The weather outside might not be a good indicator, but, yes, we are just a few days away from KU football’s annual spring game at Memorial Stadium.

— Despite today’s wintry weather, the good news is that the forecast calls for sunny and 60s on Saturday, so hang in there —

In many ways this spring has flown by, partly because of the early start, partly because of the week off for spring break and partly because it overlapped with March Madness. Regardless, I’ve been busy stockpiling all kinds of notes and quotes to help get us through the months of May, June and July with some fun and interesting football coverage.

So just because spring drills are about to end, don’t think for a second that our coverage will.

I’ll have plenty more this week about the final week of spring practice and a preview of Saturday’s spring game, which will kick off at 1 p.m. and is free to the public.

For now, though, here’s a quick look at the format for the game, which will feature a roster division that leans toward a passing team on one side (blue) and a rushing team on the other (white). I like the way they’ve split it up. Should make it interesting no matter which side has the ball.

Here’s how it will all go down:

1. There will be four 15 minute quarters with a running clock, with the exception of the final two minutes of each half, where normal game clock rules will be followed. Outside of that, the clock will stop only for injuries, timeouts or at the referee’s discretion.

2. A coin toss will decide who gets the ball.

3. Possessions to begin each half and after scores will start at the 30 yard line.

4. No kickoffs. (This is to avoid unnecessary injuries)

5. There will be an abbreviated halftime of 13 minutes (NFL format).

6. Punt/punt return will end when the returner fair catches the ball, picks up a rolling ball or when a defender downs the ball. Normal rules apply for touchbacks.

7. On field goals, if the ball hits the ground, the play will be blown dead.

8. Red jerseys worn by the quarterbacks will protect QBs in the pocket only. In other words, if they run, they’re free to be hit. (Don’t expect Jake Heaps to take off to much, if at all.)

9. Game MVPs will be announced after the game. The team will join the band for the alma mater after the game.

All in all, it’s a pretty decent format for a game that has the potential to be both competitive and entertaining. I have no problem with some of the rules put in place to avoid injuries. Sure, you want to entertain the fans that show up, but not at the expense of getting someone hurt.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the crowd to enjoy what it’s watching, both on offense and defense.

I’ll leave you (for now) with a quick look at some of the marquee names on each squad.

BLUE OFFENSE:
Tony Pierson
Jake Heaps
James Sims
Justin McCay
Christian Matthews
Tre’ Parmalee
Andrew Turzilli
Jimmay Mundine
Colin Spencer
Pat Lewandowski
Randall Dent
Dylan Admire
Gavin Howard
Aslam Sterling

BLUE DEFENSE:
Jordan Tavai
Chris Martin
JaCorey Shepherd
Ben Heeney
Cassius Sendish
Jake Love
Keon Stowers

WHITE OFFENSE:
Michael Cummings
Taylor Cox
Brandon Bourbon
Josh Ford
Jordan Shelley-Smith
Chris Omigie
Ngalu Fusimalohi
Mike Smithburg
Damon Martin
Riley Spencer
Brian Beckmann

WHITE DEFENSE:
Greg Allen
Tevin Shaw
Darius Willis
Michael Reynolds
Ben Goodman
Ty McKinney
Dexter McDonald
Nasir Moore