While some college football teams are doing away with spring games, Deion Sanders doesn’t just want to keep the concept alive, but to introduce a brand new element to them.
Playing another team.
Spring football scrimmages usually find teams playing against themselves, their offenses against their own defenses, but Colorado’s head coach says he’s looking into the idea of having another whole team line up against his squad.
“I would actually like to play the spring game against another team, in the spring. That’s what I’m trying to do right now,” Sanders said.
“To have a competitive [game] against your own guys kind of gets monotonous,” he added.
“You really can’t tell the level of your guys because, you know, it’s the same old, same old. Everybody kind of knows each other.”
Sanders says he wants to refashion the format the way some NFL teams do in the preseason, when teams host other teams for a full-contact scrimmage.
“Towards the end, I would like to style it like the pros. I would like to practice against someone for a few days, then you have the spring game,” he said.
“And I think the public will be satisfied with that tremendously. I think it’s a tremendous idea. I’ve told these personnel who should understand that it’s a tremendous idea.”
NFL teams frequently take part in joint practices during their training camp with another opponent when leading into a preseason exhibition matchup against them.
Granted, that has occasionally resulted in a fight or two on the practice field, but it also reinvigorates teams who haven’t seen live action in a long time.
Several high-profile college football programs have decided against playing a traditional spring game amid concerns that rivals could use the exhibition to scout players they then pursue in the transfer portal window before the season begins.
Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, USC, and Oklahoma are among those schools that have elected to host an alternative spring event that doesn’t include a full scrimmage.
“The way the trend is going, you never know if this is going to be the last spring game,” Sanders said. “Now, I don’t believe that, and I don’t really want to condone that…
“Everybody’s moving to stop spring games, I don’t know why. You’re not gonna stop nobody from leaving your program by not having a spring game. If you wanna save money, just say that. The kid’s already gone. They already reached out and contacted somebody else. They’re already gone.”
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