Interesting Question.. Would preseason games help?

[Croomp]

<font face="Georgia" size="2"><font face="Georgia" size="2">• One reporter in particular was essentially polling coaches to see if they'd be in favor of preseason scrimmages with other teams, NFL-style. Croom wouldn't mind the idea, but doesn't like another opportunity to be judged early. "The difference is the media, the fans, (they) want to keep score, so it becomes another ballgame," Croom said.</font></font>

<font face="Georgia" size="2">From Kyle Veazey's blog.

I would favor say one preseason game that would be good for the teams if they kept it within the SEC.</font>

 

[birdZdawg]

Just to see how the players react going against someone else besides their own teammates. If they ever play a pre-season game, I think they should cut back to 11 regular season games.

In Brad Locke's blog, he includes a little more from Croom.

"If we could scrimmage somebody on our own, set it up like we want to, keep it closed, yeah, it'd be great."

 

[615dawg]

is to play Division II and smaller schools in the spring. Delta State could come to Starkville. Well .. maybe Alcorn State.

 

[DovaDawg]

I have often thought that the Spring Game would be a lot better if we had a controlled scrimmage against a say a good lower division school.</p>

 

[kcomphlint]

I could also see it as a liability. If someone gets injured in a preseason game, their season could be shot. The spring game idea is a little better - Most teams do a "spring game" as a scrimmage now, why not let it be against another actual team.

 

[Dawg in a pile]

If they ever play a pre-season game, I think they should cut back to 11 regular season games.

They should cut the regular season back to 11 games anyway. There was never anything wrong with that. Adding a 12th game while avoiding any consideration of a plus one scenario was a bunch of BS.

 

[Croomp]

I enjoy 12 games but i would definitely appreciate 1 preseason game. But then again if say Dixon were to get hurt that would be the last time we ever did it.

 

[Stansfield]

I agree that it would just be another game. Why do that and risk injury? I just don't see the advantage in it. Now a spring game would make more sense. It would raise more interest and not get mixed in with the regular season scorecard.

 

[RebelBruiser]

I could also see it as a liability. If someone gets injured in a preseason game, their season could be shot. The spring game idea is a little better - Most teams do a "spring game" as a scrimmage now, why not let it be against another actual team.

I guarantee you that's an idea that's probably not that far from happening. Football has become such a revenue sport that someone will eventually determine that more money could be made by playing an actual opponent in the spring, even if it is a lower division school like Jackson State. I wouldn't even see it as a bad idea to bring in a school like Arkansas State or something and play a controlled scrimmage with no QB hits, etc.

They're already to the point where some spring games are being televised either live or in tape delay, and ESPN is doing coverage from some fall practices. I won't be shocked to see opponent vs. opponent spring games in the near future. I know some high schools will sometimes do that with schools they aren't going to play in the season.

Edited to add: I've always hated spring games, because you can never feel too happy. In your case, you had a low scoring spring game, so do you go home happy with how good your defense is, or do you go home ticked about your offense? In ours, we did 1s vs. 2s, so all we found out is that our No. 1 offense was a lot better than our No. 2 defense and our No. 1 defense was a lot better than our No. 2 offense. Shocking, I know. Point is, you can't see much from scrimmaging yourself.

 

[Todd4State]

I don't like the idea of a preseason game. Why can't we just keep college, like well college instead of trying to turn it into the NFL with all of the talks of playoffs and crap like that?

It's not that I think that playoffs and preseason games are necessarily bad or anything like that, but I like college football for being college football. Leave that stuff for the NFL.

 

[PBRME]

I agree, the spring game makes more sense than risking injury in the summer. The opponent every year for spring should be Ole Miss, rotating sites opposite of the season schedule. At least it would mean something then.</p>

 

[Bulldog Backer]

They could do home and home exhibition games with us. They could charge whatever they want, and we could offer discount tickets to State alumni and fans, and charge the crap out of the USM fans! The QB's would wear red jerseys.

 

[FlabLoser]

The Colts play in Jackson. The Bulldogs play in Ruston.

 

[Croomp]

would be excellent. Something outside of baseball to be interested in. Imagine. Super Bulldog weekend with a 3 game series against whoever along with a spring scrimmage against that same SEC school in football. Starkville would burn down