Will Michigan/Michigan State Cancel Televised Spring Football?

One of the big college football programs recently canceled its annual spring game. Will Michigan and Michigan State follow suit?

What is The College Football Spring Game?

You University of Michigan superfans know that the "Spring Game" is when the Wolverines play themselves by dividing the team into two teams. One team is "Team Maize" and the other is Team Blue. It's an annual game to develop players and is televised.

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I worked in Indiana for 18 years and every year Notre Dame made a big deal about the spring game and the superfans were all present to represent their Irish. I have a buddy Cory who is the biggest Irish fan I know and he goes to every spring game but I have never gone to one or watched one of these games on TV.

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Will Michigan & Michigan State Do Away With Their Spring Game?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has pulled the plug on its annual spring game out of fear of other teams watching it on TV and then poaching his players.

Rhule is not the first coach to say goodbye to the annual spring game. According to CBS Sports, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin walked from the game last year and instead had hot dog eating contests, golf cart races, and a tug-of-war contest, and made it more of a fun players and fans event with no football.

As you can see from the photo above the Michigan Wolverines' spring game isn't filling the seats but leaves lots of room for other teams to scout players. With the college portal and NIL, college is becoming more like the NFL, with the right amount of money an opposing school can steal players. It would make sense for a program Michigan has to walk away from the tradition like other teams are starting to do.

The same goes for the Michigan State Spartans, why show other teams your hand before you ever get to the next season? It would be wise for all college programs to take a page out of Ole Miss coach Kiffin's book and make that day for players and fans a fun day and save the football for the fall.

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We will have to wait and see if Michigan and Michigan State will follow in dropping their spring game but I believe this trend will continue for some of the other major college programs. Plus, there is no way the spring game for any college program is a big TV ratings-getter.