10 Spring Football Exhibition Games We Wish We Could See in 2016
Let’s face it. Spring football can be a little dry. While fall is all about intersectional competition, spring is about internal competition for college football programs. It’s about filling holes left by graduation and NFL draft departures and figuring out if veteran reserves or fresh-faced newcomers can be trusted as fall starters. It’s about installing new schemes and refining old ones.
It’s about showing potential opponents as little as humanly possible. Quarterbacks are consistently off-limits for hits in spring games, and coaches skew as vanilla as is acceptable on both sides of the ball, with the idea of keeping anything innovative under wraps until the games matter.
Would we like to see something different? Absolutely. If we had our way, spring would wrap with intersectional exhibitions between regional and national rivals. Teams could sign home-and-home contracts, giving fans a shot at something fresh every other spring. Coaches might not love it, but the competition would be a winner for fans. Here’s a look at 10 exhibition games we wish we could see this spring.
Alabama vs. Stanford
1 of 10
Fast-paced passing offenses have become an increasing trend in college football, but they haven’t taken over completely. Some prominent programs have proved that you can win—and win big—without throwing the ball on every down.
Alabama and Stanford would both agree.
While both teams have passing elements, their bread and butter lies with smashmouth football. Under Nick Saban, Alabama has won four national titles, while Stanford has won three of the past four Pac-12 titles under David Shaw’s watch.
The 2015 season was no different. Alabama rode burly back Derrick Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, to a national title, while Stanford let Christian McCaffrey do a little bit of everything on his way to leading the nation in all-purpose yards. Henry has declared for the draft, but McCaffrey, the Heisman runner-up, is back for at least one more season.
Seeing McCaffrey face off against an Alabama defense which will be beginning life without A’Shawn Robinson and Reggie Ragland would be fascinating football. Seeing Shaw and Saban match wits wouldn’t be too shabby, either.
Baylor vs. Houston
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Art Briles has carved out an impressive path in Texas football circles. Briles began his career as a successful high school coach before moving to Texas Tech as an assistant in 2000, which jump-started his college career. He took over at Houston in 2003 and revived the Cougars program with a 34-28 record, making four bowls in five seasons.
He’s been even better at Baylor, going 65-37 and making the Bears a nationally recognized offensive juggernaut. The Bears and Cougars, old Southwest Conference rivals, haven’t played since the league dissolved following the 1995 season.
Both teams know how to score points, and that’ll be the case again this season. Baylor must replace standout receiver Corey Coleman and four starting offensive linemen, but quarterback Seth Russell and 1,300-yard rusher Shock Linwood will return.
Houston returns 12 starters, led by dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr., from a 13-1 team that capped the season with a Peach Bowl win over Florida State. We might not learn much from a spring matchup, but there’s no doubt it would be a heck of a lot of fun.
Clemson vs. Tennessee
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Clemson and Tennessee are separated by three hours and 20 minutes of driving, mountainous territory and several shades of orange. However, the ACC and SEC programs share a common passion for football and support from exuberant fans.
The teams have met 18 times in their history, but only three times since 1944. Clemson’s 27-14 win in the 2004 Peach Bowl is the programs’ only meeting since 1976. They’re overdue for a reunion, and this spring would be an excellent time to do so.
Clemson is coming off a national runner-up finish keyed by quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Heisman Trophy finalist who became the first college player ever to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. The Tigers defense took some serious hits, with cornerback Mackensie Alexander, defensive ends Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson and safety Jayron Kearse leading an NFL exodus.
The Tigers have defensive questions, and why not test themselves against a UT offense which will return nine starters, led by quarterback Joshua Dobbs and tailback Jalen Hurd? It’d be a fun spring matchup no matter which kind of orange you favor.
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Florida State vs. Michigan
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It’s no surprise that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is attracting attention for the second consecutive offseason. Harbaugh lived up to the hype in his first season at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to an impressive 10-3 turnaround season. Now he is keeping his team in the spotlight, this time by proposing that Michigan hold a week’s worth of spring practices in Florida.
That’s attracted plenty of attention from the SEC, which is just what Harbaugh wants. He told Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com that the fuss over the move from officials like SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was "comical." Harbaugh went on to say:
"I guess he's stating a case, but it doesn't hold water to me. It's not an addition of time, it's the same amount of time. It's 20 hours. We'll be on the same rules and guidelines that every other team will be under during spring practice. I think it's comical that he's taking exception to it.
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Why not go all the way and play the spring game in Florida, too? SEC coaches probably don’t want to go out of their way to help the Wolverines, but would Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher be game?
Play the game in Orlando (where FSU will open the 2016 season against Ole Miss), and you’d get a healthy crowd. It’d give Michigan a chance to test its defense against an FSU offense that is expected to return all 11 starters, led by tailback and Heisman Trophy candidate Dalvin Cook.
A potential preseason Top 10 matchup in the heart of Florida? Who’d say no to that? Certainly not Michigan fans.
Iowa vs. Notre Dame
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Iowa and Notre Dame can sympathize with one another. Last fall, the Midwestern programs had rather similar rebound seasons. The Hawkeyes recovered from a 7-6 2014 campaign and stayed in the national title conversation until early December, but a last-second loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game followed by a Rose Bowl thumping at Stanford’s hands left them 12-2.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame showed significant improvement following an 8-5 2014. The Fighting Irish suffered narrow defeats to Clemson and Stanford by a combined four points, but got thumped by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 10-3.
Iowa will return 14 starters, led by consensus All-America cornerback Desmond King, who spurned the NFL to play out his senior season, and starting quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Notre Dame has questions under center with Malik Zaire returning from a season-ending broken ankle to face off against DeShone Kizer, who was excellent in his stead. The Irish must also find replacements for wideout Will Fuller, tailback C.J. Prosise and linebacker Jaylon Smith.
The teams haven’t met since 1968, and now would be a perfect time to renew and build upon a dormant rivalry.
Michigan State vs. Oklahoma State
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2015 was a special year for both Michigan State and Oklahoma State. The Spartans took the next step under head coach Mark Dantonio, winning the Big Ten and making the College Football Playoff. A young Oklahoma State roster developed well under Mike Gundy’s watch, winning 10 games and making the Sugar Bowl.
Neither season finished the way those associated with the programs hoped; Michigan State suffered an ugly Cotton Bowl loss at Alabama’s hands, and the Cowboys were routed by Ole Miss.
Both programs are hoping for bigger and better things in 2015. Michigan State must find a successor to quarterback Connor Cook, while Oklahoma State needs pass-rush punch following defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah’s departure.
Facing off against each other would be an excellent test for two teams that have questions on both sides of the ball.
North Carolina vs. Ole Miss
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North Carolina and Ole Miss enjoyed special 2015 seasons, and both programs hope the best is still ahead. The Tar Heels recovered from a 6-7 2014 campaign, putting together an 11-game win streak that clinched the ACC Coastal Division title. The Rebels finished 10-3, ending the season on a high with a Sugar Bowl rout of Oklahoma State.
North Carolina loses do-everything quarterback Marquise Williams to graduation, but steady backup Mitch Trubisky is ready to step into the starting role. The Heels have 14 starters returning, led by standout tailback Elijah Hood, and the defense hopes to take another step forward under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.
Ole Miss will bring back only eight starters thanks to the NFL draft departures of left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, but returns strong-armed quarterback Chad Kelly, who was impressive in his first season in Oxford. A spring matchup against North Carolina would give both sides a chance to work out some kinks while scoring plenty of points.
Ohio State vs. Southern California
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Ohio State and Southern California are two of the most iconic programs in college football, but they don’t cross paths very often. The Buckeyes and Trojans have met just 23 times in their history, with Southern California holding a 13-9-1 lead. After meeting in six Rose Bowls between 1969 and 1985, they’ve battled just four times since, with a pair of home-and-home series swept by the Trojans.
This spring would be an excellent time to renew the rivalry. Southern California is going through some transition following Clay Helton’s elevation to the full-time head coaching role and returns 14 starters. Helton still needs to find a quarterback to replace Cody Kessler, which will surely be a key focus this spring.
OSU head coach Urban Meyer wishes he had that level of transition to deal with. The Buckeyes were wracked with NFL draft departures, led by defensive end Joey Bosa and tailback Ezekiel Elliott, and the program could have as many as six first-round selections in this spring’s draft. Ohio State returns only six starters, but one of them is quarterback J.T. Barrett.
The early-enrollee newcomers and would-be starters could use a strong spring test, and the Trojans would provide it.
Oklahoma vs. Oregon
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Oklahoma and Oregon both know how to score points.
The Sooners showed that under offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley in 2015, using the Air Raid offense keyed by quarterback Baker Mayfield to average 45.8 points per game (No. 3 nationally) on the way to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff bid. Vernon Adams was the latest quarterback to thrive in Oregon’s system, leading the Ducks to 43.2 points per game, sixth-best nationally.
Adams is gone (replaced by Montana State transfer Dakota Prukop), but both programs should have potent offenses in 2016. Mayfield needs a new No. 1 receiver, but he can hand off to Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, and standout tailback Royce Freeman will chew up yards for the Ducks.
A spring matchup would give us a great idea of where a pair of potential Top 20 teams stand entering the summer while lighting up the scoreboard at a prolific pace.
Texas vs. Texas A&M
10 of 10
Texas and Texas A&M don’t like each other, and the Aggies’ 2012 move to the Southeastern Conference left its share of hard feelings between the archrivals. However, the move hasn’t worked out well for either side. The Longhorns have their own TV network, but haven’t found success in the newly configured Big 12, fading in Mack Brown’s final years and going 11-14 in Charlie Strong’s first two seasons as head coach.
Meanwhile, A&M made an early splash with Johnny Manziel, but has tailed off recently. The Aggies haven’t been able to build on Manziel’s Heisman Trophy run and lost two talented quarterbacks to transfer in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray.
Maybe a taste of home is what both rivals need. The Aggies and Longhorns haven’t played since 2011 and have no future games scheduled against one another. What better way to build anticipation for a crucial season on both sides than with a spring showdown? The fans want it. The players would welcome it. Why not make it happen?
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