Group of 5 and FCS schools usually schedule their payment games at the beginning of the year, most likely to get a typically lopsided loss out of the way before beginning conference play.

UAB, however, is doing things a bit differently.

The Blazers travel to face Texas A&M on Saturday, and coach Bill Clark went on The Paul Finebaum Show to explain why he prefers facing a power conference opponent toward the end of the year.

“I said when we came in, I will play one money game a year,” said Clark, whose team is in position to win Conference USA. “And I like it at the end of the year. I think it gives our kids a little something to shoot for. We saw it a little bit yesterday at practice, just the excitement of our guys (for) the challenge.  We’ve got a lot of Texas kids, and this is a big deal to them.”

UAB also gets to vie for an upset with a ton of momentum, having lost its only game in the second week of the season. Yet Clark clarified that the Blazers have a ton of respect for the Aggies, especially playing in College Station on Senior Night.

The Blazers pulled a similar move last season, in which they returned from a two-year hiatus, by scheduling a game at Florida in the second-to-last week of the season.

Texas A&M (6-4) hosts UAB (9-1) at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.