Savvy coaches know how the game is played

Like jumbo shrimp, parking on a driveway and driving on a parkway, spring football is an oxymoron.

There are examples (the United States Football League being one) that football is a sport meant to be played in the fall and winter. (Never mind the college schedule cranks up before Labor Day.)

"Spring games are awful," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "I shouldn't say that word, but it's not the best of the best playing against each other.... If you came out to see a well-executed SEC football game in the spring, you're not going to see that."

The glorified scrimmages that signal the end of 15 days of spring practice are becoming an event, a marketing method and a recruiting tool for the major programs. ESPNU televised Florida's spring game and the athletic department turned it into an all-sports festival.

"At first I didn't want to [televise the game], but recruiting is such a major player," Meyer said. "It's the bloodline of our program, and if they're not here, they are going to be somewhere else, and we want people to see this great campus."

Programs with a national profile such as Florida can enhance already strong profiles by welcoming the coverage of the World Wide Leader.

Last year, Alabama officials were stunned when 92,000 showed up at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Nick Saban's first spring game. Saban credited the crowd with helping the Crimson Tide sign the top-ranked recruiting class last February.

(Alabama had "just" 78,200 for this year's spring game. Early prediction: Alabama's recruiting class next February will be in the top 10 but not No. 1; blame the spring game attendance.)

MSL Sports and Entertainment hoped to capitalize on the spring football fever.

Before being postponed because of NCAA rules interpretations, MSL had a "Gridiron Bash" scheduled at 16 schools. The night before the spring game, a Midnight Madness type party was to be held featuring musical groups (ZZ Top was scheduled to play at Texas A&M).

Ohio State hoped to beat Alabama's spring game record but rainy weather limited the attendance to 76,346.

"The more excitement and festive atmosphere you have on campus can have an impact on recruits to some degree," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.

Nebraska's spring game drew a sellout crowd to Memorial Stadium. Fans were paying scalpers $95 for a ticket worth $8. The excitement over the "debut" of new coach Bo Pelini had the Huskers faithful fully engaged for a game they knew that Nebraska would win.

There were a few dozen high school recruits at Memorial Stadium, including Frisco Centennial quarterback Ryan Mossakowski. They spent some time on the field before the game.

"It was crazy," he told Rivals.com. "They had [more than 80,000] people in the stands. People who I didn't even know were coming up to us saying 'Hi' and making conversation. It was awesome, getting to experience what the players do every Saturday."

Comments like that are making more coaches realize the casual spring football game of the past has now become another recruiting tool.