The Art & Strategy of Scheduling: How Athletic Directors Build Pathways to Success

Scheduling is one of the most misunderstood responsibilities of a Director of Athletics—and yet it is one of the most powerful levers for competitive success, athlete development, and institutional momentum. Over the course of my career, especially at low-resource institutions working to compete against programs with much greater budgets, I’ve learned that scheduling is not just a clerical task. It is strategic architecture.

Great scheduling accelerates development. Poor scheduling sets a program back for years.

When I build a schedule, several philosophies guide my decisions:

1. Develop Student-Athletes Through Structured Competitive Growth

Young teams need confidence. Veteran teams need challenges. Elite teams need national opportunities. Scheduling must align with where a program actually is, not where people wish it were. The right opponents develop athletes, create momentum, and build belief.

2. Balance Revenue With Competitive Integrity

Guarantee games matter, especially at low-resource institutions where budgets must stretch much further. But I learned early that chasing revenue without regard to player welfare or program trajectory is a mistake. You must find a middle ground—earning revenue while still building a pathway for competitive progress.

3. Build Relationships That Open Doors

I have always believed that the relationships ADs build with peers, conferences, and event organizers can change the entire trajectory of a program. Strong relationships lead to better events, better paydays, and better opportunities for national visibility.

4. Schedule for Postseason Positioning

Strength of schedule, quality wins, national exposure—these matter deeply. A season should be built backward from postseason objectives. Strategy beats randomness every time.

5. Protect Your Coaches and Athletes

Scheduling is not about pleasing everyone. It’s about aligning competitive growth with wellbeing. As an AD, part of my role is shielding coaches from unnecessary pressure while still giving them the tools to elevate their programs.

Strategic scheduling does far more than fill dates. Done well, it shapes identity, builds resilience, supports student-athletes, and opens doors that money alone can’t buy.