SEC football coaches split over FCS scheduling

DESTIN, Fla. – SEC powerhouses drumming lowly FCS programs may be coming to an end for at least some programs.

Florida coach Will Muschamp was one of several of the conference's football coaches who said his program will look to no longer schedule FCS programs.

"We are probably going to move forward without playing FCS opponents," Muschamp said before the opening session of the SEC Spring Meetings at the Sandestin Hilton on Tuesday.

The Gators play Eastern Kentucky from the FCS this fall but do not have another FCS opponent scheduled.

Bret Bielema said Arkansas is trying to avoid such games "if it's possible."

The concern is such lopsided contests will be held against the strength of schedule of SEC teams in the upcoming College Football Playoff, though there is no clear indicator of by how much.

"We haven't talked specifically about FCS," College Football Playoff chairman Bill Hancock said of the selection committee.

The Big Ten will no longer schedule such games in an effort to further boost its league's strength of schedule, which includes a nine-conference conference slate.

There are several SEC coaches who would still like to play the near-guaranteed victories.

"I believe it's best for us to continue doing that," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. "Me coming up through the route of smaller school ball to get to this point, I know the value that it adds to those programs, so I've always try to look at that aspect of it also. … Our plan is to continue to do that."

Alabama coach Nick Saban, who was the lone voice in support of a nine-game conference schedule and has advocated for power conference teams to only play each other, said he has had a hard time scheduling games with quality opponents.

"There's only certain teams, to be honest with you, you almost have to buy games to get people to play you," Saban said. "Outside of the neutral site game we do and our conference games, we struggle to schedule three other games.

"We try not to do it now, but sometimes it's all that we have left to schedule so we can get 12 games. It's not by choice that we want to do it. …. So no, we don't want to play those types of teams. Sometimes we don't have a choice."

Georgia's Mark Richt and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier both expressed support for playing FCS programs as a means of supporting lower levels of college football, particularly at programs in their respective states.

"If we don't have those games with the FCS schools, a lot of them have a very difficult time making their budgets," Richt said. "I think college football is too important at all levels to hurt them by setting criteria that will not allow you to play them."

There may or may not be a decision on the issue by the end of the week as far as the conference is concerned.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive said the coaches did not discuss FCS scheduling with him on Tuesday.

"We have no probation against it, that's an institutional decision," Slive said. "I'm in favor of making sure that our strength of schedule is as good as it can be and as we enter into a new era … We don't have any plans to tell them (to stop scheduling against FCS teams)."

Basketball tourney going to St. Louis, Tampa: The SEC men's basketball tournament will be held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis in 2018 and the Tampa Bay Times Forum in 2022, Slive announced Tuesday.

The two years were the only open years through 2025 when the event won't be held in Nashville, Tennessee, and were widely expected.

"Right now it makes some sense for us to commit, and Tampa's a great scene for us in terms of the facility, in terms of the environment," Slive said.

18-game hoops slate with three permanents: Slive said the conference's athletic directors have decided to continue to play an 18-game basketball schedule and move from one permanent opponent to three.

"One of those three permanents will be the existing permanent and the two others will be decided over the next several months, Slive said.