Spring games, or the lack of spring games, have become a talking point in college football. Most programs are choosing not to play. Michigan football is doing something different, but also, not really.
Michigan football is going to hold a spring game on April 19th. That hasn't changed. However, the program announced on Wednesday that the spring won't be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Instead, it will be shown a week later on tape delay.
What is this, 1990s WWE RAW? It's just really weird and it doesn't feel like something the Big Ten Network wanted to do.
The Big Ten Network was probably starved for content after most of the top-tier Big Ten programs, at least the ones that bring in the most eyeballs, decided not to have their spring games.
Matt Rhule canceled Nebraska's, instead doing something similar to the Pro Bowl skills competition, so to better protect against players being tampered with.
Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore said that the Wolverines weren't that worried about it, or that it didn't make a huge difference. This maybe signals otherwise. It's like not people still won't see the game but it won't be on TV until after the spring transfer window closes.
It does feel like something Jim Harbaugh would do, so I shouldn't be surprised. But lots of Michigan football fans are and will be disappointed. Yes, thousands will be able to watch in the stadium, for free, which is awesome, but making a huge chunk of the fanbase wait a week isn't cool.
And it's basically the same thing everyone else is doing, which takes some of the shine off.