In 2003 we beat a non-power conference Mountain West Utah team that finished ranked at 10-2. Or if you're looking for a power team it was the Big East's 9-3 and ranked Pitt team that we beat on the road in Heinz Field in 2002. So either 22 or 23 years; you pick.

The last three coaching staffs haven't beaten a single meaningful non-conference opponent. They did beat a lot of highly ranked preseason opponents that turned out to be garbage.

Big opportunity to change that at Notre Dame. Although there's a good chance they go 6-6 or worse if we beat them.

I'd love to see us pull it off, but I'm not getting any hopes up.

History says we will lose, and we will lose in embarrassing fashion given that we have the spotlight on national TV.

I will be at the game expecting more heartbreak. I'm tired of being trash talked because we can't win a single damn road game. It's time to be the opposite.

your overlooking the juggernaut that was la tech in 2012

it took literal johnny football to hold them off but that was actually a decent win, although not a name team.

You just doomed ND's season.

I'm guessing this isn't including bowl games

We beat OU in 2012

Such a stupid thread. We have only had about 3 opportunities that would fit the OPs standard in the past 20 years. A 2 point loss to Clemson in 2018 and then 14 point loss in 2019 and then last year versus Notre Dame. We beat Arizona State and UCLA in consecutive years (they were both ranked at the time) but they went on to have poor seasons.

Maybe we're just not that good.

Define good and us beating them probably impacts them being good by whatever measure you have.

Not saying the overall message doesnt check out but we need to at least define how we are measuring and define the field

TAMUallen said:

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Define good and us beating them probably impacts them being good by whatever measure you have.

Not saying the overall message doesnt check out but we need to at least define how we are measuring and define the field

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Ok. A power conference team that finishes above .500. So 7-5 or better. That's not THAT high of a bar.

We've only had 3 opportunities to do that in 22 years (and went 0-3). Maybe we need to schedule better.

From what I see, us beating them only impacts this measure ONCE. That's 2015 6-6 Arizona State could've gone 7-5 if they beat us.

We beat North Carolina in 2021... they were ranked 13 at the time

4.5 years ago

PascalsWager said:

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TAMUallen said:

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Define good and us beating them probably impacts them being good by whatever measure you have.

Not saying the overall message doesnt check out but we need to at least define how we are measuring and define the field

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Ok. A power conference team that finishes above .500. So 7-5 or better. That's not THAT high of a bar.

We've only had 3 opportunities to do that in 22 years (and went 0-3). Maybe we need to schedule better.

From what I see, us beating them only impacts this measure ONCE. That's 2015 6-6 Arizona State could've gone 7-5 if they beat us.

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Still a stupid thread and even dumber premise. The mission is to win a championship not play the hardest schedule. There is no way to know who will and won't have good seasons after you play them in week 1 or 2. No power 5 program worth a darn is gonna schedule a non-conference juggernaut late in the season unless its a historic rivalry. The fact is our schedules have been just fine and we failed to win 3 times against teams that finished in the top 5 the last 20 something years. You know who else did that? Everyone who hasn't played for a national title.

it looks like bowl games are excluded from this discussion

let's not discount the 2016 opening win vs. UCLA -- that was a big game

the Bruins entered ranked #16

QB Josh Rosen was injured and lost for the season in week 6

UCLA collapsed afterward to a losing record

PascalsWager said:

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In 2003 we beat a non-power conference Mountain West Utah team that finished ranked at 10-2. Or if you're looking for a power team it was the Big East's 9-3 and ranked Pitt team that we beat on the road in Heinz Field in 2002. So either 22 or 23 years; you pick.

The last three coaching staffs haven't beaten a single meaningful non-conference opponent. They did beat a lot of highly ranked preseason opponents that turned out to be garbage.

Big opportunity to change that at Notre Dame. Although there's a good chance they go 6-6 or worse if we beat them.

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you are so lost.

PaulsBunions said:

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I'm guessing this isn't including bowl games

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I've been as hard on this program as anyone but the OP is wrong. We have beaten two, exceptionally good Alabama teams among several others

Reread the title…….

Do bowl games count in this non-con metric of goodness?

Aggie Dad 26 said:

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PaulsBunions said:

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I'm guessing this isn't including bowl games

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I've been as hard on this program as anyone but the OP is wrong. We have beaten two, exceptionally good Alabama teams among several others

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Did Alabama leave the conference?

So if we beat ND, they will finish 6-6 to keep the streak alive.

I can live with that.

Thread title clearly states non-con opponent.

Since the 2000 season:

Total Non Con Games(including bowls): 109
Wins: 80
Losses: 29
%: 73%

Bowls: 19
Wins: 8
Losses: 11
% 42%

Our last non-con win against a P5 conference was against Colorado in 2021. We beat NC in a bowl in 2020 and Okie Lite in a bowl in 2019.

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.....

This is the part that needs to be fixed . We are the problem… not the opponents.

Seems like the Manziel Heisman year we beat a good Big 12 cochampion OU team soundly in the Cotton Bowl? Was only a mere 12 seasons ago