BCS Schools Dipping into Division I FBC Ranks Unnecessary

With nothing more than a casual glance at the schedules, you will notice Division FCS (I-AA) teams peppered across many, if not most of the schedules of FBS (I-A) programs. At the same time, year after year, FBS teams are finding it difficult to find enough teams to complete their regular season schedule.

Why do these FBS schools find it necessary to step down in class when there are other FBS teams looking for schools to play? 

Ohio State scheduled Youngstown State this season. Now if ever there was a mismatch, this would be it; however, Jim Tressel used to be the head coach at Youngstown State, so there is your reason in that case, but a past relationship isn't usually the case.  Sometimes, there just aren't good reasons.

There were 51 games scheduled between BCS teams—supposedly the cream of the college football crop—and FCS teams. Thirty-six more games were scheduled between non-BCS FBS teams and FCS schools. With only 12 regular season games on your schedule, why are these teams finding it necessary to do this?

The short answer? It's a win and, in virtually all cases, it's a home game win. Teams are so hungry for that sometimes elusive six-win season that makes a school bowl eligible that they are now dipping into the FCS ranks to get it.   

Florida State opened its season with two home games against FCS programs, yet not a mid-major team is to be found on the Seminole's schedule. Georgia Tech did the same thing. Two FCS teams, zero mid-majors.

In fact, the Atlantic Coast Conference scheduled 14 games this season against FCS programs. While they had the most, they certainly weren't alone. Below lists the number of games against FCS teams, by conference.

(*Western Kentucky, which moves up to FBS in 2009, is included among the Sun Belt conference numbers for this example)

ACC: 14

Big 12:10

Big 10: 9

SEC: 9

Mid-American: 8

Big East: 7

Mountain West: 7

Western Athletic: 7

Conference USA: 7

Sun Belt: 5

Pac-10: 2

Independents: 2

Mid-majors are clamoring that they can't get the Majors to play them in a home and home or even two-for-one series so they are forced into the FCS ranks to complete their schedules.  I would also argue teams are also doing this to puff up their overall records, even at the expense of their strength of schedule.

All of this begs the question; Should games against Division FCS programs count toward bowl eligibility?  No. Stick a large asterisk next to the school's record that schedules a game(s) against one of these teams and don't count the win toward bowl eligibility. Should a FBS team lose to a FCS team—a la Michigan vs. Appalachian State—count it. Double jeopardy, if you will. 

There is intense pressure and competition at the end of the season with teams striving to earn a prized spot in a BCS Bowl game. It would be criminal if a team were passed over in favor of another team with a better record achieved by playing FCS opponents, thus artificially puffing up their record.

If it means mid-majors need to be willing to go on the road more often than not (and they do), so be it.  If it means the majors need to leave their palaces to go on the road to play a mid once in a while (and they do), they should do so. There is a lot of quality football being played in the FCS ranks and this by no means is intended as an insult to those teams, but with 120 teams in FBS football, there just isn't a need to go there.