If we learned anything last season it’s that strength of schedule matters. Ask Baylor and TCU. Getting the stamp of approval from the college football playoff committee means winning more than just your conference. You need at least one marquee win over another Big Five conference team.
Finding those opponents is proving to be difficult for Auburn and other SEC programs. Last year, league officials mandated that every school play at least one non-conference game from a Big Five program. Since then, Auburn has reached out to numerous schools in the Big 10, PAC 12 and other major conferences trying to fill its calendar.
So far they have failed to land any traditional powers outside the Southeast. While fans would love to welcome Notre Dame, Michigan or UCLA to Jordan-Hare Stadium, for now they have to be content with another round of regional matchups.
Auburn opens with Louisville at the Georgia Dome in September and that’s followed up with a pair of games against Clemson in 2016 and 2017.
Two snoozers with Cal
beginning in 2020 will do nothing to get a fanbase (who’s again faced with rising ticket costs) excited about laying down several thousand dollars for seats.It’s not just an Auburn problem. Every SEC program is faced with the same issue. Can conference members get other programs to commit to home-and-home series that often takes away a home game payday?
Many schools are opting for the one-game neutral site contest like Auburn is doing this season with Louisville. News broke last week that Auburn officials are in early discussions with Florida State to open the 2018 season in Jacksonville.
These high profile games give schools an opportunity to make more tickets available to alumni while bringing in big dollars from television. Florida State reportedly made close to $4 million for its game against Oklahoma State last season at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Alabama has had their own struggles finding opponents. Deals with Miami, Penn State and USC have all reportedly fallen through. The perfect opponent is a named school having a down season. Accomplishing that feat is easier said than done.
It’s not easy to find a named opponent willing to give up a home game to take on a program like Auburn or Alabama’s. Losing gameday revenue and a football game at the same time is not a prescription for keeping your job when your title is athletic director.
The idea of removing the likes of Jacksonville State, San Jose State and Idaho off SEC schools schedules permanently is a pipe dream.
Scheduling one a year is proving more difficult than keeping an Alabama fan away from a flea market on a Saturday morning.
Bring on the Cal Bears!
