For years, the SEC quietly enjoyed a scheduling advantage that few outside the region fully appreciated. While the league played an eight-game conference slate, each team also kept a non-conference matchup, usually against a Group of Five or FCS opponent, tucked away in November. Critics from other conferences rolled their eyes at the SEC’s so-called “late cupcake,” but the truth is simple: nothing stopped those leagues from doing the same. Pride alone kept them from placing non-conference games late in the year, and in hindsight, it was a misguided stance.
The SEC’s November non-conference tradition wasn’t about dodging competition.