Auburn football: How should you feel about scheduling in-state FCS opponent?

The Auburn football team plays Alabama State, an-instate team that plays in the Football Championship Series, and the question has to be asked: Should Auburn play an FCS team?

There are a lot of moving parts to non-conference scheduling. All SEC teams have to schedule at least one Power 5 team. Auburn has that covered through 2028.

So that leaves eight SEC games every year and at least one Power 5 team. Every SEC team has to find three more non-conference teams to play every season.

That’s not always an easy thing.

Many people think Power 5 teams shouldn’t play FCS opponents. There are points to be made on either side of that discussion.

Auburn committed to play every FCS team inside the state of Alabama from 2012 to 2018.

• Auburn defeated Alabama A&M, 51-7, in 2012.
• Auburn defeated Samford, 31-7, in 2014.
• Auburn beat Jacksonville State, 27-20 in overtime, in 2015.
• Auburn defeated Alabama A&M, 55-0, in 2016.

And now the Tigers will play the Hornets to full their commitment. Auburn also has scheduled Samford again in 2019, Alabama A&M in 2020 and Alabama State in 2021.

So what are the negatives to playing Alabama State (or any FCS team) for Auburn?

1. It’s a no-win situation for Auburn. The Tigers are expected to win and win big. Anything less will be viewed in a negative way. And in a near worst-case scenario, you lose the game or nearly lose it like Auburn did against Jacksonville State three seasons ago.
2. Auburn never wants a player to get hurt, but what if a key player (or multiple players) are injured in a game that Auburn wins big? That’s not a good thing. People will ask: Why is Auburn even playing that team?
3. Because the Power 5 school wants to rest as many starters as possible and get inexperienced players field time in the second half, the emphasis early is to score a lot of points. No team wants to look like a bully. But with the way everyone dissects wins and losses these days, not winning by enough points can be a bad thing. And that’s not healthy for either team.

What are the positives?

1. By making the in-state commitment, Auburn is doing a good thing for Alabama State. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, ASU is receiving $515,000 for the game which is nearly what it spent on recruiting in 2013-14.
2. Look at the Auburn football schedule this season. Three games against top-10 teams and possibly a fourth if LSU climbs high enough before the game Sept. 15 in Auburn. Georgia is the recurring opponent every season from the SEC East. Playing a lighter opponent helps lessen the grind of a 12-game season. And what if that season stretches to 13 or 14 or 15 games if you reach the College Football Playoff? One game against an FCS team won’t be such a bad thing now, will it?
3. With the new redshirt rule, the game against Alabama State is a great opportunity for freshmen to play in a game when they might not have been able to in the past. Plus, it gives Auburn a chance to work on things (like the running game) that they identified as improvement areas from the previous week.
4. And the obvious: Auburn should win this game. Check out our predictions.

So there you have it. Some good, some bad and some in-between.

From a fan’s perspective, it’s more attractive to play Washington, UCLA, Clemson, Oregon or Penn State. They’re great for TV, great for tailgating, great for road trips.

But that’s not always the greatest thing for a football team.

When you sit in the stands at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday or tune in on TV, you’ll likely see patches of empty seats. Alabama State isn’t the draw that LSU will be next week or even Southern Miss later this month.

It’s OK to not be a fan of the cupcake on the schedule. It’s also OK to enjoy that an in-state team gets the experience of playing in one of college football’s best stadiums and its athletic department benefits.

It’s also OK to want to move quickly past this game and prepare for LSU.