Sure - college football is a business and no business is going to make their work any harder than necessary. But all businesses are subject to all types of unexpected swings in the economy, consumer confidence, competitors, and the "easy wins" and the end result of those swings - good or bad.
Clemson, Alabama and others, are being faulted for their lack of schedule strength when compared to teams like LSU. But is it by design? Did Clemson plan for the entire ACC to have a down year? Did Bama plan their light schedule?
The upside to playing cupcakes is three-fold: A high number in the W column, less chance of injury to your starters (because you can play the 4th and sometimes 3rd quarter with back-ups), and thus your backups get enough reps to step in when actually needed.
The downside is you are plagued with endless Twitter comments about your cupcake schedule, and in today's playoff system you risk getting a lower ranking by a team with less but stronger wins. And that is probably right - the teams that toughed it out against stronger opponents spent more time planning and practicing and took more risks than you did.
A pretty big risk when your fan base / boosters / TV contracts expect championships.
Most teams are locked into mostly conference games but have leeway with their non-conference schedule. That leeway can help or hinder your playoff chances. But you don't know and simply cannot predict how your conference or even your non-conference opponents will be year-to-year. Remember App State over MIchigan? And how many others like that?
Now I'm a fan on big teams playing lesser teams on occasion. Why? It gives the little guy some time on the big stage, it gives the teams with fewer boosters much needed money to improve their facilities, and it gives the fans something to talk about on the rare occasion when the cupcake takes down the big cheese.
If you want to play with the big boys (playoff teams) then schedule accordingly. If you just want wins and a decent bowl then schedule accordingly. It's your business and like any business the payout depends on the calculated risks you take and the amount of real work you put into the game. Remember: It's a game and an easy win really isn't that much fun.
Clemson, Alabama and others, are being faulted for their lack of schedule strength when compared to teams like LSU. But is it by design? Did Clemson plan for the entire ACC to have a down year? Did Bama plan their light schedule?
The upside to playing cupcakes is three-fold: A high number in the W column, less chance of injury to your starters (because you can play the 4th and sometimes 3rd quarter with back-ups), and thus your backups get enough reps to step in when actually needed.The downside is you are plagued with endless Twitter comments about your cupcake schedule, and in today's playoff system you risk getting a lower ranking by a team with less but stronger wins. And that is probably right - the teams that toughed it out against stronger opponents spent more time planning and practicing and took more risks than you did.
A pretty big risk when your fan base / boosters / TV contracts expect championships.
Most teams are locked into mostly conference games but have leeway with their non-conference schedule. That leeway can help or hinder your playoff chances. But you don't know and simply cannot predict how your conference or even your non-conference opponents will be year-to-year. Remember App State over MIchigan? And how many others like that?
Now I'm a fan on big teams playing lesser teams on occasion. Why? It gives the little guy some time on the big stage, it gives the teams with fewer boosters much needed money to improve their facilities, and it gives the fans something to talk about on the rare occasion when the cupcake takes down the big cheese.
If you want to play with the big boys (playoff teams) then schedule accordingly. If you just want wins and a decent bowl then schedule accordingly. It's your business and like any business the payout depends on the calculated risks you take and the amount of real work you put into the game. Remember: It's a game and an easy win really isn't that much fun.