Recently, Colorado and Syracuse made headlines after seeking permission from the NCAA to hold joint spring practices and scrimmages, and hope to make the new idea come to life in the coming weeks.
Then, on Tuesay, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy suggested that the Cowboys should pursue a home-and-home series with Oklahoma, with the caveat that it be played in the spring and serve as a spring game with rules in place to avoid injury.
He likened it to the NFL, where teams practice against one another in the offseason to avoid having the same guys line up across from them throughout training camp.
There have been meassage board ideas about this is the past, but in the wake of Colorado and Syracuse are doing, plus what Gundy is suggesting, it got us thinking: What if this were a real thing?
What if teams across the country met up and played an exhibition-style spring game against one another, with practices held at both campuses, and games in both stadiums, with funds set aside for NIL purposes?
Let’s pretend for a moment that this thing really took off and every team in the Big 12 looked to partner up with another program to do something similar. What would that look like in an ideal world?
Here are the ground rules.
- The teams can’t share a conference.
- The teams cannot be scheduled to play each other in 2025.
- Has to make logistical sense for fans and universities (Neighboring state, in-state)
- Must be at the same level of football (No FCS or D-II schools)
Here’s the ideal spring football opponent for every Big 12 football team.
Arizona Wildcats
Opponent: San Diego State Aztecs
Since Arizona State is the only other Division I program in The Grand Canyon State, the Wildcats will have to look a little further west to find their partner. San Diego State is just under 400 miles away, and is a straight shot from Tuscon on I-8. The Aztecs have a beautiful venue at Snapdragon Stadium and would be a perfect pairing for Arizona as an exhibition opponent.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Opponent: UNLV Rebels
Just four hours separate Arizona State and Sin City, and there aren’t many teams that the Big 12 would pair with and get to play in an NFL stadium. UNLV plays at Allegient Field, the home of the Raiders, and a spring home-and-home here would be almost perfect.
Baylor Bears
Opponent: Texas A&M Aggies
Realignment has stolen so many good rivalries, and the Battle on the Brazos is an unfortunate casualty of the Big 12 shuffling. Just 89 miles separate these two campuses, and with the old-school rivalry already setting the table, this would have a great turnout for both programs.
BYU Cougars
Opponent: Wyoming Cowboys
This one came down to either Wyoming or Boise State, and with the established rivalry between these two dating back to 1922, it only makes sense for Wyoming to be the team paired with the Cougars. It wouldn’t work every year, as they’re bound to be scheduled at some point, but it works for now.
UCF Knights
Opponent: USF Bulls
This one is a no-brainer, as the War on I-4 isn’t scheduled for 2025 and these two teams would be chomping at the bit to face each other in Orlando and Tampa. It wasn’t long ago that this was a heated conference rivalry, but now we’ll just take it however we can get it.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Opponent: Kentucky Wildcats
Why haven’t these teams played since 1996? Even if it’s just an exhibition game, it feels like this matchup makes almost too much sense. Another Big 12 vs. SEC spring game that would do well at both gates.
Colorado Buffaloes
Opponent: Colorado State Rams
There seems to be some beef between Deion Sanders and Jay Norvell, but this pairing is the obvious choice. The two schools are an hour-and-a-half apart and have everything to gain from facing each other in the spring. I know a cross-country meeting against Syracuse might actually happen, but this one is the logical long-term choice.
Houston Cougars
Opponent: Texas Longhorns
Somebody has to deal with Texas, and since Houston still falls under the “New Guy” portion of the Big 12, they draw the short stick. All jokes aside, a Houston-Texas spring pairing would be beneficial for everyone involved, and less than three hours separate the campuses.
Iowa State Cyclones
Opponent: Minnesota Gophers
Minnesota’s rivalry with Iowa produced the “Floyd of Rosedale” trophy, so perhaps the winner of a spring scrimmage between these two could be some monstrous conglomeration of a gopher and a cyclone. I’m here for it.
Kansas Jayhawks
Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks
Staying just under the four-hour mark, Kansas and Arkansas can practice and scrimmage one another in Lawrence and Fayetteville, and the fans would show up. The last time these two met on a football field, it was chaos. Perhaps some of that magic would continue in an exhibition game.
Kansas State Wildcats
Opponent: Nebraska Cornhuskers
An old rivalry that doesn’t really get its due among the Big 12’s best, Kansas State-Nebraska is something that we should get every year. If it’s not going to happen in the fall, I’d bet these two fan bases would settle for a spring matchup. There’s no doubt that this would be among the best-attended games year in and year out.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Opponent: Oklahoma Sooners
As Gundy suggested, this one makes so much sense that it’s almost laughable. The 2024 season was the first time since the inception of the rivalry that these two didn’t meet, and what better way to try and preserve it than by getting the state of Oklahoma together a couple of times during spring football?
TCU Horned Frogs
Opponent: North Texas Mean Green
Fort Worth and Denton are a whopping 40 minutes away from each other, and while North Texas isn’t a Power Four opponent, it makes too much sense logistically to pass this one up. These two programs would have no issues at all getting to and from practice at opposite campuses, and the scrimmages would work perfectly as well.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
SMU Mustangs
SMU and TCU are rivals. Texas Tech and TCU are rivals. So, maybe “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” works here. Lubbock is on an island when it comes to D-I schools around them, so the five-hour trip one way is a bit longer than the others on the list. However, the financial challenge to make this happen won’t be an issue for either booster club here.
Utah Utes
Utah State Aggies
It’s not a huge rivalry in the grand scheme of college football, but Utah-Utah State does have history, and it doesn’t get played annually anymore. Salt Lake City to Logan is 90 minutes through the mountain passes, but it would 100% make sense for both parties to make this happen.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Virginia Tech Hokies
There are quite a few options for WVU, and Marshall almost got the nod because of the old rivalry. Then, I thought about how awesome it would be to see West Virginia getting ready for a spring football scrimmage and hearing “Enter Sandman” blasting out at Lane Stadium. Count me in.
