Florida football: Billy Napier says CFP should factor into SEC scheduling decisions.

MIRAMAR BEACH — Florida football coach Billy Napier was non-committal Tuesday on his thoughts on whether the SEC should go to an eight- or nine-game schedule.

But he did share thoughts during the SEC Spring Meetings on what should be the overriding factor in the decision-making process.

 “To me, it’s all about the metric, the College Football Playoff," Napier said. "Is the strength of schedule going to be weighed in a fashion that would benefit the SEC to play nine games?"

The SEC's decision whether to expand to eight or nine league games with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas in 2024 coincides with the CFP's expansion from four to 12 games.

New RB:Florida football: Gators sign JUCO running back transfer

Local 2024 recruit:Florida football: Buchholz HS standout Kendall Jackson discusses upcoming UF visit

Another QB:Florida football: Billy Napier says Gators still want to add scholarship QB

Florida has at least one built-in, Power 5 non-conference game each season, its annual rivalry against Florida State. In 2022, Florida played a second Power 5 non-conference opponent during the regular season, opening at The Swamp against Utah. The Gators will play two Power 5 non-conference opponents again this season with the conclusion of the home-and-home series at Utah on Aug. 31 and, of course, FSU.

Napier said there are some issues as well regarding some SEC teams having traditional in-state rivalry games within the conference (Auburn-Alabama) and others that don't (Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville).

"Going forward, it’s going to be unique in a lot of regards for the SEC," Napier said. "But let’s not forget the most monumental change is going to be what they do with the College Football Playoff. How do these decisions ultimately affect our ability to get into the tournament.” 

Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze echoed those sentiments on Tuesday.

"From a football coach's perspective, the biggest question I would have is: As important as those games are to us, how does the playoff look at it?" Freeze said. "If you're an SEC opponent and you're really quality and you've won a lot of good games, but you dropped two to top teams, or a third one, do you still get in when the playoff expands?"

Florida-Georgia football kickoff time, TV set

CBS revealed its final 2023 SEC broadcast schedule on Tuesday. No surprise - the Florida-Georgia game will once again air at 3:30 p.m. on CBS on Oct. 28.

Napier said he was pleased to see the option on the contract to keep the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville through 2025.

 “We’re excited that the game is going to stay in Jacksonville," Napier said. "The announcement this week, three more years, this is beneficial for both sides of the equation, it’s good for the City of Jacksonville as well and there are some economics that directly affect this decision. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to."

Georgia coach Kirby Smart has been vocal about exploring moving the series to campus sites or another neutral site location, such as Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"There’s advantages to being able to play a home and home, but there’s also advantages to playing the game in Jacksonville," Napier said. "So, I think as we go forward, we’ve got three more years of the current dynamic. We’re going to focus on that.” 

Tampering in college football

Napier was asked about his thoughts on charges of tampering in college football in light of the freedom of movement now afforded in the sport through NIL and the transfer portal.

"This is a cut-throat business," Napier said. "It’s the most competitive, one of the most competitive dynamics that exists. There’s no doubt tampering’s real.

"I do think that the intraconference transfer rule, we got to deal with that, the people in this room today, we’ve got to deal with them one time a year instead of two. But it’s real. It’s an issue, and I think until there’s something done about it, I think that we’ll continue to see it.”