To me, non-con scheduling is about giving yourself a chance to win. I look at it just as much from a matchup PoV, as I do RPI. I prefer to have 10 games against teams that will post better than a 100 RPI. Maybe toss in a few "rivalry" games with some WIS friends, who might have sub-100 RPI teams. But never more than 3.
Even if I'm in a rebuilding year, I keep this same philosophy. But I factor in the type of team that I'm playing and whether or not I think I have a legit chance at beating them. There are certain "types" of teams I prefer to play and some that I avoid. (read: superclass) You can really help boost your own RPI by knowing what kind of team you're successful against and taking advantage of your team's ability.