Muschamp: Gators Won't Play FCS Teams Anymore

No more FBS vs FCS games in the swamp? Say it ain't so!

Since college football is moving to a four-team playoff, a number of teams will have to abandon playing FCS teams so they can strengthen their schedules.

One of them is Florida. Head coach Will Muschamp is the latest to see the writing on the wall:

I think more anything that [the College Football Playoff] is part of [this decision], and our fan base, as much as anything, wants to see better opponents.

Or maybe he's afraid his team will get their butts kicked again by another FCS team like Georgia Southern.

To say Florida fans were furious would be an understatement.

That game could have cost Muschamp his job, but he got another chance. At this stage of his contract, I'm not sure getting rid of FCS games is a good idea.

I know teams are trying to improve their schedules because of the new playoff format, but if most of them stop playing FCS schools altogether, it would hurt the smaller schools who depend on getting their butts kicked once a year by an FBS opponent so they can raise money for their athletic departments.

Georgia coach Mark Richt agrees.

What I'm learning is if we as BCS teams -- or whatever you want to call us these days -- if we don't have those games with the FCS schools, a lot of them have a very difficult time making their budgets. I think college football is too important at all levels to hurt them by setting criteria that would not allow you to play them.

Also, FCS schools are great homecoming opponents. Just ask Western Carolina, who will be Alabama's 2014 Homecoming opponent.

Only one victory against an FCS team can count in an FBS team's total to be eligible for a bowl. That matters to schools who won't usually be in the running for a playoff berth, but -- like the FCS schools -- the bigger consideration is money.

Most FBS teams want the revenue from that extra home game. They can't all get that game each season if they're playing each other, so they've got to schedule the schools whose teams are willing to travel for a guaranteed payout. So the taps won't totally be turned off.

But now that the FBS schools are approaching an era that's been around for years at the FCS level, it may well be that the smaller-revenue schools are going to have to re-evaluate their budgeting priorities. This may acutally be the most significant development of the new playoff system.

So don't just look for how the Floridas, Alabamas, and Ohio States are going to be affected. The new system will have a far-reachin ripple effect.