Staples: Why colleges schedule marquee football games so far in the future

Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich will be 78 years old when the Tigers pay off the deal they made this summer to play at Oklahoma on Sept. 13, 2036. He’s pretty sure he won’t still be running Clemson’s athletic department when that day arrives. “First of all,” Radakovich says, “I hope I’m breathing.”

A scheduling spree this offseason by a group of blue-chip college programs has filled the future slate with some exciting matchups.