Alabama and Virginia Tech will get together on Labor Day weekend. USC visits Ohio State on September 12. But that's about it in 2009. Big-time intersectional matchups just don't happen as often as they used to. What happened? How does scheduling work? ESPN.com will look at the issue all week.

Monday

• Pat Forde: Behind schedule
  Scheduling big-time nonconference games has gone the way of the wishbone. Don't look for that troubling trend to end anytime soon.

Tuesday

• Ivan Maisel: Scheduling 101
  Scheduling is neither art nor science, but the formula is in place. The trick is putting everything in the correct order.
• Chat wrap: Ivan Maisel
• Chat wrap: Pat Forde

Wednesday

• Mark Schlabach: Nonconference scheduling
  Which teams are taking the nonconference hard road this season? Which ones have a soft landing?
• Rank 'em: Hardest | Easiest
• Video: Nonconference Scheduling
  ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Big East
  Notre Dame/Others | Pac-10 | SEC

Thursday

• Ivan Maisel: Fantasy football
  Penn State vs. Virginia Tech or USC vs. Florida sound good? They aren't on any real '09 schedule, but they both made our fantasy list.
• Bloggers: Dream matchups
• Chat wrap: Bloggers

Friday

• Mark Schlabach: Conference Challenge
  What if conference challenges expanded from hoops to the gridiron? How would leagues fare?
• Video: Mythical Conference Challenge
  ACC vs. Big East | ACC vs. SEC
  Big 12 vs. SEC | Big Ten vs. Big 12
  Big Ten vs. Pac-10 | Pac-10 vs. SEC
  Mountain West vs. Big East