Top 10 Games to Watch During College Football's Spring Season

Spring football is here, and fans all across the country will finally get their first glimpses at what their teams might look like come this fall. 

Coaches tend not to put too much emphasis on the games themselves, but rather the practices leading up to the games. However, the games do give the public a chance to see which players may be winning position battles or how the newcomers may fare during the fall. 

The Texas Longhorns just had their spring game on March 30, and are the only BCS-conference team to have their game before April 6. 

With that in mind, here are the 10 biggest spring games to watch out for this month (in no particular order). 

Michigan

Date: April 13

This year's spring game for the Michigan Wolverines will be unique in the eyes of many. That's because this season marks the first time in four years that the Wolverines will not have QB Denard Robinson, who played his senior season last year. 

Robinson's replacement is Devin Gardner, who saw time at the QB position last year when Robinson struggled with injuries. If there was any battle for the starting QB job, that was put to rest when reports came out that backup QB Russell Bellomy tore his ACL during a spring practice. 

The spring game in Ann Arbor, Michigan also draws a pretty impressive crowd. Last year, the Wolverines had the 10th-highest attendance in the nation for its spring game, with 25,000 showing up. 

Brady Hoke has a lot of work ahead of him this offseason. These spring practices and the spring game, though, will certainly give hims a gauge of where his team stands for the time being. 

Oregon

Date: April 27

The Oregon Ducks are the reigning Fiesta Bowl champions, but a new head coach is what will define the Ducks this spring. 

After Chip Kelly left Oregon for the NFL, the Ducks hired Mark Helfrich, the team's offensive coordinator since 2009, to replace Kelly. 

Kelly certainly made Oregon into one of the biggest powerhouses in the country today. Along with high-end facilities and all the Nike gear anybody could dream of, the Ducks consistently have pulled in top recruits. 

Now it's Helfrich's job to keep that going. 

It would be hard to think that significant changes will happen to the offense with the new staff, considering that Helfrich has run it for three years. However, he does have some big holes to fill on the roster after the departures of RB Kenjon Barner and DE Dion Jordan, both of whom will likely be drafted. 

With the new coach and the departure of some marquee players, many fans in Eugene now see this team belonging to QB Marcus Mariota, who had a terrific freshman season. 

The leadership of Mariota and the new head coach will be on full display during the spring game. 

Last year, the crowd for Oregon's spring game was over 44,000. 

South Carolina

Date: April 13

It won't be easy to replace the production of RB Marcus Lattimore, but Steve Spurrier is confident in the guys he has pegged to do so. Currently, Brandon Wilds seems to be the leading candidate. 

In addition to Lattimore, the Gamecocks lose nearly half their starters from a team that won 11 games last year. However, there are some notable returners. 

QB Connor Shaw and his two favorite targets, wideouts Bruce Ellington (also a star on the school's basketball team) and Ace Sanders, are slated to return. 

They also have the nation's best defensive end in Jadeveon Clowney coming back for what will likely be his last season. 

Winning 11 games last season while playing in the jam-packed SEC was no easy task. But two straight losses last year to LSU and Florida cost the Gamecocks a chance at a BCS berth.

This season, the Gamecocks will be looking to take one more step forward to possibly compete for a national title. 

The attendance at the Gamecocks' spring games is also generally high. Last year, the Gamecocks put over 34,000 people in the stands for their spring game. 

Kansas State

Date: April 27

Last season, the Kansas State Wildcats were one bad night in Waco, Texas away from playing in the national championship. 

Instead, the 2012 Big 12 champions faced the Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl, where they were beaten handily, 35-17. 

Now head coach Bill Snyder has one of the toughest jobs in all of college football this offseason, and that's finding a suitable replacement for QB Collin Klein. 

Currently, there are two candidates in the running for the job: redshirt sophomore Daniel Sams, who backed up Klein last year, and junior-college transfer Jake Waters. 

One of the Wildcats' biggest returners will be RB John Hubert, who shared the running load with Klein last year. 

Last spring, the Wildcats had over 18,000 show up for their spring game. 

Notre Dame

Date: April 20

Last season saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish return to glory with an undefeated regular season and a berth in the national title game. And although the Irish were blown out by Alabama in the game, many see the work of head coach Brian Kelly paying off. 

Now Kelly's job is to find a way to keep his team competing at an elite level in 2013. 

Some notable losses for the Fighting Irish include LB Manti Te'o (last season's Heisman Trophy runner-up). 

So this season, QB Everett Golson will be looked on to continue the steady improvement in his development that took place last season. Because now, the team's success will almost focus squarely on him. 

The Irish did recruit two high-profile RBs who could take the load off Golson. Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston were both highly sought-after out of high school. 

Attendance is also impressive at Notre Dame spring games. Last season, over 31,000 showed up. 

Virginia Tech

Date: April 20

In 2011, the Virginia Tech Hokies had a tremendous season and earned a berth in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. In 2012, the team took a step back and finished just 7-6 overall. The Hokies beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in overtime in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

So 2013 could go either way in the eyes of many Hokie fans.

Some of the biggest returners include QB Logan Thomas and DE James Gayle. 

Thomas had a shaky 2012 season after performing well in 2011, so head coach Frank Beamer will surely look for him to take a step in the right direction this spring. 

The running back position is the biggest question mark for the Hokies. Last season, the team rotated through four players, three of whom are returning. J.C. Coleman, Michael Holmes and Tony Gregory will all have opportunities to seize the starting role this spring. 

Last year, attendance at the Hokies' spring game was limited due to bad weather. In 2011, they got 41,000 into Lane Stadium. 

Penn State

Date: April 20

Last season, the Penn State Nittany Lions were surprisingly successful under the new regime of Bill O'Brien. The team finished 8-4 (6-2 in the Big Ten) in the first season of their NCAA sanctions. 

This spring may be indicative as to whether O'Brien can keep the success going in State College. 

The biggest hole in need of filling is the one left by QB Matt McGloin. This spring, two QBs will strut their stuff before high-profile recruit Christian Hackenberg arrives this summer. Returnees Steven Bench and junior-college transfer Tyler Ferguson will have to stand out early and often if they want to take the job. 

It will be imperative for O'Brien to keep the success he had last year going. Otherwise, the sanctions may have too big an impact and the program may take too long to recover. 

Last season, despite the recent scandal, attendance at the Nittany Lions' spring game was massive, as 60,000 people showed up. 

Arkansas

Date: April 20

The Arkansas Razorbacks' one-year trial run with John L. Smith didn't work out as planned. The team went 4-8 and missed the postseason. 

So the program turned to three-time Big Ten champion Bret Bielema. Now, the former Wisconsin head coach is responsible for returning the Razorbacks to the level they were at in 2011, when they beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl. 

Bielema certainly has his work cut out for him on offense, with only three returning starters. Last season, the Razorbacks were the worst rushing team in the SEC, so Bielema's first task will be to find a steady RB. Jonathan Williams will likely be the team's top back in the spring despite only getting 45 carries last season. 

Attendance at last year's spring game topped 45,000. However, that number could drop after a disappointing 2012 season. 

Ohio State

Date: April 13

If the Ohio State Buckeyes weren't sanctioned by the NCAA last year, the 12-0 squad would have likely played for a national title. 

Instead, the team was left out of the postseason completely despite going undefeated in Urban Meyer's first season in Columbus. 

Now, the Buckeyes are eligible for postseason play, and with nine returning starters on offense, including Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes are poised to be the team to beat in 2013. 

The Buckeyes also have a big-time defensive returner in LB Ryan Shazier, who had 115 tackles and five sacks in 2012. 

The biggest hole to fill for Meyer this spring will be replacing four starters on the defensive line. However, Meyer has plenty of veterans on his roster to fill those roles and an impressive recruiting class as well. 

Ohio State's spring game attendance last year was unrivaled by anybody in the country. The Buckeyes topped the country, with over 81,000 showing up to "The Horseshoe." This year, the game will be held in Cincinnati due to renovations being done to Ohio State's stadium. 

Alabama

Date: April 20

Alabama's recent success on the gridiron has been unparalleled in college football. The Crimson Tide have won three of the last four national titles, and could become the first team to win three straight titles. 

The biggest returner on offense is undoubtedly QB A.J. McCarron, who has two national title rings as a starter. However, the biggest hole on offense will be the offensive line, where Saban has to replace three starters, all of whom will likely be drafted early in the first round. 

While on-the-field play shouldn't be too much of a concern for the Crimson Tide, the team's behavior off the field has raised some eyebrows this offseason. 

Recently, Saban booted four players off the team after they were charged with felonies. 

If the Crimson Tide want to repeat, they'll have to gain control of themselves this spring before gearing up for the war that is the SEC season. 

As for attendance at the spring game, the Crimson Tide were second in the country last year with over 78,000 showing up.