Could Penn State Football ditch Blue-White Game for FCS clash?

Could a simple change to how Penn State Football and the majority of FBS teams handle their spring games make it more exciting to watch?

I remember my first Blue-White game like it was yesterday.

A chance to watch a Penn State Football game, which included almost all of the top guys on the team, in a mostly empty Beaver Stadium for free?

Sign me up!

Well, that was many, many years ago (I’m not going to say how long so don’t even ask) and let’s just say there’s a statue somewhere to commemorate the excellence of the head coach of that team.

But, as the years have gone on and as the Nittany Lion faithful have seen a handful of new head coaches lead the Blue and White, the spring game just doesn’t seem the same anymore.

Following Bill O’Brien’s first full year with the Penn State Football program, he hinted at a host of significant changes following the 2013 Blue-White game in which starting running back Zack Zwinak suffered an apparent wrist injury.

Granted, his hint at changes were mainly due to a heavily depleted and thin roster, to begin with thanks to the NCAA.

However, O’Brien was not able to implement these changes as he left for the Houston Texans and James Franklin stepped in.

And boy was the 2014 Blue-White game different.

But not the entertainment, excitement, events, and family-friendly activities around the event. These were all incredible and a massive step up from the festivities from years past. It was a giant circus (in a good way) the likes I have never seen before surrounding Beaver Stadium in April.

As for the game?

It was a glorified practice.

Nothing more and nothing less. But at least it was free, right?

Well, yes, it was. Back then.

Not anymore.

Which is a trend many Power 5 programs have implemented for their annual spring games over the years as a way to generate more revenue from their diehard fans.

Have the spring games gotten more entertaining?

Nope.

If anything they’ve become as unwatchable as ever.

This brings us to this idea as a way to make spring games like Penn State Football’s more entertaining:

On the outside looking in, this appears to be a fantastic idea as fans will be able to see an actual football game played within its normal rules for an afternoon in spring.

Plus, it can potentially justify the ever-increasing costs families spend in order to make the trip to Happy Valley every April.

But here’s the problem …

Due to the highly risk-averse environment of high-level college football (for obvious reasons), spring football games are becoming more about keeping/increasing the hype surrounding them (people, money, fanfare) while simultaneously lessening the product/entertainment on the field.

And while I like the idea of playing Penn State Football playing an FCS opponent in their annual spring game, there’s zero chance Franklin will do it.

Furthermore, I highly doubt a single Power 5 coach would even consider it.

Their main job in the spring is to get their team ready for the upcoming season.

It also includes building up hype for their program to get as many people as possible to come to their stadium in the spring to watch them slap on a whistle and stand 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage as 3rd and 4th string players run drills.

Penn State Football fans can always reminisce about the good ole days of the hard-hitting Blue-White game, but unfortunately, those days are long gone and they aren’t coming back.

So, if you want to fork over money for steep gas prices, then spend money on parking around Beaver Stadium, while feeding your family food from the endless amounts of corndog and pizza stands, to then watch a boring practice?

Get used to it, because no matter how many good ideas floating around about how to make the spring game more enjoyable to watch, it’s not going to change anytime soon.