No Preseason College Football?

21C · 08-30-2004, 02:37 AM

Now I've been watching the NFL for over 30 years and understand their whole ( protracted ) preseason and regular season but I plead ignorance on the college scene.

I've followed the pros throught the draft, the voluntary workouts, the scrimmages and the preseason where they play the first team guys for a couple of series and then the second and third teams as they prepare for the regular season - which incidentally they should hurry up and start!!

How do college teams prepare for the season? Do they play preseason games of some sort? Do they run scrimmages against other teams? Or do they just go straight in to the regular season?

I know that the college game and student athletes are completely different to the pros but what do the college teams do to get ready? I saw the USC-VT game got played recently but heard little in the lead-up.

timmynausea · 08-30-2004, 03:02 AM

There are tons of rules regulating preseason college football camp. College teams are basically allowed to start practicing a month before the season. (30 days, I believe, technically.) Generally the first two weeks are two-a-days and the second two weeks are more like normal practice. There is a rule that for the first week or five days no contact is allowed and possibly time limits involved in practice times as well. They do have some intra-squad scrimmages, basically during the second week of camp, but that likely varies from team to team. As far as I know noone ever has scrimmages against other teams. Not sure whether or not it's legal.
Aside from fall camp teams are allowed to have 15 spring practice sessions and there are scrimmages involved in that. Usually a team will have a big public scrimmage of some type, like a Blue-Gold game, offense vs. defense kind of thing.
Essentially, though, no preseason and a heavily regulated fall training camp is all they have before jumping into the season. The NCAA is like an overprotective parent.

21C · 08-30-2004, 03:15 AM

Now I see.

By the way, I believe the NFL preseason is too long. While I religiously watch the regular season and playoffs, I barely tune in to the preseason - apart from the first couple of series of the odd game. I've heard suggestions of making the preseason two games and extending the regular season to 18 games. I think 16 is long enough as far as the season goes.

timmynausea · 08-30-2004, 03:18 AM

Yeah the NFL probably could cut down a little on the preseason, just for the sake of injuries. I like watching preseason football, though, just to see some of the young guys.

mgadfly · 08-30-2004, 12:14 PM

When I played in college we weren't allowed to scrimmage other teams, but we did play a Red and Black game and had a scrimmage against Alumni (I'm not sure if this is still allowed or done by many teams, but it was a chance to play once in a game like situation before the season began).

08-30-2004, 03:02 AM	#2
timmynausea College Starter Join Date: Dec 2002	There are tons of rules regulating preseason college football camp. College teams are basically allowed to start practicing a month before the season. (30 days, I believe, technically.) Generally the first two weeks are two-a-days and the second two weeks are more like normal practice. There is a rule that for the first week or five days no contact is allowed and possibly time limits involved in practice times as well. They do have some intra-squad scrimmages, basically during the second week of camp, but that likely varies from team to team. As far as I know noone ever has scrimmages against other teams. Not sure whether or not it's legal. Aside from fall camp teams are allowed to have 15 spring practice sessions and there are scrimmages involved in that. Usually a team will have a big public scrimmage of some type, like a Blue-Gold game, offense vs. defense kind of thing. Essentially, though, no preseason and a heavily regulated fall training camp is all they have before jumping into the season. The NCAA is like an overprotective parent. Last edited by timmynausea : 08-30-2004 at 03:11 AM.

08-30-2004, 03:15 AM	#3
21C College Prospect Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newcastle, Australia	Now I see. By the way, I believe the NFL preseason is too long. While I religiously watch the regular season and playoffs, I barely tune in to the preseason - apart from the first couple of series of the odd game. I've heard suggestions of making the preseason two games and extending the regular season to 18 games. I think 16 is long enough as far as the season goes.

08-30-2004, 03:18 AM	#4
timmynausea College Starter Join Date: Dec 2002	Yeah the NFL probably could cut down a little on the preseason, just for the sake of injuries. I like watching preseason football, though, just to see some of the young guys.

08-30-2004, 12:14 PM	#5
mgadfly High School Varsity Join Date: Dec 2003	When I played in college we weren't allowed to scrimmage other teams, but we did play a Red and Black game and had a scrimmage against Alumni (I'm not sure if this is still allowed or done by many teams, but it was a chance to play once in a game like situation before the season began).

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