Breaking down three teams that Stanford could do joint practices with

Joint spring practices have been a topic of discussion as of late

College football is constantly changing in terms of player movement, conference realignment, and now there could be another unexpected modification somewhere down the line.

This time of year brings us spring ball, which of course means there will be position battles, new systems, and new faces on campus. Teams across the country conduct 15 practices, and of course one of them is the team's spring game where they play as close to a game as you can get when playing against your own team.

Something that Auburn coach Hugh Freeze recently advocated for changing, as he proposed that teams do joint practices with another program, which would likely ramp up the intensity while also allowing for teams to work against different looks while still being able to practice the new teachings. This led me to thinking of all of the possible matchups we would see in and around the Pac-12, so I broke down possible opponents that every program in the Pac-12 should do a joint practice with.

For a team like Stanford they do have a variety of options since they are in such close proximity to a handful of programs unlike the Los Angeles schools. Let's take a look at three programs that Stanford could do joint practices with.

UC Davis

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Series Leader: Stanford (3-1)

Last Meeting: Stanford Won 30-10 (2018)

Distance Between Them: 106 Miles

Why it would benefit Stanford: 

In terms of college football joint practices, I would have to imagine that most coaches would like to do so against a team that they will not be playing in the regular season. Despite their proximity, these two programs do not meet often which would be good in terms of not having to worry about having to limit the play call more than the teams already will. In terms of competition, UC Davis would likely be a frisky spring opponent but Stanford should do just fine. I think of the three options they have the least amount of possible outlying factors that could prevent a joint practice. 

Sacramento State

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Series Leader: Stanford (1-0)

Last Meeting: Stanford Won 52-17 (2010)

Distance Between Them: 123 Miles

Why it would benefit Stanford: 

If Stanford does want to play against a close Big Sky program that they don't play very often, Sacramento State should be No. 1 on their list. The two have met just one time, and the Hornets would certainly provide a challenge for the Cardinal. The program was built up by new Stanford coach Troy Taylor, and certainly would push Stanford to be the best they could be considering how good they are and the ties to Taylor. However, one of the worst things that could happen in a joint spring game would be to lose and while Stanford should be able to beat Sacramento State this year's Hornets team might be a tad more amped up following the departure of Taylor. As I'm writing this, it also happens to be the one year the two teams will face off in the regular season. Maybe somewhere down the line when there are no longer players Taylor recruited and coached to Sacramento State.

San Jose State

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Series Leader: Stanford (50-13-1)

Last Meeting: Stanford Won 34-13 (2013)

Distance Between Them: 22 Miles

Why it would benefit Stanford:

Everything in college football is about money these days, and unlike the other two programs, San Jose State is down the street meaning that the Cardinal likely wouldn't have to fork over too much for the Spartans to make the trip. This collaboration would be fascinating due to the "rivalry" between the two programs, and how tightly contested it could be. Stanford should have the advantage, but I imagine this matchup would get frisky.