No need, really, to rehash the futility in trying to equate a spring game with honest football.

They insist on playing them anyway, even at LSU, which admittedly isn’t as big of an offender as many (looking at you, Alabama).

Putting them on television only seems to needlessly encourage them, but I suppose the SEC Network will take programming wherever it can find it.

View at your own risk.

Whether you watcedh LSU’s affair Saturday night is between you and your conscience.

But it is worth noting that there were some disturbing incidents recently — not at LSU, not yet anyway — that are vying to sum up the silliness of the spring football season.

Nebraska, for instance.

The story has been gripping the Cornhusker State all spring, dominating talks shows and requiring extra logs for the social media fires.

The Nebraska defense, after years of pledging allegiance to the 4-3 defense — it was even considered a tradition, like applauding opposing teams after home games — was spending the spring installing the 3-4 defense.

To to the layman’s eye, all teams just seem to cram as much livestock as they dare up close at the line and try to tackle somebody, preferably with the ball.

But to the X-and-O junkies, evidently there’s a rhyme and a reason and a numbered gap system to it, and also a license to overanalyze.

You may recall LSU did the same thing last spring.

But keep in mind that they live and breathe Big Red football 24/7, 365 per year.

One year during the College World Series, the big, bold-print lead story at the top of the outside front page of the Omaha World-Herald was that Nebraska football was changing radio announcers.

So this 3-4 thing was big, big news.

A new defensive coordinator, chap named Bob Diaco, was installing it, and there were daily updates.

By the time the spring game rolled around, Cornhuskers fans couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.

They had to see it with their own eyes. They flocked to the stadium to see the new 3-4 play toy, no doubt ready to pronounce it the cure for all that ailed them in a 38-24 loss to Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.

So Nebraska went out for the spring game and, in front of more than 70,000 gullible souls, ran the 4-3 defense for the duration.

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley later explained that his team had, in fact, installed the bulk of the new defense during the spring. But he didn’t want any of next year’s opponents to get a sneak peak of what his team was up to.

Really, that was his explanation.

Maybe a new height (or low) in paranoia. The Cornhuskers open the season with Arkansas State.

Even more startling news, perhaps more dangerous, comes from Penn State and head coach James Franklin.

It’s kind of old hat for schools to have the media take over as head coaches of the two teams for a day.

Both Mssrs. Saban and Miles, for instance, have in weak moments entrusted one of the LSU spring teams to my shaky hands, with predictable results.

I’m 0-2 on the sidelines, having coached my pants off twice while unappreciative and uncooperative players refused to carry out my genius.

I even tried chewing out one of the smaller lads, to which he replied: “Who … are you?”

Anyway, Franklin is upping the ante considerably at Penn State.

He is inviting the media to play in the game.

Well, he’s inviting them to field punts and kickoffs.

I would assume Penn State is doing the normal spring drill in which the kicking game isn’t live tackling. Still, most of the media I know could hurt themselves just trying to catch one of those things.

But I don’t know how Franklin gets along with the media up there, so maybe he’s turning the special teams loose on the reporters.

Probably figuring there’s a catch, as of Thursday he had no takers.

But I will check Saturday before entering Tiger Stadium to make sure there’s no requirement of participation in the game itself to enter the press box.

About the only suspense will be that it’s the first spring game for new head coach Ed Orgeron.

Maybe he can make it look reasonably like football.

If so, hiring him was worth it.

Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.com

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) runs between Nebraska defensive tackle Maliek Collins (7) and Nebraska defensive tackle Vincent Valentine (98) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Nati Harnik