No more FCS for Florida?
Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp has admitted that the team may be looking to avoid playing against FCS opponents in the years to come.
During last week’s SEC spring meetings, Muschamp said: “I don't feel any different pressure at all. We didn’t have a good year and it was very unfortunate in what happened, but I have complete confidence in where we are heading.”
The comments came amidst the new changes to the playoff system. Schedule strength will undoubtedly have a huge effect on the College Football Playoff season, and though this has not eluded Muschamp, he maintains that his decision is about more than just looking good on paper.
“I think more anything that the College Football Playoff is part of it, and our fan base, as much as anything, want to see better opponents,” he added on Tuesday.
“Feeling real good”
At present there are no rules in the SEC which go against scheduling FCS opponents. Many schools take the decision however to boost strength of schedule for the individual program. Muschamp was confident about his decision, stating on Tuesday: “I feel real good about our football team heading into the fall.”
Muschamp had the backing of the Gators’ former boss and mentor Nick Saban, who expressed his support for the coach at the SEC meeting. “I think he'll do really, really well. Will is a fantastic competitor. He's a really mature guy. He doesn't let things bother him a lot when it comes to focusing on what needs to get done to have a good football team.
“They're doing a really good job of recruiting, so they're adding new talent and other players that can probably contribute in a positive way.”
A Miami match?
The Florida Gators coach also hinted at the possibility of a neutral-site game against Miami. The boys will be needing all the practice they can get in preparation for next season – after a poor performance last season when they were defeated at home by Georgia Southern, they have been trying everything they can to up their game, include training online. With a mix of physical training and mental activities like pure platinum slots, they could be in for a very promising performance next season.
At present the Gators have one FCS opponent scheduled for next season. They will host Eastern Kentucky on November 22 and travel to Tallahassee on November 29 to battle it out against their long term rivals Florida State.
