Viral Deion Sanders idea for Colorado spring game disallowed by NCAA

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders at Friday's Pro Day. Sanders hatched an NFL-style plan for spring football that garnered interest but was denied by the FBS Oversight Committee. (Photo by Madison Kerest/Sko Buffs Sports)

With the spring game less than two weeks away for the Colorado Buffaloes, fans are excited to see new and returning faces. Spring games in college football are usually practices where fans see all the players compete against each other.

This year, Buffs fans could’ve seen a scrimmage against the Syracuse Orange. 

On Mar. 22, both football programs filed formal paperwork with the NCAA to hold a competitive spring game scrimmage. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders brought this idea up while other colleges have been altering or dropping the spring game entirely. He proposed an NFL-style model, as it’s common practice for pro teams to host scrimmages during the offseason.

“I would actually like to play the spring game against another team, in the spring, Sanders said at a press conference last month. “That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”

A few hours after Sanders made this statement, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown responded to Coach Prime’s offer.

“We will come to Boulder for 3 days,” Brown said via X.

The only thing standing in the way of these two programs was the FBS Oversight Committee, which abides by an NCAA bylaw that forbids teams from playing competitive contests during the spring practice window. 

Unfortunately, the committee denied the request from both programs on Mar. 28. 

The oversight committee stated it mainly declined this request due to timing.

“Most schools already planned their spring practice schedule and didn't have the opportunity to match Colorado,” the statement read.

It also commented that Colorado would have a competitive advantage in recruiting for the spring game that other schools would lack.

This announcement dealt a huge blow to spring football, considering most coaches just want to make it through the spring season without major injuries or transfer defections.

Even though Coach Sanders’ idea of a new spring game was rejected this year, it could still be considered in the future for college football. If the NCAA changes this law, it will open the door for other programs to follow.