Pittman just not interested in doing what Deion wants Colorado to do

NCAA not letting teams scrimmage probably makes sense, but Razorbacks probably would have simple way of handling spring games if they want

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders reacts with an official after a play during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As Arkansas' spring practices are windind down, someone asked Sam Pittman what he thought about Colorado coach Deion Sanders wanting more of an NFL-type model.

It got a predictable reaction from Pittman. He was careful, though, not to cast any shade in the direction of the Buffaloes' coach.

"Isn’t it amazing how some coaches want more?" Pittman said Tuesday.

Sanders had wanted to play some sort of spring game or at least practices against a real opponent. That's along the lines of NFL teams holding camp practices against other teams.

The NCAA immediately threw cold water on that whole deal. Assuming Tom Mars doesn't get somebody to file a lawsuit, though. It won't be the Razorbacks, who are about 25 miles south of him in Rogers, Ark.

Pittman really, though, can't believe the opposite ends of the spectrum on the whole thing.

"They want spring opportunities like the NFL to practice against somebody," Pittman said. "And then other coaches don’t even want to have the spring game, and they want to go out there in underwear and shorts and no helmet. Isn't it amazing?"

Not really, considering every team in the country hasn't agreed on much of anything in the last 100 years. These days the problem is every time the NCAA tries to make a rule, lawsuits get filed and usually wins.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching spring practice drills on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

There is another reason Pittman isn't exactly keenon the idea. Considering the number of players he's going to have to face this year playing for somebody else, he sees it raising the possibility of teams using those events to recruit transfers.

"You’d have to watch other coaches going, ‘Who you trying to get off my team?’" Pittman said. "If I was a 1-AA team and you were scrimmaging Arkansas, I’d be miserable because if somebody made a play against the University of Arkansas, one of their coaches is going to make a play on that kid."

Coaches don't like adding more things to think about. For a coach like Pittman that admittedly is worried sometimes if there's not something that's making him worry (think about that one a minute and you'll understand), it's just one more thing to keep him awake.

"You’ve got to think about a lot of things," Pittman said. "Nobody is televising spring games anymore because of that fact. There’s a lot to think about, but for me, not against coach Sanders or anything else, for me, I wouldn’t be for that."

That transfer portal is driving him crazy. He spent decades learning everything he thought was necessary to be a head coach. Then it all changed 60 days after he got the job.

Adopting the one window for the portal would help.

"Numbers being thrown out there which I don’t know if it’s going to pass or not pass or whatever," Pittman said. "One number was Jan. 2-Jan.12 and to me that’s a great time, but what if you are in the playoffs just like basketball and here comes this."

Then there's the NIL stuff that's an entirely different issue. The portal window may be the biggest problem with college football and nobody has any answers, just hope right now.

Here's what Pittman said (we'll have the translation below):

"It’s not that the kids will go in the portal, it’s the ability to say if I don’t get this, this, this, I may not play in the semifinal game," Pittman said. Then you’ve got problems. I don’t know when the idea would be, but the one portal window that I heard thrown around was Jan 2-12 and that would be great. Great.

"You could have christmas without hoping that phone doesn't ring. You can be with your family, whether it be in a bowl game or not and not worry about who’s getting in the portal. Man, it would make life a lot better.

"I don’t know what the [answer] is. Feb. 1-Feb. 12, is that the best time? Well. you can’t do that because they can’t get into spring ball. Jan. 2 -Jan. 12 is what I’ve heard. To me, one portal, that’s the best option right now."

The Pittmanese translation on all that is really pretty simple now: He wants just one portal window and a nice dinner on Christmas Day.

Whether he gets it or not is out of his hands. That probably drives him crazy more than anything.