Another Good Idea For College Football
posted by Scott Hood on Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Spurrier was fiercely against such an idea, citing the ‘risk of injury’ factor as the main reason for his opposition. Spurrier prefers relying upon intra-squad scrimmages exclusively.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the Head Ball Coach on this point.
I see no harm allowing college teams to play one “pre-season” game against another school. If a true “game” is out of the question, what about a controlled scrimmage or even a situational scrimmage?
Once you get beyond the alleged heightened risk of injury, I believe it will actually assist teams in tuning up for the season.
What’s the drawback to having some Div. I-AA school like Coastal Carolina bus to Williams-Brice Stadium for a two-hour scrimmage? I see none.
Would there be a risk of injury? Sure. But how much greater is that risk compared to a typical intra-squad scrimmage? I don’t think there would be much of a difference, if at all.
Spurrier, like many head coaches, is probably afraid his starting quarterback would get seriously injured in a pre-season game environment. If so, then: 1) don’t play the starting quarterback; and/or 2) put rules into place to limit the amount of physical contact with the quarterback.
They can finagle the rules anyway they want. Just let the kids play against somebody else.
Expecting players to hit the same players over and over again for four or five weeks without some type of drop off in practice performance is a bit ludicrous.
I would have thought college coaches would want to have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of their team before they run through the tunnel for real for the first time.
But, as my wife reminds me everyday, I’m wrong again.
The hacks that run college football constantly brag that one of the characteristics that makes their spot unique is the regular season still means something, unlike most professional sports and college basketball.
I agree with that point.
But, if every game counts, as a certain cable sports network likes to claim, wouldn’t it be fair to allow college football teams to play at least one “pre-season” contest before they strap on the helmets for real, knowing that one loss could be devastating to their season?
I think so.
In my opinion, there has to be a better way than holding your breath for three hours, fearful of the bizarre events that could unfold in a season opener.
Essentially, the NCAA is telling the players they must go out and play in a pressure-packed environment, with their season on the line, on opening weekend without giving them the proper tools to prepare.
Here’s the thing I don’t understand – college basketball teams are allowed to play up to two exhibition games before the start of the regular season, yet football teams are not.
The NCAA and hypocrisy are like two lovers walking hand-in-hand in paradise.
Frankly, I think the rule banning pre-season college football games is also unfair to the thousands of fans expected to shell out $40.00 or more for a game ticket, plus parking, concessions and souvenirs, when the regular season begins.
Are they getting a water-downed product in the opening game? Absolutely.
I know football fans frequently complain about the NFL having four exhibition (yes, that’s what they are) games before the start of the regular season.
But, when pro football fanatics walk through the turnstiles into the stadium for the opening regular season game, they should feel somewhat comfortable every ‘t’ has been crossed and every ‘i’ has been dotted by their favorite team during their pre-season preparations.
I don’t think college fans can share that feeling without their team having at least one August opportunity to hit somebody else.
In the end, what do you get? The helpless feeling the opening game on the schedule is little more than a warm-up act.
And that’s not a good thing for college football.
If you want to contact Scott Hood with a comment or question regarding the Blog, please send an e-mail to scotthood@juno.com
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If you watched the video of Steve Spurrier being interviewed by the media following Tuesday night’s practice, you saw your humble correspondent ask the HBC whether he favored allowing college teams to play a single pre-season game to help prepare for the season.
Spurrier was fiercely against such an idea, citing the ‘risk of injury’ factor as the main reason for his opposition. Spurrier prefers relying upon intra-squad scrimmages exclusively.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the Head Ball Coach on this point.
I see no harm allowing college teams to play one “pre-season” game against another school. If a true “game” is out of the question, what about a controlled scrimmage or even a situational scrimmage?
Once you get beyond the alleged heightened risk of injury, I believe it will actually assist teams in tuning up for the season.
What’s the drawback to having some Div. I-AA school like Coastal Carolina bus to Williams-Brice Stadium for a two-hour scrimmage? I see none.
Would there be a risk of injury? Sure. But how much greater is that risk compared to a typical intra-squad scrimmage? I don’t think there would be much of a difference, if at all.
Spurrier, like many head coaches, is probably afraid his starting quarterback would get seriously injured in a pre-season game environment. If so, then: 1) don’t play the starting quarterback; and/or 2) put rules into place to limit the amount of physical contact with the quarterback.
They can finagle the rules anyway they want. Just let the kids play against somebody else.
Expecting players to hit the same players over and over again for four or five weeks without some type of drop off in practice performance is a bit ludicrous.
I would have thought college coaches would want to have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of their team before they run through the tunnel for real for the first time.
But, as my wife reminds me everyday, I’m wrong again.
The hacks that run college football constantly brag that one of the characteristics that makes their spot unique is the regular season still means something, unlike most professional sports and college basketball.
I agree with that point.
But, if every game counts, as a certain cable sports network likes to claim, wouldn’t it be fair to allow college football teams to play at least one “pre-season” contest before they strap on the helmets for real, knowing that one loss could be devastating to their season?
I think so.
In my opinion, there has to be a better way than holding your breath for three hours, fearful of the bizarre events that could unfold in a season opener.
Essentially, the NCAA is telling the players they must go out and play in a pressure-packed environment, with their season on the line, on opening weekend without giving them the proper tools to prepare.
Here’s the thing I don’t understand – college basketball teams are allowed to play up to two exhibition games before the start of the regular season, yet football teams are not.
The NCAA and hypocrisy are like two lovers walking hand-in-hand in paradise.
Frankly, I think the rule banning pre-season college football games is also unfair to the thousands of fans expected to shell out $40.00 or more for a game ticket, plus parking, concessions and souvenirs, when the regular season begins.
Are they getting a water-downed product in the opening game? Absolutely.
I know football fans frequently complain about the NFL having four exhibition (yes, that’s what they are) games before the start of the regular season.
But, when pro football fanatics walk through the turnstiles into the stadium for the opening regular season game, they should feel somewhat comfortable every ‘t’ has been crossed and every ‘i’ has been dotted by their favorite team during their pre-season preparations.
I don’t think college fans can share that feeling without their team having at least one August opportunity to hit somebody else.
In the end, what do you get? The helpless feeling the opening game on the schedule is little more than a warm-up act.
And that’s not a good thing for college football.
If you want to contact Scott Hood with a comment or question regarding the Blog, please send an e-mail to scotthood@juno.com
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.