TL;DR
- SEC teams often play "cupcake" games against weaker opponents before Rivalry Week for financial and scheduling reasons.
- These games provide significant revenue for FCS schools, with typical payments around $525,000.
- The SEC's upcoming nine-game conference schedule starting in 2025 may reduce the frequency of these matchups.
- While rare, upsets have occurred in these games, such as Florida losing to Georgia Southern in 2013.
Finding major, high-profile games in the SEC this weekend will be difficult. Six SEC teams are scheduled to play games against FCS opponents outside of conference play.
For twenty years, this has been a standard practice for the SEC. Usually, the week preceding Rivalry Week sees SEC teams playing against weaker, non-power conference opponents, frequently referred to as “cupcake” games. While these contests are generally uninspiring, they serve both financial and scheduling purposes.
An examination of the SEC's Week 13 cupcake matchups and the potential for a reduction in such games from next season onward.
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SEC teams face easy opponents now.
Instead of marquee matchups, several seemingly non-exciting games are on the slate, like Samford-Texas A&M, Charlotte-Georgia, and Eastern Illinois-Alabama.
It might appear unusual for numerous SEC teams to compete against non-power conference opponents, but this practice has been ongoing for many years. The NCAA permitted FBS teams to schedule an additional, twelfth regular-season game back in 2005. A number of SEC programs eagerly seized this opportunity to arrange games with opponents from smaller conferences. Since most SEC schools confront some of their most significant rivals the subsequent week during Rivalry Week, “Cupcake Week” serves as both a preparatory match and a readily achievable victory.
Lopsided scores are common in these matchups, as smaller institutions are outmatched in both coaching and player talent. However, these contests are vital for the financial stability of non-power conference schools. The typical guaranteed payment an FCS institution receives for competing against a power conference school is approximately $525,000, which significantly contributes to the athletic department's funding annually.
From The Orlando Sentinel in 2005:
Athletics directors and NCAA leaders like the additional game for three reasons:
This generates income. For major universities, like those in the SEC and ACC, an additional contest results in another home game, which signifies at least an extra $1 million for certain institutions.
Florida reported it would add at least $1.8 million.
Tennessee's figure was nearer to $3 million. For institutions like UCF, the additional date offers a chance to host a team or engage in another guaranteed away game.
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This weekend, which SEC schools will face opponents outside their usual conference lineup?
Here's a look at some of the notable cupcake games for Week 13:
- No. 3 Texas A&M vs. Samford: Noon
- No. 4 Georgia vs. Charlotte: 12:45 p.m.
- No. 10 Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois: 2 p.m.
- Auburn vs. Mercer: 2 p.m.
- South Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina: 4:15 p.m.
- LSU vs. Western Kentucky: 7:45 p.m.
Georgia is heavily favored at home, with Las Vegas setting them as a 43.5-point favorite. LSU is a 21.5 favorite, and South Carolina is a 24.5 favorite. Betting lines are unavailable for the remaining three SEC matchups.
But the good news: there are actually some decent SEC matchups elsewhere.
Oklahoma, ranked eighth, aims to advance its playoff aspirations by hosting 22nd-ranked Missouri at noon. The 14th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores will seek their ninth victory, a feat not achieved since 2013, as they face Kentucky at home at 3:30 p.m.
Arkansas heads to Texas, potentially giving the Longhorns their fourth defeat this season. And finally, No. 20 Tennessee plays Florida in a fierce rivalry match at a packed stadium. The game begins at 7:30 p.m.
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Has a school from the SEC ever dropped a late-season "cupcake" game?
Although it's rare, there have been a few upsets in these November games.
In 2013, Florida lost at home to Georgia Southern 26-20 during Will Muschamp's second season as the head coach in Gainesville. The Eagles' triple-option offense out-gained Florida in total yardage 429-279 while finishing with zero passing yards. The Gators finished with just 157 rushing yards on the day, too. Florida paid the Eagles a cool $550,000 to play the game:
The Citadel defeated South Carolina 23-22 in Columbia in 2015. Citadel's quarterback Dominique Allen threw for only 37 yards, while the Gamecocks managed just 72 rushing yards. That same season saw head coach Steve Spurrier step down midway through, with Shawn Elliott taking over as interim coach. South Carolina concluded the year with a 3-9 record.
It would be quite the surprise if we see one of the SEC teams fall to an FCS team this weekend. FBS teams are 118-4 against FCS opponents with a margin of victory of 34.5 points, according to Sportradar. Power conference teams are also winning those games by an average of 42.7 points.
Could the new 9-game SEC football slate do away with 'cupcake week'?
While not completely, it's probable that fewer will be played starting next season. The SEC will implement a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2025, as previously announced this year. This change reduces the number of chances for teams to schedule FCS opponents. However, FCS commissioners currently feel assured that these games will continue to be played.
“We at the FCS level, and certainly in the Southern Conference, we like these games,” Southern Conference commissioner Michael Cross said this week via The Athletic. “The fan bases at our schools like those opportunities. The athletes and coaches like those competitive opportunities. … I don’t see a lessening of the appetite on the part of our ADs to continue to play these types of games on an annual basis.”
These games are crucial for the financial stability of smaller institutions, meaning they won't disappear completely. However, the introduction of a new nine-game schedule might lead to adjustments in the timing of these matchups.
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