Building the perfect schedule is important but not easy. (Insider: College Football).

In college football, the schedule is the thing. In fact, scheduling is more important in college football than in any other, sport. Why? Because there s no season-ending playoff to erase regular-season missteps. So it's vital to know how to build the perfect slate.

With more than half its schedule committed to conference games, a school usually has three non-conference slots to fill (there are four this year and next because the NCAA is allowing 12 games due to a calendar quirk) and should follow this path:

Schedule one "A" team. This should be a top-30 program the team might or might not be able to beat. Regardless, it figures to be an attractive matchup for TV.

Schedule one "B" team. This should be a mid-major-type program that ideally won't demand a return date. The team should be able to handle this foe.

Schedule one "C" team. This should be a lower-level I-A program or even a I-AA foe looking for a payday. This should be an easy win.

It's a simple setup, but colleges complicate the process by scheduling nonconference games far in advance. No one knows how good his team or his opponent will be in four, five or six years--or more--so why take chances and commit to games so many tomorrows away?

The problem is that schools like to lock up attractive opponents. Long after you and I are gone, schools such as Nebraska, Penn State, Texas and Michigan likely still will be strong programs and good drawing cards.