The old spread. Not the same as the new spread...
Three weeks ago, we had a thread about what we wished would disappear in CFB, which is easy, because everyone always has a complaint list that's three miles long. But now you're going to have to accentuate the positive and come up with 5 things that have vanished from the game that you'd like to see return--NOT a wish list of new innovations, mind you.These things must have already existed at one time.
1) The Wishbone: Not seen in major college football outside Lincoln, Nebraska in at least 20+ years, fans of a dedicated running game have seen passing attacks slowly erode into carries for decades. Call it another name if you wish--triple option, for example--but let's get back to running the ball more. We're not the NFL, and I don't care about being a farm system for their pro-style offense crap. I'd love to see this ball control offense strategy make a comeback.
2) Neutral Site Games: With the advent of the new inaugural game that the Georgia Dome has reintroduced, reminiscent of the old Pigskin and Kickoff classics, and with renewed vigor in facilitating OOC matchups, like FSU and Alabama in Jacksonville two years ago, the neutral site game may make a comeback with a vengeance. Slowly but surely, with greater pressure for BCS teams to schedule same in OOC matchups, neutral site games offer a compromise to the scheduling intricacies of a home and home. It's one game and done! The networks, especially ESPN and ABC, are leading the way in doing this. CFB can only benefit when the scheduling of these games is facilitated.
3. Alumnus Coaches: What does every single coach in the SEC have in common? None of their alma maters is their current employer. And probably 95% of the remaining FBS coaches. Almost an anachronism in this day of professional hired guns, the alumnus coach is a vanishing breed, especially in high-profile programs. Although I understand that having sheepskin from the institution that you're currently coaching isn't a prerequisite for success, I'd still like to see it make a comeback, if only for the novelty of it. Unfortunately for most schools, most alumni coaches just aren't qualified to take the reigns of their former program. Sad commentary, indeed.
4. The Tear-Away Jersey: Yea, I know the logistics of having multiple jerseys for every player on the roster would be a nightmare, as evidenced by a certain Georgia Tech QB on a Thursday night about a year ago, but if you ever saw one get ripped off Earl Campbell at Texas, you know what I mean. 'Nuff said!
5. The 3-Hour game: Darwinists have predicted that the current CFB will have evolved into six and a half hours by 2085. We can put a man on the moon, but can't get one hour of football with requisite commercials in thrice that interval? Three hours was long enough for Gilligan and the crew to get stranded on an uncharted desert isle. Why can't we get it done? I devote less time to sleep a lot of nights than I do to the average televised Auburn game.
Time to hear yours!