Colorado and Syracuse hit a roadblock in their bid to organize a spring football game together, as their request was turned down by the Division I FBS oversight committee. However, this isn’t the end of the road as the idea of hosting such games will be explored further in future discussions.
Just a week ago, Colorado’s coach, Deion Sanders, threw the idea out there, and Syracuse’s Fran Brown showed enthusiasm in taking part. The institutions promptly applied for a waiver to train together, but the committee, comprising mainly athletic directors and including Illinois coach Bret Bielema, decided against it. The primary reason for this denial was how close to existing schedules the request came in, with many FBS teams already having firm plans or wrapping up their spring training. Allowing the game at such a late stage was seen as potentially unfair, offering a recruiting edge to just these two schools. Concerns also arose regarding the impact on students’ academic commitments.
In a recent tweet, Chris Vannini highlighted the committee’s decision and pointed out that the discussion isn’t closing anytime soon, as the concept of joint practices will see further deliberation in the future.
In their report, the panel stated, “The committee advised the NCAA staff that, for the reasons noted above, it opposed the waiver,” but also added that they “agreed to discuss, during a future meeting, a concept that could permit joint spring practices in future seasons.”
While some schools are choosing to keep their practice games under wraps or cancel them to avoid affecting the transfer portal, others like Washington — under coach Jedd Fisch — opt for transparency and keep their entire spring practice in the public domain.
The notion of pitting college teams against each other in off-season scrimmages isn’t new, having been bounced around for years. Some coaches have even suggested having these practice games against FCS teams. The active involvement and interest from Sanders seem to have brought fresh momentum to the table, a sentiment echoed by Fran Brown’s support.
Sanders expressed his motivation for wanting these changes, saying, “That’s what I’m trying to do right now, to have it competitive. Playing against your own guys kind of gets monotonous, and you really can’t tell the levels of your guys. … It’s the same old, same old. Everybody kind of knows each other.”
In a different approach, Oklahoma State’s coach, Mike Gundy, proposed that in-state rival schools like Oklahoma State and Oklahoma should have multiple matches, selling tickets to fund name, image, and likeness (NIL) initiatives.
Craig Bohl, who heads the American Football Coaches Association and is also a former Wyoming coach, is among those optimistic about future collaboration practices resembling the NFL’s model. Though the committee seems open to exploring this prospect, fans won’t see joint practices this year.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
