Its Football Time In….. The Spring?
The next big thing in college football is occurring this month in the form of spring football games. As most people reading these blogs know this is the time of year that teams play against themselves in front of a crowd and traditionally coaches can try out different players and new formations. The question that must be asked is what really gets accomplished in these spring games and should we as fans care?
There is no doubt the fans do care. Last year over 80,000 people showed up in Nebraska paying an average of $95 a ticket to see the Cornhuskers’ spring game. Alabama drew a record 92,138 to its spring game in ‘07. Big programs like Ohio State, Tennessee and Penn State will sell out these games. ESPN is even taking notice and has routinely begun showing these games nationally. College football fans, hungry for any football action, are trying their best to make these games a spring game with a fall like atmosphere.
Actually the popularity of these games is what has made their usefulness questioned. Many coaches are reluctant to show any new formations on national television changing the game from a useful tool to more like a preseason NFL game where athletes you normally would never see get a lot of playing time. This is still useful for the hardcore fan who wants to see how that red shirt freshman they just spent the last few months researching is going to look in a uniform, but does not lead to exciting football. In fact, Urban Meyer stated on April 12th, 2008 in Street and Smiths that “spring games are awful. So if you came out to see a well-executed SEC football game in the spring, you’re not going to see that.”
I will conclude that the game is good for college football and is definitely and oasis in the drought of off season. The profits are good for the program and the fans generally leave happy. If you understand the game is more of a practice, the QB is not going to get hit, and the coach may walk out on the field at anytime then you will not be disappointed.
If you are interested in your team’s spring game here is a list of when they all will be played; http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=514366.
For our slower readers, yes, they are all home games