor. Michigan will have to be on their toes. An upset loss would render the game against Notre Dame the following week practically meaningless. A win over Oregon and a win over Notre Dame, and Michigan should be 10-0 when they roll into Madison on November 10 to play the Badgers. So, yeah, this is a big game.

Weirdest Game: Minnesota at Florida Atlantic, September 15

It appears that the Gophers are going to be used as a smaller school's way of getting their attendance over the NCAA minimum for the season. Oh, and the same thing happened last year when Minnesota played their opener at Kent State. FAU needs to average at least 15,000 per game to meet NCAA standards. FBS schools need to average over 15,000 per game every other year to meet the standard, and FAU didn't even make it to 10,000 last year. This game is at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, which seats over 70,000 (FAU's stadium seats around 20,000). It's too bad, really. Howard Schnellenberger (pictured) has actually done a pretty good job building the FAU program from the ground up, and they could have a Sun Belt contender on their hands this season. It's quite the mysterious trip for Minnesota. Big Ten schools seem kind of above traveling to play at Sun Belt teams. Not only that, but since most of the BCS schools seem intent on having at least seven home games per season, it seems odd that team from the Big Ten would waste that one road trip on such a lowly opponent. Honorable Mention: Penn State at Temple, November 10. at Temple? Huh? Again, why aren't you playing Pittsburgh, JoePa?