Spring is here

Iowa football begins spring practice Wednesday.

OK, it's not quite football and you can't tailgate, but it's as close as we're going to get between now and August, so dig in.

Here's a schedule of Iowa's speaking engagements:

Tuesday, March 20: Coach Kirk Ferentz press conference, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 28: Darrell Wilson and Lester Erb press conference, 12:30 p.m.

Selected Player Interviews, 1:30 p.m.

Video and Photo opportunity, first 15 minutes of practice, time TBA

Wednesday, April 4: Reese Morgan and Erik Campbell press conference, 12:30 p.m.

Selected Player Interviews, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, April 11: Greg Davis and Phil Parker press conference, 12:30 p.m.

Selected Player Interviews, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 14: Open Practice/scrimmage, Kinnick Stadium, time TBA

Coach Ferentz and selected players available at conclusion

Spring games have been televised by ESPN for several years. With the emergence of ESPN3, you can now watch the South Carolina spring game from kickoff to final gun. The Big Ten Network also has jumped onto the spring game bandwago with two feet.

For most of Kirk Ferentz's 13 seasons as Iowa's coach, he's opted for a spring scrimmage, which is situational and not an actual game.

You will read posts all over the internet this spring about attendance for games that pit No. 1s vs. No. 2s. For the most part, Iowa checks in the 10,000 to 15,000 range.

According to CNBC, here are the top spring attendances in 2011:

Alabama 92,310

Nebraska 66,786

FSU 53,818

Auburn 53,209

Florida 51,000

Tennessee 35,891

Texas 29,541

Notre Dame 27,863

LSU 25,032

I wanted to know if the fact that Iowa doesn't have a traditional "game" affected your decision to attend.

20 No, it doesn't matter

13 Yes, no game means no go

Here are some of the better answers (Thanks for participating!):