Why do I only get the option to play against way better opponents?

My team is around 21 stars. I can only upgrade my players to 55 in areas. But I only get the option to play against others that have guys rated up to 80 in skills. It's not even fun to try to play against them because I can't even move the ball. What's the deal with this?
You must be talking about playing teams on the match map. You have moved too far forward in the rankings. It may take a few seasons for this to equalize back in your favor.