We’re heading down the home stretch in what’s been a great college football season, and this is what we have to look forward to on Saturday:

  • Charleston Southern at Alabama
  • Florida Atlantic at Florida
  • Georgia Southern at Georgia
  • Idaho at Auburn
  • The Citadel at South Carolina
  • Charlotte at Kentucky

Really? Why? In good conscience, is there any real reason to watch even five minutes of these games? They should all be noncompetitive routs, with quality SEC teams running roughshod over far inferior opponents. Check the score real quick 15 minutes in and then go play golf, or take a date to dinner and a movie.

Anything but watch what should be rotten college football.

I know why it’s done, because all these SEC teams have huge rivalry games next weekend to close out the regular season. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Cupcakes should be in early and mid-September, not the middle of November. I can live with Ole Miss winning 76-3 and 73-21 in early September, or Florida winning 61-13 and Tennessee rolling 55-10 in the first few weeks. It gets the kinks out early and gives everyone a chance to play.

But not in November. These six are treating this like a glorified bye week.

It’s just a personal preference, but I think the last three weeks should be reserved for top-level games. I question the logic of ”meaningless” games in what should be the most important time of the season. Those end-of-year rivalry games are never going away, and that’s fine. But what about these whitewashes? Is it really good for the brand? Should the SEC do something about it?

It’s doubtful they ever will. Ask a South Carolina fan what’s the most important game on their schedule and 95 percent of them will say state-rival Clemson. None of their eight SEC games even come close, with the possible exception of Georgia. Kentucky probably makes the same argument with Louisville. Georgia and Florida want to be ready for their rivals, too.

I get all that. But we do have four conference games this week – including some good ones like LSU-Ole Miss and Arkansas-Mississippi State – so it certainly can be done. And don’t tell me that you have to take it easy a week before the big game.

You don’t. And I have proof.

Let’s take Florida for example. The Gators, proud members of the SEC who hope to win a conference championship every year, end their regular season with Florida State. That’s about as good as it gets from a “We Hate You” – “No, We Hate You More” rivalry. Each game is vicious and players from both teams spend lots of time in the training room for a few days afterward. The stakes are always high too, as evidenced from the six combined national championships since 1993.

But for the Gators, many times the SEC Championship Game comes a week later. How much does playing Florida State the week before hurt them?

The answer, surprisingly, is not at all. For instance, in the Gators’ first seven appearances in the SEC title game, they had played great Florida State teams the week before. Florida was 1-5-1 in those games, and took some beatings. But in the SEC games that followed, Florida was 5-2. In all SEC title games, Florida is 7-3 after playing FSU.

My point? You can play big games without having to play a cupcake the week before. You can even play an opponent that’s worth watching, one that might at least have a chance of being competitive, one that’s worth laying down hard-earned money to watch.

That’s not what we have now. And it’s too bad.

It’s still a college football Saturday, with nice tailgates, some cooler weather and a good reason to get out. Been there, done that, many times. College football Saturdays are great, anytime and anywhere.

But this should be primetime. We should at least have a quality product to watch. Reaching for FCS teams like Charleston Southern and The Citadel isn’t necessary. Pre-planned 70-7 outcomes shouldn’t be the norm.

Come on SEC, you can do better.