Would you like to see the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team practice or scrimmage against Tennessee Tech or another program during spring practice? Mocs coach Russ Huesman wouldn't mind it.
During the American Football Coaches Association's board meeting next month, the topic of allowing schools to practice or scrimmage against another team will be discussed. Harvard coach Tim Murphy, the AFCA president, told the Associated Press earlier this month that there is "buzz about this within the profession."
Huesman's Mocs finished up spring practice on April 2. It was a productive 15 spring sessions, though it's always hard for coaches to tell how productive because the team is going against itself. But what if the Mocs could have spent a day practicing against another team or playing another team in the spring game?
"I think it would be a pretty good idea," Huesman said. "Obviously if we brought somebody in here for a spring game or a scrimmage down at Finley Stadium, we could charge some money and make some money on it.
"Now not near like Clemson and those kinds of places would make, but I would say you could make it worth your while."
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has been one of the proponents of requesting an NCAA rule change that would allow two teams to scrimmage. South Florida coach Skip Holtz, whose Bulls host UTC in the 2012 season opener, also favors the idea.
Holtz and Huesman agree on one reason to put two teams on the field: numbers. The Mocs, and most likely many Football Championship Subdivision programs, struggle to put together two quality teams for spring games or scrimmages. If you have a few players out with injuries then you might wind up needing players to change teams, as UTC did in its spring game.
Holtz told the Orlando Sentinel that "I think it's getting harder and harder in the spring to field two teams to play each other."
Samford coach Pat Sullivan said he would be in favor having a day in which teams practiced together and then scrimmaged for about 30-40 plays. That would be similar to what NFL teams do in the preseason.
"I think that could work and would make a lot of sense," Sullivan said.
Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken noted that college baseball team's play "fall ball" and a few other college programs also have either preseason games or offseason matches against other teams.
"It probably would create a little more excitement for people," he said.
For it to work, Huesman said, a few things would have to be established. Perhaps most important, he said, is protecting the practice or game film.
"The first thing that came to my mind is you'd have to be careful that the film doesn't get out to anybody," he said.
Other factors would be keeping the game affordable. Teams would have to practice against programs located within about 200 miles and the teams shouldn't play each other the following season. That would help insure that it wouldn't be treated as a "game" but only as a chance to improve and measure each team's progress during the spring.