Big Ten coach takes shot at SEC scheduling: ‘The NFL doesn’t play the CFL in the middle of the season’
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The SEC and Big Ten don’t see eye to eye on scheduling. The difference in the SEC’s 8-game conference vs the Big Ten’s 9 conference games has been a key issue in trying to figure out the College Football Playoff format for the 2026 season and beyond. On Wednesday, one B1G coach took aim at another aspect of the SEC schedule.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, a Florida alum and former graduate assistant under Steve Spurrier, appeared to call out SEC teams for scheduling FCS opponents late in the season.
“The NFL doesn’t play the CFL in the middle of the season,” Fisch said, per Reddit /r/CFB.
Washington’s Jedd Fisch has strong opinions on scheduling, and what he sees as issues with those in the SEC: “The NFL doesn’t play the CFL in the middle of the season.” pic.twitter.com/WAeZqmf252
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) July 23, 2025
Frustration with Cupcake Week in the SEC is nothing new. While SEC teams play difficult schedules, including many Power 4 opponents early in the season, those outside the SEC community have complained about SEC teams picking up easy victories during weeks that the College Football Playoff selection committee is issuing rankings.
As it’s frequently pointed out, Big Ten teams do play FCS squads, often in the earliest weeks of the season. Fisch’s UW team will host UC Davis from the FCS in Week 2. The Huskies also play Colorado State and Washington State to round out their nonconference schedule.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
