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.