SEC beefing up schedules, moving away from early cupcakes

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference is moving away from early season cupcakes. It’s been years in the making and probably long overdue. The powerhouse league still has a few teams lagging in the scheduling department, seemingly not quite ready to go all in for competitive reasons. But beefing up schedules is clearly on the horizon for everyone, especially once the SEC adds Oklahoma and Texas. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin says “you can’t just open the gates and give people a 12-inch piece of wood to sit on anymore.” Stricklin called the shift in philosophy “market driven,” pointing to fans, players and television partners wanting better matchups on a weekly basis.