A September Roster in Search of a Shape

Northern Colorado head coach Steve Smiley has 15 scholarship players, seven returners, eight newcomers, and less than a month before the first exhibition game. He does not know who will start. He does not know who will play. And for now, that is exactly where he wants to be.

"We need data," Smiley says. "We need film. We need to know if we're making the right decisions."

The data-gathering begins with a "secret scrimmage" against another Division I opponent, structured as three 20-minute halves instead of the standard two. That gives Smiley the equivalent of an extra game's worth of evaluation before the real exhibition against Wyoming. A second secret scrimmage later in October will do the same. "We're trying to manipulate things to get as much film, data, stats, whatever you can," he explains. "Because you want to drill down."

The Concrete Analogy

Smiley describes the roster-building process with a metaphor he uses with his players: concrete mixing. Early September is the stirring phase—the powder and water are still being combined in the wheelbarrow. Eventually, you dump the concrete into the form and smooth it out. That is the moment you settle on seven, eight, or nine rotation players. But even then, you might have it wrong.