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College football needs to scrap typically terrible Week 12 schedule

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Last week, college football fans were treated to a plethora of fantastic November games, including three matchups between top-10 teams. This week's schedule feels more like glorified scrimmages.

No. 1 Alabama decimated Mercer 56-0, Clemson destroyed The Citadel 61-3, and Florida State was dominating Delaware State so badly at the half that they decided to play 10-minute quarters the rest of the way. This week is quickly becoming an unofficial exhibition week, with teams scheduling easy wins.

The SEC is making a habit of scheduling weak opponents, as, in addition to Mercer, the Crimson Tide have played Chattanooga, Charleston Southern, and Western Carolina during this week in recent years, with other conference members doing the same.

It's a huge letdown for fans before rivalry week and the conference title games to watch largely noncompetitive football all Saturday. College football is going into the heart of its season, and playing these games at this stage makes little sense.

What would make sense is scheduling better nonconference games in Week 12. It's understandable TV networks would want many of those games earlier in the year to jump-start ratings, but there are certainly benefits to saving a few for this typically boring week. Think about the intrigue of an Auburn-Clemson or Ohio State-Oklahoma State matchup at this point of the year.

Those games would have all sorts of playoff implications, and would be must-see TV. Instead, we're watching multiple top-five teams take on FCS teams.

In mid-November, fans are hungry to watch quality football and meaningful matchups, and the schedule never lives up to expectations. It's time for that to change.

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