- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 412,736
- Reaction score
- 43
The coach with the 10-gallon hat and 20-karat bling recently floated an idea as outlandish as his attire. Or was it?
This spring, Deion Sanders wanted his Colorado team to practice with, then scrimmage against, another school. Instead of 15 monotonous practices of Buffalo on Buffalo, Sanders’ squad could mix it up with a bona fide opponent for a day or two, then publicly scrimmage that team as a way to bring more juice — and revenue — to the traditional spring game.
“I think the public would be satisfied with that tremendously,” Sanders said recently. “I think it’s a tremendous idea. I’ve told those personnel, who should understand that, that it’s a tremendous idea.”
Almost immediately, Sanders found a willing partner in Syracuse coach Fran Brown. But because current NCAA bylaws prohibit teams from scrimmaging against each other during the offseason, a waiver request had to be submitted for a Buffaloes-Orange joint spring workout.
It was denied by the Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee. Still, Coach Prime planted a seed that ultimately could make the popularity of spring ball football blossom like never before, even as some prominent schools attempt to uproot the tradition.
On Saturday, the Gators stage their annual spring intrasquad game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that could draw around 50,000 fans. But imagine the turnout if the Gators were to play UCF or USF. Better still, imagine a Bulls-Knights spring game, played on a home-and-home basis.
“I give Prime a lot of credit for actually saying it publicly, but I would be totally down for that,” USF third-year coach Alex Golesh said. “Get a practice, get two practices in, and then go be able to actually put fans in the stands and showcase what you’ve done here through the spring.”
As college football continues careening toward an NFL model, Sanders’ idea seems the next logical step, if not a profitable one. For years, NFL teams have welcomed opponents into August camp for a day or two of joint practices prior to those teams’ preseason contest. In recent seasons, the Bucs have done it with the Titans, Jaguars and Dolphins, at various locations.
“I think you see NFL teams — they do the joint practices during fall camp, and I think there is an avenue and a path to where that could be beneficial, and that is something that I wouldn’t be opposed to in a big-picture part of it,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said on “The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell.”
“But it’s also, you know, a lot of the logistical elements and different dynamics that go into this new age of college football that I think you’d have to be able to work through to make sure you have the right fit and to be able to make sure you have the right opponent.”
Indeed, potential snags abound. A lot of the coaching fraternity — a generally paranoid lot — is attempting to phase out spring games for various reasons.
Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, concerned about other teams scouting players in the scrimmage and possibly poaching them through the transfer portal, is replacing the Cornhuskers’ spring contest with a seven-on-seven game and skills competitions at Memorial Stadium.
Texas isn’t having a spring game, coach Steve Sarkisian said, because his team already has played 30 games over the last two seasons, when the Longhorns twice advanced to the College Football Playoff.
Moreover, a team trying to downplay a potentially significant injury (see Florida’s DJ Lagway) might be reluctant to reveal a compromised depth chart. Other schools with new coaches and green rosters also may be reticent to play a live spring game against another team, at least initially.
“I think if you’re a program like us where we’re in Year 3, you feel like you’ve got a little bit more depth, you feel like you know who you are on both sides of the ball. ... You feel like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of benefit (to a spring game),‘” Golesh said. “I think if you asked me that in Year 1 ... I would imagine it would be like, ‘Man, I don’t if that’s really what I want to do.‘”
Yet more and more programs — regardless of where they stand in terms of their depth and development — might sign on if such games prove profitable, especially as the era of revenue sharing dawns on the collegiate landscape.
“I think we’re at a point, whether you’re at an FCS school or you’re at Ohio State, I think you’re sitting here looking for ways to generate revenue,” Golesh added.
“It’s not what I initially signed up for, but I’m now part of the conversation. And if you can pack out or put 50,000 at (Raymond James Stadium) to go play an opponent or create — I don’t know — a unique uniform combination that you can sell from a marketing standpoint, I think any way you can generate some revenue, I think would certainly help. So I think in that sense, it would be absolutely huge.”
A Prime proposal indeed.
“I think there’s some merit to it,” Norvell said. “We’ve seen that in the NFL with how teams have been able to kind of incorporate that through their fall camps. It’s definitely something I think people will continue to talk about as we move forward.”
Contact Joey Knight at [email protected]. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Admission: Free
Broadcast info: No livestream, but fans can listen at this link (tinyurl.com/orangebluegame)
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
This spring, Deion Sanders wanted his Colorado team to practice with, then scrimmage against, another school. Instead of 15 monotonous practices of Buffalo on Buffalo, Sanders’ squad could mix it up with a bona fide opponent for a day or two, then publicly scrimmage that team as a way to bring more juice — and revenue — to the traditional spring game.
“I think the public would be satisfied with that tremendously,” Sanders said recently. “I think it’s a tremendous idea. I’ve told those personnel, who should understand that, that it’s a tremendous idea.”
Almost immediately, Sanders found a willing partner in Syracuse coach Fran Brown. But because current NCAA bylaws prohibit teams from scrimmaging against each other during the offseason, a waiver request had to be submitted for a Buffaloes-Orange joint spring workout.
It was denied by the Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee. Still, Coach Prime planted a seed that ultimately could make the popularity of spring ball football blossom like never before, even as some prominent schools attempt to uproot the tradition.
On Saturday, the Gators stage their annual spring intrasquad game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that could draw around 50,000 fans. But imagine the turnout if the Gators were to play UCF or USF. Better still, imagine a Bulls-Knights spring game, played on a home-and-home basis.
“I give Prime a lot of credit for actually saying it publicly, but I would be totally down for that,” USF third-year coach Alex Golesh said. “Get a practice, get two practices in, and then go be able to actually put fans in the stands and showcase what you’ve done here through the spring.”
As college football continues careening toward an NFL model, Sanders’ idea seems the next logical step, if not a profitable one. For years, NFL teams have welcomed opponents into August camp for a day or two of joint practices prior to those teams’ preseason contest. In recent seasons, the Bucs have done it with the Titans, Jaguars and Dolphins, at various locations.
“I think you see NFL teams — they do the joint practices during fall camp, and I think there is an avenue and a path to where that could be beneficial, and that is something that I wouldn’t be opposed to in a big-picture part of it,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said on “The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell.”
“But it’s also, you know, a lot of the logistical elements and different dynamics that go into this new age of college football that I think you’d have to be able to work through to make sure you have the right fit and to be able to make sure you have the right opponent.”
Indeed, potential snags abound. A lot of the coaching fraternity — a generally paranoid lot — is attempting to phase out spring games for various reasons.
Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, concerned about other teams scouting players in the scrimmage and possibly poaching them through the transfer portal, is replacing the Cornhuskers’ spring contest with a seven-on-seven game and skills competitions at Memorial Stadium.
Texas isn’t having a spring game, coach Steve Sarkisian said, because his team already has played 30 games over the last two seasons, when the Longhorns twice advanced to the College Football Playoff.
Moreover, a team trying to downplay a potentially significant injury (see Florida’s DJ Lagway) might be reluctant to reveal a compromised depth chart. Other schools with new coaches and green rosters also may be reticent to play a live spring game against another team, at least initially.
“I think if you’re a program like us where we’re in Year 3, you feel like you’ve got a little bit more depth, you feel like you know who you are on both sides of the ball. ... You feel like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of benefit (to a spring game),‘” Golesh said. “I think if you asked me that in Year 1 ... I would imagine it would be like, ‘Man, I don’t if that’s really what I want to do.‘”
Yet more and more programs — regardless of where they stand in terms of their depth and development — might sign on if such games prove profitable, especially as the era of revenue sharing dawns on the collegiate landscape.
“I think we’re at a point, whether you’re at an FCS school or you’re at Ohio State, I think you’re sitting here looking for ways to generate revenue,” Golesh added.
“It’s not what I initially signed up for, but I’m now part of the conversation. And if you can pack out or put 50,000 at (Raymond James Stadium) to go play an opponent or create — I don’t know — a unique uniform combination that you can sell from a marketing standpoint, I think any way you can generate some revenue, I think would certainly help. So I think in that sense, it would be absolutely huge.”
A Prime proposal indeed.
“I think there’s some merit to it,” Norvell said. “We’ve seen that in the NFL with how teams have been able to kind of incorporate that through their fall camps. It’s definitely something I think people will continue to talk about as we move forward.”
Contact Joey Knight at [email protected]. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
Orange & Blue Game
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Admission: Free
Broadcast info: No livestream, but fans can listen at this link (tinyurl.com/orangebluegame)
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
