While the ACC and SEC’s new rule requiring that members play at least one non-conference game against a power-five team seems like progress, it overlooks another major issue with schedule equality—games with FCS foes.
Before dictating which level of the FBS power programs draw a single non-league game from, wouldn’t it make sense to first require that all out-of-conference games be played against FBS teams?
According to an AP report via USA Today, Nick Saban advocates that the entire regular season be played against power fives, indirectly supporting the end of FBS versus FCS games.
If it was totally up to me, I’d say you’ve got to play all 12 games in the Big 5…If we did that, I think we would be less averse to playing more conference games because I think we have such a great conference.
In 2014, only 23 of the 128 FBS teams—or 18 percent—won’t play an opponent from the FCS.
Of the 23, only seven are power-five members. That means that 89 percent of power-five teams draw an FCS team this season. It’s intriguing that there are no ACC or SEC members on this list.
Here’s a look at this year’s non-FCS honor roll, only three have a long-term commitment to an all-FBS schedule.
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Louisiana Tech, at Tulsa, Tennessee
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Florida A&M in 2012 (69-13 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: North Texas, BYU and UCLA (at Arlington, Texas)
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Sam Houston State in 2006 (56-3 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at UCF (Dublin, Ireland), Akron, UMass, Temple
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Indiana State in 2011 (41-7 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: UNLV, at UTSA, Nevada
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Northern Arizona in 2013 (35-0 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Colorado State (at Denver, Colo.), at UMass, Hawaii
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Charleston Southern in 2013 (43-10 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Virginia, Memphis, Texas (at Arlington, Texas)
Most Recent FCS Opponent: San Diego Navy in 1954 (67-0 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Fresno State, at Boston College, Notre Dame
Most Recent FCS Opponent: San Diego Navy in 1952 (20-6 win)
Non-ACC Games in 2014: Rice, Michigan, Purdue (at Indianapolis, Ind.), Stanford, Navy (at Landover, Md.), at Arizona State, Northwestern, at USC
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Carnegie Mellon in 1941 (16-0 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Toledo, Miami (Ohio), at Ohio State, at Miami (Fla.)
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Northwestern State in 2013 (66-9 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Baylor, at North Texas, Texas A&M, TCU
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Montana State in 2013 (31-30 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Oklahoma, at Florida Atlantic, Texas State, at Colorado State
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Nicholls State in 2012 (66-16 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Nebraska, at Alabama, Tulsa, at Wyoming
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Wagner in 2012 (7-3 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Bowling Green, at Illinois, at Navy, Army
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Morgan State in 2013 (58-17 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Notre Dame, at Texas A&M, Hawaii, at Army
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Nicholls State in 2007 (16-14 loss)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at New Mexico, Texas Tech, New Mexico State, at Kansas State
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Stony Brook in 2011 (31-24 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Houston, Arizona, at Oklahoma State, New Mexico
Most Recent FCS Opponent: McNeese State in 2012 (31-24 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: South Alabama, at Ohio State, at Virginia, Army
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Liberty in 2013 (17-10 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Boston College, Colorado, at Vanderbilt, at Penn State
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Maine in 2013 (24-14 loss)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Ole Miss (at Atlanta, Ga.), at UConn, UL Lafayette, BYU
Most Recent FCS Opponent: UT-Martin in 2013 (63-14 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: UTEP, Arizona State, at New Mexico State, at UTSA
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Southern in 2012 (66-21 win)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Florida, Western Michigan, at Ohio, at San Diego State
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Old Dominion in 2013 (59-38 loss)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: at Kent State, Mississippi State, at South Carolina, Navy
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Southern Utah in 2013 (22-21 loss)
Non-Conference Games in 2014: Wake Forest, at LSU, at Kentucky, at Texas A&M
Most Recent FCS Opponent: Grambling State in 2013 (48-10 win)
View Comments (39)
The 12th game was added to the schedule as a way to get money for the FCS programs. Many fans had the FCS games but they are the reason that schools can have 7 home games. In fact without FCS games many schools in the Group of 5 conferences would only have 5 home games. It is all an issue of money - and FCS games create extra money for everyone involved.
Wow someone is talking logically about scheduling, thank you Woodman.
Exactly. Money money money. FCS teams get $500K for playing ACC/SEC, and then the ACC/SEC schools rake in $1-3 million in tickets, concessions, merchandise, TV, etc.
Shouldn't you at some point note how the Big 10 is banning any members from playing FCS schools after this season? Don't all 14 members now have a long term commitment to not playing FCS schools? Not even that, but why isn't Ohio State on this list? They don't play any FCS schools this year?
Barry Alvarez said the Big Ten would stop scheduling FCS teams, but since the Illinois scheduled Western Illinois for 2018.
The Big Ten backed down from that statement. They never banned anything, only said teams should stop scheduling FCS teams. But as Kasey mentioned, they are still adding FCS teams if they desire.
the lower level teams is the ACC, AAC, and B10 are just as bad as many FCS, SunBelt or MAC teams
Also Ohio State and Michigan should be on this list for this year.
i think that if you play in a tough conference then you have the right to play 1 FCS opponent as long as you also play a tough non-conference game!
Old Dominion was an FBS team last season. Officially an FBS Independent. So Idaho's last FCS game was vs Eastern Washington in 2012
They were, but they were FCS for scheduling purposes. They counted as an FCS opponent for any FBS team that played them.
ODU, Appalachian State, and Georgia Southern were in the first year of their FCS-FBS transition, which means they were officially FCS last year and will be FBS this year.
I live in idaho and get the "privilege" of reading,watching, or hearing about Idaho, Boise St, and Idaho St. All of Idaho's sports programs dropped back to the big sky with Idaho St. Except the football team. They are a joke and probably half of the fcs schools could beat them. They need to take a lesson from the other sports and quite trying to play with the big boys.
Frankly, there will be no notabke improvement in attendance if Generic Power Five team hosts Generic MAC/Sun Belt/C-USA team instead of some in-state or regional FCS team. The problem happens when there is an FCS team AND a lower-level MAC school AND a cellar-dwelling AAC school. Then, it just gets ridiculous.
Honestly, it is completely disingenuous to.suggest that the appearance of an FCS team on a school's home schedule automatically makes that schedule weaker than a school that doesn't have one. Penn State's toughest non-conference game is in Dublin against UCF, which was otherwise supposed to be a true road game in Orlando. Its other games are Akron of the MAC, AAC bottome-feeder Temple, and a terrible UMass team. But hey, none of those are FCS, so the Nittany Lions should be commended, right? Meanwhile FSU has one FCS team at home, but also plays Oklahoma State in Arlington and Notre Dame and Florida in Tallahassee.
Good points. Schedules should definitely be measured as a whole.
FYI- Temple might not be as bad as you think. Yes they have been poor and have had a terrible past...caveat they have a qb who will cause team problems in PJ Walker. He was a freshman last year. You will see on opening night against Vandy. He will cause them trouble.
What the difference a year makes. TEMPLE undefeated going into their game against Notre dame !
You should be allowed to play FCS teams as long as it doesn't count towards a team's record. For example, if a team plays beats an FCS team and finishes 6-6, they shouldn't go to a bowl game. (example: Pitt beat ODU and finished 6-6; 5-6 vs FBS teams)
However, if a team loses to an FCS team (like Oregon St did to EWU) and finishes 6-6, they should be able to go to a bowl game since they were 6-5 in games vs FBS teams. EWU also finished #3 in FCS last year.
What about the fact that many of the FCS teams are BETTER than many teams from the non power 5 conferences? Teams like North Dakota State, Eastern Washington, South Dakota State (to name the best of FCS) are more difficult teams to bean than New Mexico State, Hawaii, and the directional Michigan schools.
I think that the level of difficulty when it comes to FCS teams should be considered as well. Just ask Kansas State, Oregon State, Minnesota, Colorado State, Kansas, UConn, and Pitt to name a few of the FBS teams that got beat by FCS teams recently.
They are not better than CMU, who finished 6-6 last season - but including SDSU? C'mon, there are plenty of better FCS schools.
don't confuse the coyotes with the SDSU Jackrabbits.
Let the big schools play a scrimmage in August against a FCS school and pay them well for it. Then require all 12 games for FBS teams to be against FBS opponents. Hell it might also make the FCS schools schedules better overall. Remember FCS schools are penalized for playing down in that the game does not count towards making the playoffs. Lets penalize FBS schools the same way. I would like to see better regional FCS games between FCS conferences. I laugh every year when people are trying to get rid of the FCS game tickets against Clemson and South Carolina and no one wants them. Lets get rid of the gimme game on the schedule.
A resume for a team from a power conference with playoff aspirations should look something like this, 10 games against other power conference teams, 1 game against a reasonable non-power conference team (like Boise, BYU, N. Illinois, Cincinnati, etc), and 1 glorified exhibition game against a lower-level regional school (Oregon-Portland St, Ohio St-Youngstown, etc).
The real danger is Saban's desire to destroy college football at any university that is not in his Big 5.