For the second consecutive year, the NCAA has denied a request from Colorado and Syracuse to hold joint spring football practices.
Last year’s denial was due to the late timing of the request, while this year’s was to allow for a broader review of the college football calendar.
NCAA rules currently do not permit spring games or practices between two different schools, requiring a special waiver.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has pushed the NCAA for permission to conduct a new style of spring football practice — by competing against another team, particularly against Syracuse under coach Fran Brown.
But the NCAA said no to that idea in 2025 and now has done so again for 2026.
Last year, the NCAA’s Division I FBS oversight committee noted the late timing of the request in March 2025, saying then it wouldn’t be fair to other schools who already started or completed spring practices and didn’t get the same opportunity.
This year, Colorado and Syracuse filed their request earlier to avoid a similar denial but were turned down for a different reason by the same committee. The decision came in a committee video conference on Jan. 22 but wasn’t announced or reported previously until USA TODAY Sports confirmed it this week.
‘Circumstances do not warrant relief of the legislation,’ which currently prohibits joint spring practices, according to the written NCAA rationale for denying the request.
The committee denied it this time because a subcommittee is currently reviewing the whole football calendar for possible changes, including spring football practice, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports. It just didn’t want to make those changes now for two teams.
Colorado spokesperson Steve Hurlbert said the school would not appeal the decision.
Future changes to spring football still could happen
The NCAA left the door open on future changes to spring football practices.
‘The subgroup may consider joint practice concepts during its review of the spring practice period and consult other governance committees that may be impacted by a concept,’ the NCAA’s written rationale to Colorado said. ‘Based on feedback from the membership and other impacted governance committees, the subgroup may consider legislation that would permit any institution to engage in a joint practice.’
The arguments made by Colorado and Syracuse could help lay that foundation even though they were denied for the second consecutive year.
What is the NCAA’s reason for denying joint spring football?
Spring football games or practices between two schools are not permitted under NCAA rules. That’s why Colorado and Syracuse had to request a waiver from that rule in an attempt spice up the spring practice season and change it from its longtime format of intrasquad practices capped by an annual intrasquad game.
Asked to clarify the committee’s decision, an NCAA spokeswoman told USA TODAY Sports “the group didn’t want to approve outside competition in the spring without a more complete review of the calendar.”
A “calendar subgroup” of this same NCAA committee has been tasked with reviewing the college football calendar for possible changes in light of new challenges associated with conference realignment, team travel and the fact teams will only get one bye weekend in 2026.
After being denied last year, Brown said on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ last September, “I think it’s gonna go through next year possibly (in 2026).”
It didn’t. Syracuse announced Feb. 16 its spring intrasquad game would be held April 11. Colorado starts spring football March 2 and is expected to announce this week when its spring practice season ends.
Deion Sanders wanted ‘pilot program’ for spring football
Sanders has wanted to play and practice against another team in the spring to “style it like the pros” in the NFL.
Some schools such as Texas, Nebraska and Southern California previously canceled their annual spring intrasquad games for various reasons, including injury risks.
By contrast, Colorado had hoped a joint practice or scrimmage format against Syracuse would be a “pilot program” to go another direction with spring football. In its request for a waiver in 2025, Colorado noted spring scrimmages against other teams were allowed at the Division II level. The school also argued practicing against another team would reduce each team’s risk of injuries to players. Under this argument, only 11 players for one team would be on the field at once against another team instead of 22 for one team if it’s an intrasquad scrimmage.
Who is on this NCAA committee?
The committee is chaired by University at Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt. It has 19 members, including Illinois coach Bret Bielema, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, Miami (Fla.) athletic director Dan Radakovich, Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com