South Bound & Down
Fansided

The state of Florida football’s non-conference scheduling

By Nick Knudsen

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: London Johnson #1 of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers looses the ball during the game against the Florida football team at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: London Johnson #1 of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers looses the ball during the game against the Florida football team at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 29: Najee Harris #22 of the Alabama Crimson Tide leaps against Chauncey Manac #17 of the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 29: Najee Harris #22 of the Alabama Crimson Tide leaps against Chauncey Manac #17 of the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Alabama

  • percent of non-conference games played in home state since 1980: 79.5%
  • number of states traveled to since 1980: 14
  • Power Five non-conference games in the playoff era (since 2014): 5
  • Power Five non-conference road games in the playoff era (since 2014): 0
  • number of home-and-home series with different BCS/Power Five opponents (since 1998): 4

Alabama has not played a Power Five non-conference road game since 2011 at Penn State. Since 2012, the Tide have followed the same formula: one neutral site game against a Power Five opponent, followed by two Group of Five teams, and one FCS opponent.

Like the Gators, the formula is stale. The Tide could spare the fan base another Saban lecture by beefing up their non-conference schedule. How great would it be to see Bama take their dynasty into a nasty non-conference road environment like Ohio State, Oregon, or if they chose to not delay the inevitable and traveled to Death Valley to play Clemson in September?

Hopefully, Alabama’s putrid 2019 non-conference slate of Duke (in Atlanta) and three home games against New Mexico State, Southern Miss, and Western Carolina (FCS) will lead to louder calls for a change.

Though the Crimson Tide will continue their neutral site practices, there is some hope on the horizon as they have announced a home-and-home series with Texas in 2022-23 (2022’s game in Austin means Alabama will go eleven years between Power Five non-conference road games) and Notre Dame in 2028-29.

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