Strength of Schedule is OVERRATED 🏈🔥 And Everyone Complaining About SWAC Scheduling Needs to 🤫🤐

The FCS Playoff Reality Check Nobody Wants to Hear

Every single year, the same tired narrative pops up:

"SWAC teams need to schedule tougher opponents."

"Their strength of schedule is weak."

"They'll never get respect until they play real competition."

To everyone pushing this narrative: sit down and take notes.

You clearly don't understand what you're talking about. And I'm about to break down exactly why.

The FCS Playoff Reality Check - SWAC Edition. Read it. Study it. Understand it. (Graphic: SheLovesThee Podcast)

🏈 THE PARADOX NOBODY WANTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE

In the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, "strength of schedule" is often treated like a golden ticket to the playoffs.

But for teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference? That idea falls apart under real-world conditions—competitive AND financial.

Here's what the critics don't understand:

The SWAC doesn't operate like most FCS leagues. Its champion advances to the Celebration Bowl instead of the traditional playoff bracket. That single structural difference changes EVERYTHING.

If you don't win the SWAC Championship, your chances of earning an at-large FCS playoff bid are slim to none.

So loading up a "tough" non-conference schedule? It sounds good—but it doesn't carry the weight people think unless you're stacking wins. And even then, the margin for error is razor thin.

THE PARADOX:

• You need a strong schedule to impress the committee

• But any SWAC loss hurts more than it helps

• And historically, the conference isn't rewarded with at-large bids anyway

One or two losses in conference play can erase EVERYTHING, because those losses come against teams that the selection committee doesn't view as having elite résumés themselves.

It's a rigged game. And the SWAC figured out the cheat code.

💰 THE MONEY DOESN'T LIE

Let's talk about what actually matters: REVENUE.

SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland has been clear about the financial reality. The SWAC model WORKS. (Photo: SWAC)

Games like the Turkey Day Classic, the Bayou Classic, the SWAC Championship, and the Celebration Bowl aren't just traditions—they are MAJOR REVENUE GENERATORS.

Programs like Alabama State, Grambling State, and Southern participate in events that can bring in MILLIONS OF DOLLARS per game through:

• Guaranteed payouts

• Sponsorships

• Ticket sales

• Media exposure

• Television contracts

The Bayou Classic. Since 1974. Broadcast on NBC. A tradition that generates MILLIONS. You can't replicate this. (Photo: Bayou Classic)

That's a completely different economic model than chasing the FCS playoffs.

Here's something critical that people miss: The Bayou Classic and Turkey Day Classic fall OUTSIDE the window for FCS postseason play. That's why Alabama State, Grambling, and Southern are automatically ineligible for the FCS playoffs. It's not a choice—it's structural.

These programs chose guaranteed million-dollar events over the uncertainty of playoff brackets. And the revenue numbers prove they made the right call.

During the 2026 SWAC Golf Championship, Commissioner Charles McClelland revealed that another FCS commissioner told him a team that went deep into the playoffs LOST $750,000 covering travel, lodging, and operational costs.

$750,000. LOST. To MAYBE win a championship.

Meanwhile, SWAC teams are collecting guaranteed checks from bowl games and classic matchups on national television.

Who's really winning here?

📺 THE CELEBRATION BOWL vs. FCS PLAYOFFS: LET'S TALK MONEY AND REALITY

Let's give credit where it's due—the FCS playoff numbers were actually STRONG this year.

The 2025-26 FCS Championship drew 2.3 million viewers—their third-best ever. The playoffs as a whole averaged 1.4 million viewers, up 8% year-over-year. (Source: ESPN Press Room)

The FCS playoff viewership breakdown by round. Strong numbers across the board—especially as the playoffs went deeper. (Source: ESPN Press Room)

Good viewership, right? So what's the problem?

THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE NUMBERS. IT'S THE EXPERIENCE AND THE MONEY.

THE PLAYER EXPERIENCE IS ABYSMAL

If you don't have home field advantage in the FCS playoffs, you're traveling to places like MONTANA in MID-DECEMBER. We're talking SUB-ZERO temperatures. Virtually NO FANS in the stands supporting you. Freezing conditions that no athlete should have to endure.

Meanwhile, the Celebration Bowl is played in ATLANTA. In Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With 70-degree weather. A PACKED house. Prime time on ABC.

Which experience would YOU want for your student-athletes?

THE VIEWERSHIP IS IN JEOPARDY

Here's the looming reality nobody wants to talk about: The College Football Playoff is expanding to potentially 24 TEAMS. (Source: Yahoo Sports)

When that happens, the CFP will dominate even MORE of December and January. More games. More media attention. More prime time slots—ALL at the FBS level.

Those solid FCS playoff numbers? They're in GRAVE JEOPARDY. The expansion will bury FCS viewership as networks prioritize the expanded CFP.

BUT HERE'S THE REAL KICKER: THE MONEY

All those millions of viewers watching the FCS playoffs... and you know how much the schools get back?

NOTHING.

That's right. The FCS playoff generates viewership for ESPN and ABC, but the participating schools don't see meaningful revenue from it. They're spending money on travel, lodging, and operations—often LOSING money to participate.

Now let's talk about the Celebration Bowl:

GUARANTEED $1 MILLION PAYOUT TO BOTH THE MEAC AND SWAC CONFERENCES.

Win or lose. Every single year. GUARANTEED.

The 2024 Cricket Celebration Bowl between SC State and Jackson State drew 2.1 MILLION average viewers on ABC—up 37% from the previous year. And both conferences walked away with GUARANTEED payouts. (Source: Nielsen)

The FCS playoff can have all the viewership in the world—but if the schools aren't seeing that money, what's the point?

The Celebration Bowl model is simple: GUARANTEED REVENUE. PREMIER EXPERIENCE. NATIONAL EXPOSURE.

The FCS playoff model: Great TV numbers. Terrible conditions. Zero payout to schools.

Make it make sense.

⚠️ THE FCS PLAYOFF MODEL IS UNDER THREAT

Even with strong viewership numbers, the FCS playoff system is being squeezed from EVERY direction.

POWER 5 CONFERENCES ARE MOVING TO 9-GAME SCHEDULES

The SEC and other Power 5 conferences are moving towards 9-game conference schedules. (Source: SEC Sports) What does that mean?

FEWER MONEY GAMES FOR FCS TEAMS.

Those $500,000-$1,000,000 paydays that FCS programs depend on for budget? They're disappearing. Power 5 teams will have fewer open dates to schedule FCS opponents.

THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF EXPANSION TO 24 TEAMS

The 12-team College Football Playoff expansion is changing everything—and it's not stopping there. The presidential committee is already pushing for a 24-TEAM FIELD. (Source: Yahoo Sports)

When that happens, more December and January dates get consumed by FBS playoff games. More prime time slots disappear. The FCS playoff—despite its current strong numbers—will be fighting for whatever scraps are left.

Those good viewership numbers? They're in JEOPARDY.

AND STILL NO REVENUE FOR THE SCHOOLS

Even if the FCS playoff survives the CFP expansion, the fundamental problem remains: The schools participating in the FCS playoff don't see meaningful revenue from all those viewers.

The SWAC saw this coming. That's why they built their OWN postseason model—one that guarantees revenue, provides a premier experience for student-athletes, and doesn't depend on the whims of the FCS selection committee or the looming threat of CFP expansion.

🏈 THE FAMU PLAYOFF REALITY CHECK

You want to know what happens when a SWAC team actually GETS an at-large bid?

Southeastern Louisiana. They beat FAMU 38-14 in the 2021 FCS Playoffs. Then lost to James Madison 59-20. That's the playoff reality. (Photo: SLU Athletics)

In 2021, FAMU went through their conference schedule with only ONE loss—to Jackson State, who finished Top 20 nationally. They earned an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs.

What happened?

They traveled to Southeastern Louisiana and lost 38-14.

SLU then got demolished by James Madison 59-20 in the next round.

That's the FCS playoff reality. You fight all season for an at-large bid, travel to someone else's stadium, and get bounced. Meanwhile, you've spent money on travel, lodging, and operations with no guaranteed return.

This illustrates exactly how rare AND how difficult the SWAC at-large path is. You can do everything "right" and still get sent home early.

📢 THE MEAC EXAMPLE: IF IT WERE EASY, THEY'D DO IT EVERY YEAR

Let's talk about the MEAC for a second.

The MEAC CAN make the FCS playoffs because they have the flexibility to schedule more out-of-conference games that help bolster their strength of schedule. Unlike the SWAC, they don't have classic games that fall outside the postseason window.

So if getting an at-large bid were so easy... why doesn't the MEAC do it every year?

In 2023, North Carolina Central lost to Howard. That loss sent Howard to the Celebration Bowl—which actually OPENED the door for NCCU to pursue an at-large playoff bid.

But here's where they dropped the ball: NCCU had a BETTER RECORD than Richmond. They should have had home field advantage. Instead, they traveled to Richmond.

Richmond. They beat NCCU 49-27 in the first round, then lost to UAlbany 41-13. That's the FCS playoff reality for MEAC teams. (Photo: Richmond Athletics)

What happened?

Richmond beat North Carolina Central 49-27 in the first round.

Richmond then lost to UAlbany 41-13 in the second round.

Home field advantage is HUGE in the FCS playoffs. Teams that host win at a significantly higher rate. NCCU had the better record but didn't secure home field—and paid the price.

The MEAC has the scheduling flexibility to chase playoff berths. And yet, at-large bids are still rare and capitalizing on them is even rarer. That tells you everything you need to know about how "easy" this path really is.

💡 THE NICHE IS THE ADVANTAGE

Here's what the critics will never understand:

The MEAC and SWAC are LEADING in terms of FCS conference revenue. And it has EVERYTHING to do with their niche.

🗣️ TO EVERYONE COMPLAINING ABOUT SCHEDULING

You want SWAC teams to schedule games:

• That nobody will attend

• That nobody will watch

• Against programs with no cultural significance

• In stadiums with 5,000 fans

• For TV broadcasts that get 50,000 viewers

...all so they can MAYBE impress a selection committee that historically doesn't reward them anyway?

Meanwhile, you're asking them to give up:

• The Bayou Classic (packed Superdome)

• The SWAC Championship (massive media coverage)

• The Celebration Bowl (millions of viewers)

The math isn't mathing.

🏆 THE SWAC PATH IS CLEAR

So while other conferences are chasing playoff prestige, SWAC programs are making a very real calculation:

GUARANTEED MILLION-DOLLAR EVENTS WITH NATIONAL EXPOSURE

vs.

COSTLY PLAYOFF RUNS WITH UNCERTAIN FINANCIAL RETURN

That's why the idea that "just schedule tougher opponents" will fix everything doesn't hold up. It ignores both the structural reality of the SWAC postseason path AND the financial incentives that drive decision-making.

At the end of the day, SWAC teams aren't simply choosing between easy and hard schedules—they're choosing between two completely different postseason models.

One is built on TRADITION, CULTURE, and GUARANTEED REVENUE.

The other is built on national brackets, at-large bids, and FINANCIAL RISK.

Until those systems align, strength of schedule will remain OVERRATED in this conversation.

🏆 UPDATE: THE 2025 CELEBRATION BOWL JUST PROVED THE POINT

And if you needed MORE proof that the SWAC model is WORKING...

The 2025 Celebration Bowl just dropped the receipts. 📊

The 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl delivered DOUBLE-DIGIT increases on ABC. SC State vs Prairie View A&M drew 2.3 MILLION average viewers—the HIGHEST audience since 2022, peaking at 3.0 MILLION. (Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel)

The game between SC State and Prairie View A&M delivered one of the most THRILLING finishes in bowl game history—a 4-OVERTIME CLASSIC that had the entire nation glued to their screens.

SC State hoisting the 2025 Celebration Bowl trophy after a 4-OT thriller against Prairie View A&M. This is what HBCU football excellence looks like. (Photo: Celebration Bowl)

THE VIEWERSHIP NUMBERS:

• 2.3 MILLION average viewers on ABC

• PEAKED at 3.0 MILLION viewers during the 4-OT thriller

• 12% INCREASE from the previous year

• HIGHEST audience since 2022

Let that sink in. While FCS playoff games struggle to crack 500,000 viewers, the Celebration Bowl is pulling 3 MILLION at its peak.

A 12% year-over-year increase. On ABC. In prime time.

That's not just success—that's GROWTH. That's MOMENTUM. That's proof that the SWAC's decision to build their OWN postseason model was the RIGHT call.

So to everyone still pushing the "strength of schedule" narrative... explain THIS.

🔥 THE BOTTOM LINE

Because in the SWAC, the path is clear:

WIN THE CONFERENCE.

GO TO THE CELEBRATION BOWL.

GET PAID.

That's not weakness. That's not avoiding competition. That's SMART BUSINESS.

So to everyone still questioning the strength of schedule while watching empty stadiums and dying playoff brackets:

The SWAC is laughing all the way to the bank.

Take a seat.

What do YOU think? Is the SOS argument played out? Should the SWAC keep doing what they're doing? Drop your takes below! 👇