Let's compare some teams' resumes....

[Gator]

Have you ever looked into when all that started in the SEC?

I am by no means a Georgia fan, but what I don’t understand is why more conferences don’t put a patsy in the last couple of weeks. Im sure osu would much rather play Akron this week in prep for MICHIGAN, than msu.

To me, the SEC doing games like that later in season is smart football.

For Florida I know how it began. Back in 1990 when Spurrier came back to UF he insisted on some scheduling changes.
#1 put ONE of the TWO bye-weeks between Auburn and Georgia. UF had played them back to back for ever and in the 84 years before Spurrier got to UF Florida had beaten both of them in the same season (I think) three times.

#2 put the SECOND bye-week after FSU and before the CCG game. His reasoning was that IF Florida was to lose ONE of those games it should be the FSU game. He said IF you don't win the SEC you can't win the NC.

In 2003 after Spurrier left the SEC dropped the 2nd "traditional rival" game. That meant that LSU was our only "traditional rival" and Auburn was off the schedule). At that time the 2nd bye-week was moved to the week in front of the FSU game (why?). Then when the NCAA went to 12 games the 2nd bye-week was replaced with the "added" game (which UF decided was now an FCS opponent to simulate a bye-week before the annual FSU game.

 

[Gator]

Sure there are a few exceptions to the rule. But on a large basis, I think the G5 schools would come out on top most of the time against FCS.

According to folks like Sagarin who rate all schools (FBS and FCS) together disagree.
In the latest Sagarin standings ( I picked Sagarin because he has a high opinion of the Big Ten), the are several FCS teams that are rated higher than or similar to some of the Big ten schools
61 North Dakota State AA
68 Rutgers A
69 South Dakota State AA
77 Illinois A
81 Maryland A
83 James Madison AA
85 Indiana A
89 Northwestern A
90 Sam Houston State AA
95 Eastern Washington AA
98 Missouri State AA

There are 31 FCS that are rated higher than Vanderbilt and 78 FCS rated higher than UMass. There are only 65 G5 teams. Thus there are more FCS teams ahead of UMass than there are P5 or G5 teams.