Gophers coach Tracy Claeys would accept Bret Bielema’s challenge.
Bielema, the former Wisconsin and current Arkansas coach, suggested a Big Ten vs. SEC Challenge on future schedules, which is similar to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on basketball schedules.
“Yeah, I really would” be interested, Claeys said Thursday on KFXN-FM.
Bielema’s concept would have the 14 teams ranked in both conferences in preseason. Then teams would play the other league’s school that mirrors them in the rankings.
Claeys said he would take it a step further and try to set up a rotation between the Power Five conferences, but he acknowledges that the odd number of conferences would impinge seamless scheduling.
For instance, the Big Ten plays the SEC one year, the ACC the next and so on.
While Claeys was in favor of playing the big boys, he also wants to carve out games against Football Championship Subdivision teams, formerly Division I-AA.
“If they wipe that out, you are going to eliminate a lot of football programs that don’t have the money to do that themselves,” Claeys said. “I think there should be one game on the schedule to do that. That is for the good of the game.”
Claeys was defensive coordinator at FCS’ Southern Illinois from 2001-07, under retired coach Jerry Kill.
The Big Ten announced scheduling guidelines in July that ween off games against FCS foes and strongly suggest games against Power Five schools. The move is to better position the Big Ten in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee.
The Gophers 2016 non conference schedule includes three home games: Oregon State of the Pacific 12 Conference on Sept. 1; Indiana State, an FCS school, on Sept. 10 and Colorado State of the Mountain West on Sept. 24. They have an open date on Sept. 17.
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