SEC Football: The NCAA Should Allow Spring Scrimmages Against Other Teams

Last Wednesday on The SEC Blog, we shared our disdain for what spring football games have become. But offering criticism without solution is just poor form.  

So how do you fix spring games?  

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with several coaches about the idea of having televised scrimmages against out-of-conference teams to close out spring practice.  The plan, which the AJC credits to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, calls for teams to play out-of-conference scrimmages against teams at the FBS level that are within driving distance for both fan bases. 

Sign me up.  

Every aspect of this plan makes sense.

Coaches will have a better gauge of their team after playing against opposition that is, at least theoretically, on a similar level.  Instead of seeing the same game that you see on the practice field played out inside your home stadium, you'll see if your offensive line really can block.  You'll see if your top defensive back really can cover someone other than the No. 1 receiver on your team.  Plus, with the 85 scholarship limit, there is typically a shortage of players on one team that can provide an accurate gauge for the rest of the team by the time that spring practice ends.

Familiarity breeds contempt.  Players would love to mix things up and play a "friendly" scrimmage against some new faces.  Plus, since Swinney wants to keep it regional, a lot of these players will get to play against friends that they played high school football with or had became friends on the recruiting trail.  Georgia and Clemson—two out-of-conference foes that regularly meet on the recruiting trail—playing in April?  Yes, please.

Can you imagine the television intrigue?  Instead of supplying television partners with a stale, glorified practice; you could work these spring scrimmages into current out-of-conference matchups.  The AJC's matchups include a spring scrimmage between Georgia Tech and Alabama.  It'd be awesome to see those two lace it up a couple of years before their scheduled home-and-home starts in 2019.  

If those reasons aren't enough, consider the charitable angle.  Swinney told the AJC:

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“College football takes in a lot of money. I think it would be an opportunity to give something back to your school or a charity."

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More intrigue means more butts in the seats, and more butts in the seats means more opportunities to give back—however the participants see fit.

Sure, there is a risk for injury in these games, but that's true of every full-contact scrimmage.  Put the non-contact jersey on the quarterbacks, hold out whoever needs to be held out, and let the pads pop.  

It would be a lot of fun.

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