I schedule my feedings for a variety of reasons. It made potty training easier, as it regulates their systems. They eat, then five minutes later, they potty. Pups are remarkably consistent this way. Also, I have two, so if I just left food down I wouldn't have realized that Lucy wasn't eating very well a few weeks ago. So it helps you monitor how much or how little each pup is eating, which could help you to realize more quickly if there's a problem (in my case, there wasn't; her daddy was just sneaking her treats under the table, and she was being a little snot about her food - but I was able to catch them, lol). Another reason I schedule is because Lila would be a little porker if I didn't, lol! I call her my Chubba-Lou (her middle name/nickname is Lou) because she absolutely LOVES to eat! She's not fat, because I've always controlled her food intake very strictly... But if I didn't, I have no doubt she'd weigh around 8 lbs instead of 5, which would be EXTREMELY unhealthy for my baby. There are sooo many overweight dogs nowadays, and it is just as unhealthy for a dog to carry around excess weight as it is for a human (in fact, it's usually more so).
Those are my main reasons for scheduling my babies feedings... I do know plenty of people who free feed, but i can't say that I completely agree with it... Although if it works for them, who am I to judge.
But I honestly believe that it's the better choice, at least for my girls and I.