Southeastern Conference officials voted to eliminate late-season non-conference matchups, commonly referred to as “cupcake” games, starting in 2027.
SEC schools will now exclusively play conference games during the season’s penultimate week, replacing the practice many programs have adopted of scheduling lower-level opponents before rivalry week — something the Gators have not done in almost a decade.
The shift comes as the SEC moves towards a nine-game conference slate beginning this year. Commissioner Greg Sankey stated the ruling was tied more to scheduling structure than critical practices. Hosting inferior teams at the start and near the end of the year has become tradition for many Power Four institutions.
Sankey made light of the development, stating, “That’s the end of cupcake weekend, we never got that one sponsored, though.”
Florida and rival SEC programs will now see tougher late-season competition with fewer chances to rest. In the past, these de facto recovery weeks helped teams seeking a reprieve from the demands of the conference fixture as they slanted focus towards College Football Playoff positioning.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: SEC rids college football schedule of late-season ‘cupcake’ games
Reporting by Michael Long, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
