Big Ten officials have agreed to stop scheduling FCS football teams (Football Championship Series) for nonconference college football games. The change is expected to take effect before the 2016 season with a number of FCS football games already scheduled through the 2014-15 seasons.
FCS football teams or Division 1-AA schools have been a part of large school schedules for years. Unless you’re the Michigan Wolverines playing Appalachian State, a FCS football school is most likely a guaranteed win to help make a football schedule incredibly easier. With the current BCS format, a cushy schedule provides a smoother road to a BCS bowl for the automatic qualifier conference teams. However, the future format paints a different picture.
The 2014 season takes on a new final four format for the national championship. This means the conference champion of a big conference is no longer guaranteed a spot in the final four. Strength of schedule will matter much more; FCS opponents won’t get a team to the final four.
Give the Big Ten credit for having the sense to realize that the key to having a team in the final four to compete with the SEC; they need a team that can prove they belong.
On another note, The Big Ten released this statement yesterday:
The Big Ten Football Coaches and Athletic Directors met today in Park Ridge for a regularly scheduled meeting and subsequently issued the following statement with regard to pending NCAA DI legislation impacting college football:
We reviewed the 26 Rules Working Group proposals acted upon by the NCAA Board of Directors in January, some of which will become effective as early as July 1, 2013. While we applaud the work that has been done to date, we are very concerned that the timeline proposed for implementation of the proposals does not allow sufficient time for the Football Recruiting Subcommittee of the NCAA Leadership Council to thoughtfully consider the impact of the proposals.
We are specifically concerned with the following three proposals and ask that they be tabled along with Proposal 13-2:
We have serious concerns whether these proposals, as currently written, are in the best interest of high school student-athletes, their families and their coaches. We are also concerned about the adverse effect they would have on college coaches, administrators and university resources.
We look forward to working with the NCAA toward improving the game, the recruiting process and the overall college football experience for all student-athletes.