THE RANT: Spring Football Games

Article originally posted on SECLiveNews.com

Once upon a time, spring games meant something. They were competitive, the squads were evenly divided, and the scoring system actually resembled real football.

Look around the Southeastern Conference on Saturday at the eight spring games, and basically it was a corporate circus designed to sell each school’s product, rather than actual interesting football.

That’s why there were corporate sponsors (Dish Network), chinese checker scoring systems (awarding teams points for merely surviving quarters, like at Ole Miss), and more emphasis on pregame activities to push season tickets and corporate donations.

At least Florida Coach Urban Meyer has been honest enough to admit that he never saw a spring game that was any good.

That’s why he created some fun events to attract fans and use the game as celebration of the program.

And give Alabama coach Nick Saban credit—at least he lined up his starting defense against his starting offense, which gives a coach a more realistic read on his team than the 55-0 Blue over Red score in the Ole Miss spring game.

During NFL training camps, various teams often scrimmage each other for a couple of days. It gets competitive, even in supposed non-contract drills.

But the point is that it is competitive, it is against somebody different other than your own team and coaches get a truer picture of their teams.

College coaches obviously won’t do this in fall preseason camp. They don’t want to get anybody hurt and they don’t want to reveal any of their offensive and defensive schemes.

But if schools want to spice up their spring games, without spending money to travel, without banging heads against other D-1A schools, perhaps Division 1-AA schools should provide competition.

Why not Alabama vs. Alabama State?

LSU vs. McNeese State?

Tennessee vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga?

Kentucky vs. Murray State?

Such matchups would create a nice spring buzz and the teams could divide the gate. Travel costs would be minimal.

Of course, making too much cents on a spring game makes too much sense. Which is why something so smart would never come to pass.

Athletic directors probably would love the idea, but coaches would be too nervous. And we all know who the real bosses are of athletic department—the football coaches with the multi-million contracts, not the athletic directors who don’t want to ruffle the feathers of their cash cows.

Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.