But there is a double edged sword. All of the powers schedule games against some smaller schools, but the smaller schools need these games to continue to fund, grow and legitimize their programs. They know they can't compete with the big conference powers, but the smaller school athletic directors know that their teams are benefited not only by revenue, but by recruiting. The field of potential recruits widens when high school players, unable to get scholarships from the top schools, know they still may have the chance to play every year at Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor, Athens or South Bend.