Of course I'm going to see the Gators. But, there's a line. Once we remove all our Division I opponents and schedule only FBS schools, Woody, and me, and maybe a few others will be the only fans left to watch. And, we'll have to go to the games to see them play. We won't be on TV any longer.
I'm all for making the schedule tougher. That is what attracts good players and fans. Yes, some fans are only fair weather fans, but they do pay for tickets, memorabilia, etc. That's what provides the money to pay for the whole program.
Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI
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From: gatornews@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatornews@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Woody Bass
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 7:02 PM
To: WXIA
Subject: [gatornews] Are you going to games to watch the Gators, or who they play? | The Other Team
ARE YOU GOING TO GAMES TO WATCH THE GATORS, OR WHO THEY PLAY?
The SEC Spring Meetings are underway in Destin, Florida where lots of unexpected news has come out including SEC teams scheduling of FCS opponents. SEC scheduling has been a hot topic for several months now especially with the conference deciding to stick with an 8 team conference schedule and play 1 team from the other four power conferences.
Will Muschamp, head coach of the Florida Gators, announced that he is on board with not scheduling an FCS opponent in the future:
"We've talked about upping our nonconference schedule," Muschamp said. "My opinion [on] what everybody else does doesn't matter. We're probably going to move forward without playing FCS opponents."
Florida has already made inroads on scheduling higher profile teams like Miami (last season), and Michigan at Jerry World in 2017. Muschamp and Foley both have acknowledged that they would like to schedule Miami again, however, it must be at a neutral site.
Not all of his SEC coaching brethren are on board with this notion including Saban, Richt and Freeze.
Jesse Palmer, former UF QB and ESPN and SEC Network college football analyst, says "the SEC should do away with FCS competition as a compromise for not scheduling 9 conference games in a 14 team league." Palmer went on to include that fans don't want to see these matchups and players don't want to play that level of competition.
I will agree, playing FCS teams usually are quite boring, lopsided and uneventful. I will also agree, that seeing the Gators play top teams would be more exciting, fun and nerve wrecking.
But when I really think about it, it really doesn't matter much to me who the Gators are playing. Being in The Swamp and see the Gators play a game is really all I need and care about. Playing better teams would just be the icing on the cake, but I don't need that week in and week out. I don't go to The Swamp to see who they are playing against… I go to see the Gators play.
How much of a Gator fan are you if WHO they play matters THAT much? It is not like the Gators play an FCS opponent every other week.
UF AD, Jeremy Foley, admits scheduling opponents is not as easy as it would seem:
While games against lower-division competition hurt a team's strength of schedule and lack fan appeal, Foley said those games have been necessary ever since the NCAA expanded the college football schedule to 12 games prior to the 2006 season.
"I understand what Will's saying: In a perfect world, you play all D-I schools," Foley said on Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin. "But also you have to have 12 opponents. But he has the right to weigh in and give that opinion. We'll certainly work through that together."
Here is the current Gator Schedule for 2014:
8/30 – Idaho
9/6 – Eastern Michigan (SEC Network / 4pm)
9/13 – Kentucky (SEC Network / 4pm)
9/20 – @Alabama
10/4 – @Tennessee
10/11 – LSU
10/18 – Missouri
11/1 – UGAly (CBS / 3:30pm / Jacksonville, Fl)
11/8 – @Vanderbilt
11/15 – South Carolina
11/22 – Eastern Kentucky
11/29 – @Florida State
Eastern Kentucky is the only FCS opponent on the Gators 2014 schedule. While it would be nice to see a team like UCLA, Texas, or Nebraska in place of Idaho to kick off the season, I am not that bothered (nor, admittedly, that excited) by Eastern Kentucky. I also, do not think, with the schedule of opponents that Florida plays year in and year out that it will hurt their strength of schedule that much in the new (and unneeded) playoff system.
Do you really go to games to watch your Gators, or their opponent?
Woody (via iPhone)
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