No clear consensus on best spring football game format

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State let its players choose sides for the annual spring football game, like a group of kids meeting up on the playground. Arkansas State auctioned off one of its coaching spots on eBay, allowing a fan to come in and call plays.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, scaled back its plans, inviting fans to show up for a practice instead of a scrimmage.

Spring games have become offseason highlights in many parts of the country. Alabama and Penn State announced crowds of more than 70,000 this year, and they certainly aren’t the only schools with fans who turn out in droves for their football fix. But for coaches, these public scrimmages present an interesting challenge, in part because there seems to be no consensus on what format works best.

“These games, when everybody is drafted like this, are always fun, they’re always interesting,” said Michigan State assistant Jim Bollman, who will coach one of the teams in the Spartans’ spring game today. “One thing you always see a little bit different is the leadership side of things. You have some guys that all of a sudden are with some younger guys that they haven’t been with all spring.”

The spring game is a chance for players and coaches to put on a show for fans and there’s obvious value in that. But spring football is also a time for preparation, and sometimes a game-like scenario isn’t what a coach really wants or needs.

Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy decided to scrap the usual spring game format this year, opting instead for a public practice in which fans had a chance afterward to go onto the field for autographs and mingle with players. Gundy cited heavy roster turnover as the reason for the switch.

“Years ago, I was the guy trying to promote spring games. However, I also have to look at what is best for the team and our fans,” he said. “There just weren’t enough bodies for both teams. … Every so often, when we have a big senior class leave – I don’t have a problem with a big senior class – we may have to do something like this.”

Oklahoma State’s “Orange Blitz” this year drew about 2,500 fans, down from 15,000 for the spring game in 2013.

Pittsburgh is another school that didn’t bother with a spring game this year. Nebraska, on the other hand, drew more than 60,000 fans.