If you're in the "spring games mean nothing" camp, you're reading the wrong story from the wrong guy. As a resolute and proud lover of all things spring football, I'm here to tell you that what happens over 15 practices during the second semester is not only relevant, but important. You just have to know what you're looking for.
With a full weekend of spring finales coming up, this is your viewer's guide for what to watch on Saturday.
Alabama
Date: April 21 | Time: 2 p.m. ET | Watch: ESPN
Jalen Hurts has a new lease on life in the Alabama spring game. While presumed 2018 starter Tua Tagovailoa nurses a hand injury, Hurts will have the spotlight all to himself on Saturday to prove that he's made the kind of strides as a passer to hang on to that starting quarterback job. The bigger question mark for Alabama is in the secondary. There are some bona-fide-starter candidates arriving in the summer from the 2018 recruiting class, but Saturday could see guys like Trevon Diggs, Deionte Thompson and Shyhiem Carter lock up their own spots in a defensive backfield that loses its top five contributors to the NFL.
Georgia
Date: April 21 | Time: 4 p.m. ET | Watch: ESPN
Hello Justin Fields. For those that haven't watched Georgia's true freshman five-star quarterback, pull up a chair this weekend because the kid is a special talent. Even without the hype surrounding Fields, the passing game would be worth evaluating on Saturday. With Nick Chubb and Sony Michel gone, this will be our first opportunity to see if that unit looks ready to shoulder some additional load in 2018. With some NFL talent to replace in the front seven and nine early enrollees on campus, freshman defensive end Brenton Cox will be a name to keep an eye on.
LSU
Date: April 21 | Time: 6 p.m. ET | Watch: SEC Network
On paper, LSU trots out the least imposing offensive backfield since Charles Scott led LSU with 542 rushing yards in 2009. This is an important spring game because we're either going to find out that we're not giving nearly enough credit to Nick Brossette, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the rest of LSU's backfield or maybe that quarterback Myles Brennan and targets like Justin Jefferson and Jonathan Giles are so talented that we shouldn't care about running back.
Mississippi State
Date: April 21 | Time: 4 p.m. ET | Watch: SEC Network
New coach Joe Moorhead inherits one of the most talented Mississippi State rosters in a long time, but how quickly can that roster adapt to his offense and Bob Shoop's defense? Moorhead comes to Starkville with a reputation as a big play engineer, but he doesn't have the same perimeter threats that he had at his disposal at Penn State. Saturday will be a good gauge of how far the Bulldogs have to go to find Nick Fitzgerald's big play targets.
Nebraska
Date: April 21 | Time: Noon ET | Watch: Big Ten Network
Let's all marvel at the crowd, at the pageantry, at a rabid fanbase smelling success on the horizon under Scott Frost, because that may be the most compelling aspect of the Nebraska spring game. We'll have a quarterback battle to monitor with Tristan Gebbia, Andrew Bunch and true freshman Adrian Martinez, but we'll also see if guys like Tyjon Lindsey can grab a more meaningful role in a more wide open offense. But this game will be about a fanbase re-energized to strengthen the Big Ten West.
Notre Dame
Date: April 21 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET | Watch: NBC Sports
In Clark Lea, Notre Dame will have a new defensive coordinator running the same system that helped the Fighting Irish find a six-win improvement last season. He welcomes back a host of talent and the unit shouldn't miss a beat. It's the quarterback position that needs to step up on Saturday. Brandon Wimbush was disappointing last year, and suddenly, we've got a real quarterback battle with Ian Book. Has he shaken off the yips that plagued his 2017 season?
Penn State
Date: April 21 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: Big Ten Network
Penn State says goodbye to a lot of veteran talent off of its 2017 team. Saturday is our first look at whether James Franklin's recruiting resurgence is ready to pay off in State College. Most notably, the nation gets an introduction to Micah Parsons -- a five-star early enrollee that can compete for a starting middle linebacker job, but may be too dangerous as a pass rusher to keep off the edge. It's also time for the unveiling of Saquon Barkley's replacement: Miles Sanders.
Tennessee
Date: April 21 | Time: 2 p.m. ET | Watch: SEC Network
Jeremy Pruitt has not been forthcoming on the standouts from this spring in Knoxville. On Saturday, we'll find out whether that is a calculated effort to keep his team focused or an unfortunate dearth of guys worth talking about. At the very least, this will be Jarrett Guarantano's opening statement in a quarterback battle that begins in earnest with the summer arrival of Stanford grad transfer Keller Chryst. Beyond that, Saturday will be an Easter egg hunt for playmakers to emerge from somewhere.
Texas
Date: April 21 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | Watch: Longhorn Network
There is a quarterback battle in play between Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele, but regardless of who wins the job, experience and some level of success returns under center. It's the rest of the offense and that offensive line under new position coach Herb Hand that needs to show improvement. But that's not what I'm most excited to see; it's the freshmen studs on the back-end. Safety Caden Sterns and CB Anthony Cook have already made big moves this spring and along with BJ Foster, Texas' top ranked 2018 DB class is already poised to make an impact.
UCLA
Date: April 21 | Time: 2 p.m. ET | Watch: Pac-12 Network
Any Chip Kelly offense that is welcoming Wilton Speight into the fold as a graduate transfer is no Chip Kelly offense that college football fans will recognize. So what will we see? Think much more RPO than read option. Think more Eagles than Oregon. It will likely be vanilla, but it's our first glimpse into the most hyped hire of the offseason. It's also a glimpse at whether Kelly's QB is already on the roster or whether his starter arrives this summer in true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
