The college football season is still five months away but fans will get their first taste of the action with the spring games right around the corner. Those games might not mean anything in terms of the standings but they will represent our first look at this year’s rosters with new faces and position battles giving us reason to tune in. Here is a look at the four must-watch college football games for this spring.
Michigan Wolverines
Friday April 1, 7:00 PM ET
What will Jim Harbaugh do in his second season with the Wolverines? That is one of the most popular questions being asked right now as the hype continues to build heading in to Year Two at Michigan. The Wolverines were a surprise contender in 2015 and an improved roster could have them set to challenge Ohio State and Michigan State at the top of the Big Ten again this season. Michigan’s football team spent a week in Florida this spring and held a practice at Ford Field so some are wondering what Harbaugh has up his sleeve for Friday’s practice. An improved roster that is loaded with talent on both sides of the football will be enough to make this game worth watching and the fact that it lands on April Fools Day could mean at least a couple of surprises.
Texas Longhorns
Saturday April 16, 2:00 PM ET
Charlie Strong now has three solid recruiting classes under his belt at Texas and the feeling is that now is the time for the Longhorns to contend in the Big 12. The spring game will give fans their first look at this year’s roster and will represent an opportunity for some new coordinators to evaluate where they are at including offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, who is a disciple of Art Briles and Dino Babers. Texas is hoping his style can spark their offense with Jerrod Heard, Tyrone Swoopes and Shane Buechele all set to get an opportunity at quarterback this spring.
Beyond just the quarterbacking, though, this is a very important time for Strong. The Longhorns have shown very little in his first two seasons, going just 11-14 overall. They even missed a bowl game last season. For Strong, his team better show up in a big way in spring and in the the fall, or it could cost him his job. While the school is still behind him, he’s clearly on the hot seat. It doesn’t help that miracle workers like Jim McElwain and Jim Harbaugh have turned around their programs in just one offseason, but for Strong, the rebuild is now entering it’s third season.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday April 16, 1:30 PM ET
It would be hard to tell Buckeyes’ fans that their spring game means nothing when nearly 100,000 fans showed up in 2015. Ohio Stadium should be filled to capacity again this year with the feeling that Urban Meyer’s team is once again poised to challenge for a Big Ten title and potentially even a national championship. Injuries have created competition at some positions and they will have seven players from the No. 2 rated recruiting class on the field. Many people will also be keeping an eye on the quarterback position, which was the subject of many conversations last season. The spring game will mark another important step as the position battles ramp up and Buckeyes’ fans get their first real look at this year’s roster.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday April 16, 12:30 PM ET
The Notre Dame spring practice will feature one of the most intriguing quarterback battles in the country with Malik Zaire looking to wrestle back the No. 1 job from DeShone Kizer. Zaire won the starting job last spring but was injured in the second game of the season and Kizer thrived as his replacement the rest of the way so there are no guarantees. The spring game will feature both quarterbacks as well as a defense that will have plenty of competition after losing six starters this offseason.
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