This is as inaccurate as anything Cowherd has said. Show me an easy ND schedule in the past 15 years. Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, USC, Pittsburgh every year with frequent games against the likes of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Tennesee, Alabama and Penn St. What would the avg Iowa teams record be against any ND schedule in the past 15 years?
Up until 4 years ago, Iowa played Michigan, Mich St., OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, and Minnesota almost every year for like 15 years(DECADES more, minus PSU), with frequent games against the likes of Nebraska, Arizona State, Mizzou, and Miami. The 25 year schedule between ND and any big ten team is a wash, as ND played so many big ten games that it was assumed that they'd join the conference.
The funny thing about his argument is that he holds some teams up as automatic powers that just aren't -- Oregon was a doormat. Bama, until the Sabin resurgence, hasn't been nationally relevant since the seventies. The SEC was owned by Florida and Tennessee for ages, it seems like, and Florida wasn't Florida till the 80's and 90's. Texas hasn't been the suoerteam other than the year they won with VY.
The entire SEC has played 3 games north of the Madon-Dixon line in like 15 years. USC hasn't scheduled a non-con tougher than ND since year they played OSU at home in like 2004.
Teams stopped doing it when they added conference championship games.
Also, I believe Mizzou backed out of a home and home for two years that left us playing UNI.
The thing is, he's right. There are fewer non-bowl power 5 matchups. Because there are more conference games, and home games make more money, and there's enough parity now that teams are afraid of a possible loss.
Every team is a poser. This year, Iowa's schedule was supposed to be bad because we didn't play the blue bloods of the east. But the west has dominated the cross division games this year. The sos will continue to adjust favorably for Iowa as the year rolls on because of the parity in the Big that wasn't supposed to be there.
I'd love to see more games against big name teams in general. But being in a tough conference and the top half of the scheduled in the country is fine with me too, because a lot of years the sledding Will be tougher - as it will be easier for others, too.