Independents included in non-conference scheduling rule, MSU adds BYU

The SEC is mandating its member schools schedule at least one fellow Power 5 conference opponent on their non-conference schedules, and Thursday ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported the pool of teams from which SEC schools can choose has been expanded.

SEC will now count games vs. independents #BYU, #Army, ND toward its Power 5 nonleague requirement sources told @ESPN

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 19, 2015

It didn’t take the SEC schools long to respond. McMurphy reported less than an hour later that Mississippi State has scheduled a home-and-home series with BYU beginning in 2016.

Mississippi State, BYU agree to home/home series; 2016 at BYU, 2017 at MSU sources told @ESPN

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 19, 2015

For what it’s worth, Notre Dame and BYU both finished 8-5 last season, whereas Army finished the season 4-8 and posted its ninth losing season in the last 10 years.