Perhaps college programs should consider exhibitions

In the months before the calendar hit 2000, The Daily assigned several of us to write stories about what life might be like in 100 years.

My assignment involved taking a look at college sports in 2100, and the only comment that I recall about that story I wrote came from Alabama athletics director Mal Moore. He said that he thought college football eventually would add an exhibition game.

He didn’t think it would come the following year or two years or 10 years, but maybe somewhere down the line, it would happen.

Moore’s idea looks better and better these days, especially for major programs like Alabama and Auburn. What better way to prepare for a good opening opponent such as Kansas State than an exhibition game against a smaller school?

Also, schools need more sources of revenue to support growing athletic programs, and an exhibition game would help bring in more dollars.

Perhaps if the NCAA could sanction the idea, it could allow teams to play anybody on its roster, even players who might be redshirted.

Restrict the area of travel for these games, and perhaps it would encourage a school like Alabama to face UAB or Troy or Jacksonville State. Since it’s an exhibition, who cares who you play?

Alabama high schools already play preseason exhibitions, calling them jamborees. Coaches typically agree to play varsity players in the opening half or so and allow junior varsity players or reserves to play the rest of the game.

Each NFL team plays at least four exhibition games, and even though some players and coaches are making noise to cut it down to two contests a year, nobody is shouting that the league should drop the concept.

Colleges already play spring games, which mostly are glorified scrimmages. But an exhibition game could provide more excitement for fans and help coaches guage their talent.

Then again, maybe college exhibition games never will come. After all, the average major college coach would give at least five points against it: