These first few weeks of the college football season feature dozens of smaller programs collecting big paychecks by hitting the road for games against major-conference teams.

There’s no guarantee these games — at least the ones involving Football Championship Subdivision programs — will be as common in the playoff era.

With an eye toward television audiences, the Big Ten is discouraging its teams from scheduling FCS foes. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference are requiring members to play at least one nonconference game against a team from the Power Five leagues.

FCS athletic directors are taking a wait-and-see approach about what could happen down the road. Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn says he’s “preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”