@vok22 I dont disagree with the struggle early notion. BUt IMOP these closed scrimmages are just practices with other teams. valpo64's comments really outline the secret scrimmage the best.
@vu84v2 an exhibition is completely different from a secret scrimmage and are treated like real games. I was unaware about that revenue snippit tho.
@rezynezy it’s a little more than that. Yes, normally after the scrimmage the teams will run an extra overtime period, or certain out of bounds plays, or whatever the coaches decide on. But the secret scrimmage itself is a very real game situation. The teams scout and prep for each other, there are refs from the home team’s conference, and it is often a dress rehearsal for operations personnel too. And the teams care. A person who was working at the secret scrimmage told me that the closing seconds of the CMU scrimmage involved Roger screaming at the clock operator. It’s more than just a practice.
@sp37 I'm not denying that that occurs, but as I said previously valpo64's comments on a secret scrimmage hit the nail on the head. You are greasing your elbows with another team, yet have the freedom to stop play and fix key issues and try out your tool box on a real opponent. It is also an opportunity for conferences to train their officials and for gameday staff to work out issues (much to Powell's chagrin it seems). VHS hosts a summer event for their football program each year that is not unlike this and is what I most associate with the CBB "Secret Scrimmages" albeit on the level of a college program.
An exhibition on the other hand is a real deal game that just doesnt go on the overall record. My main point was to highlight that a secret scrimmage is treated very differently to an exhibition match, and IMOP folks tend to equate the two all too often. Its not worth throwing a lot of stock into the final scores.
Anybody want to comment on the ladies team? Looks like a pretty easy win last night but no doubt over a lesser opponent. Any hope for improvement over last year?
@vu72 you’re right, not much that can be drawn from an exhibition over a bad NAIA team, but they definitely look better than last year. Ball movement and defensive intensity certainly stood out. Nogues and Guedet look very good for being freshmen, and this team will be less reliant on 1-2 players to have a big game than they were last year - there are a lot more capable players on the team this year. If I had to guess, I’d say we will land in the 8-10 win range, which isn’t great but is obviously better than last year.