3 reasons so-called ‘cupcake games’ are good for college football

Many like to knock games between Power Five and Group of Five or FCS teams as cupcake games. Here is why cupcakes are actually good for college football.

Whenever Power Five schools announce opponents for future non-conference games, those scheduling decisions are scrutinized deeply. The decisions are especially nitpicked when a Power Five schools schedules a Group of Five or FCS opponent.

Out come the cries for conferences to restrict their members to scheduling only Power Five opponents. The College Football Playoff era is theoretically designed to allow the selection committee the flexibility to reward or punish schedule strength. Then again, we are often left to wonder about whether perception matches reality when discussing schedules across conferences.

Part of the beauty of college football, though, is the disparate goals and designs of its regular season across a multitude of divisions and subdivisions and conferences. Different goals foster different scheduling needs. And, unlike college basketball, the opportunity for an upset usually transpires in the regular season rather than the postseason.

Instead of getting upset about so-called cupcake games, let’s embrace these games for the opportunities they provide. Without them, college sports would coalesce even more into a game of haves and have-nots.

As such, cupcake games are good for college football and are what keep it separated from the NFL and other professional leagues. Here are three reasons why cupcakes are just what the doctor ordered.