NCAA committee won't grant wavier for Colorado-Syracuse spring football game despite push from Deion Sanders

The momentum behind a potential spring scrimmage between two Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams this April has come to a screeching halt.

"To have it competitive, playing against your own guys kind of gets monotonous," Sanders said during a news conference last week. "You really can't tell the level of your guys, because it's the same old, same old - everybody kind of knows each other."

Syracuse coach Fran Brown eventually accepted the challenge from Sanders, but approval of a waiver from the NCAA's FBS oversight committee was needed for the possible game to move forward. 

Some of the coaches who elected to cancel their respective spring games cited the risk of injury to the players. Others expressed concern over potential transfer defections.

The amount of runway remaining for a potential scrimmage appeared to be one of the NCAA's sticking points. The spring practice schedule has already been mapped out for an overwhelming number of schools. Therefore, Colorado had a limited number of possible opponents. 

A scrimmage could also provide a recruiting advantage for two participating schools, an opportunity other programs would not necessarily have. 

Despite the name, image, and likeness (NIL) climate, the NCAA also expressed academic concerns.

Nebraska recently revealed plans to replace its traditional intra-squad scrimmage with skills competitions and 7-on-7 games in late April.

Colorado's spring game is scheduled for April 19 in Boulder.