"Don't have to abolish it": CFB analyst offers a solution for solving spring game issue amid multiple cancellations 

Spring game cancellation in college football became a major topic this offseason. Several teams, including Texas and USC, have canceled their spring games, and fans have expressed mixed opinions about the cancellations.

On Friday, former athlete and coach Jake Crain discussed a possible solution to the spring game cancellation issue on "Crain & Company" (the episode starts at 3:50).

"Texas and USC have announced that they won't play a spring game, and good for them, because from a coach's point of view, spring games are about as useful as a blind dart's player, and they're dangerous," Crain said. "But there's a way to fix it. You don't have to abolish it. See spring games should be played against smaller, in-state opponents.

For example, Alabama should play UAB and Auburn should play Troy. It's the best of both worlds because like the Senior Bowl, the most useful practices of spring practice, it's not the games, it's the spring practice. Most coaches understand that the spring game is really for the fans, and most coaches would just prefer another practice, or an actual opponent for the game."

Crain then suggested that large schools could pay the small schools to play them.

"Now you could pay the smaller school to come play you so you keep the money in-state, which is good politically, and it helps out the little guy," he said. "You could actually play against a scheme that the players don't know by heart because they've seen it every day. And if you play your backups and you lose, it doesn't look nearly as bad because it's not a regular season game."

Steve Sarkisian explains why Texas canceled its spring game

Texas was one of the most notable programs that canceled its spring game. On Thursday's "Up & Adams Show," Steve Sarkisian told the interviewer that Texas would not have a spring game.

"We’re not going to have a spring game," he said. "We’ve got a lot of young players on our roster. We have 21 midyear high school kids who just showed up. The development that is needed to get these guys ready for the fall is a little bit different than it used to be."

Perhaps Sarkisian would have a different opinion of spring games if his team could play a lower-level in-state opponent like Jake Crain suggests.