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Florida State Seminoles football might’ve found its 2020 non-conference opponent without doing any extra work.
After Florida and the SEC opted to play a conference-only schedule, despite the ACC allowing for a plus-one model to preserve interconference rivalries, FSU was left to figure out how it would fill in its 11th game.
Tomahawk Nation has through sources learned that the Samford Bulldogs will likely fill that gap and be Florida State’s non-conference matchup for the 2020 season.
Samford and FSU had already a game scheduled for this season, signing a contract in November of 2019 that guaranteed a $450,000 payout for the game, as reported by The Osceola in May.
The information falls in line with reporting Clemson is also keeping its game against a SoCon opponent:
Hearing from SoCon source that all of SoCon teams that had ACC money games, kept them. Citadel @ Clemson, ETSU @ Liberty and Samford @ FSU. Clemson spokesman said he can't confirm
— David Hood (@MDavidHood) August 4, 2020
Fans looking for an exciting bit of news have been pleading for keeping the West Virginia game on the schedule or looking in-state to play UCF or FAU — but given that FSU would be missing out on the bulk of revenue that usually comes with high-profile non-conference matchups (along with all other logistical hurdles), it makes sense the school is opting for an easier matchup that’s fiscally neutral.