The momentum behind a potential spring scrum between two Division I football subdivision teams (FBS) in April stopped.
Colorado Football head coach, Deion Sanders, recently launched joint practices between the Buffaloes and Syracuse leading to the exhibition game.
“To make this competitive, playing against your own guys becomes monotonous,” said Sanders at a press conference last week. “You really can’t say the level of your guys, because it’s the same old, the same old – everyone knows each other in a way.”
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An NCAA logo on the field before the match between the state jackrabbits of the southern Dakota and the northern Dakota state bison in the FCS football championship of division I was held at Toyota Stadium on January 8, 2023, in Frisco, Texas. (C. Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Syracuse’s coach Fran Brown finally accepted Sanders’ challenge, but the approval of an exemption from the NCAA FBS Supervisory Committee was necessary for the possible game to progress.
Friday, the committee finally decided to refuse the renunciation of a spouse. The decision comes in the midst of a university football programs trend across the country weighing the importance of traditional spring matches.
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Some of the coaches who have chosen to cancel their respective spring matches cited the risk of injury to players. Others have expressed their concern about potential transfer defections.
The quantity of track remaining for a potential scrum seemed to be one of the NCAA collage points. The spring practice calendar has already been traced for an overwhelming number of schools. Consequently, Colorado had a limited number of possible adversaries.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders takes care of Texas Tech during a Big 12 football match on Saturday 9 November 2024, at Jones At & T Stadium. (Stephen Garcia / Avalanche-Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
A melee could also provide a recruitment advantage for two participating schools, an opportunity that other programs would not necessarily have.
Despite the name, image and resemblance (zero), the NCAA also expressed academic concerns.
April 22, 2023; BOULDER, CO: Folsom Field during the first half of a spring match. (Ron Chenoy-Usa today Sports)
Nebraska recently revealed plans to replace its traditional intra-squad melee with skills competitions and 7 matches against 7 at the end of April.
In a memo obtained by athletics, the Committee does not completely close the door on future mixes while plans are in place to tackle the subject in the future. “The committee agreed to discuss, during a future meeting, a concept that could allow joint practices,” said the note.
In recent days, other coaches have joined Sanders’ support for spring melee. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy suggested a match with Oklahoma, while Texas technology coach Joey McGuire said he was in favor of joint practice with teams from the region.
The Colorado spring game is scheduled for April 19 in Boulder.
