The University of Colorado Buffaloes brought their fall camp to the Colorado Springs area recently, and a series of informal interactions with Air Force Academy football players and coaches left both programs talking about what college athletics could look like if the NCAA loosened its rules.

The Buffaloes opened their fall camp in the Colorado Springs area at Fountain-Fort Carson High School and stopped by Air Force on two occasions while in town. The visits came about after Air Force made its indoor facility available in case August weather forced practices indoors, and as those conversations progressed, CU opted to hold some of its practice time at the academy.

Per NCAA rules, the teams did not hold a joint practice, but the times overlapped closely enough that the two rosters were able to intermingle. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun and Colorado's Deion Sanders each addressed both teams, and the players broke into smaller groups by position to converse and hold a joint Q&A session.

For at least one Air Force player, the cross-program exchange produced tangible takeaways. Air Force sophomore Alex Perez picked up pointers from University of Colorado defensive backs that he has already begun implementing in film study, saying the CU players taught him a great deal about studying receivers and quarterbacks.

The encounter also highlighted how different — and surprisingly similar — the two programs are. Air Force linebacker Vinnie Canosa described the programs as "completely different sides of the spectrum," noting that Air Force players do not receive NIL money, private chefs, cars, or the same accommodations CU players may enjoy, yet added that when those differences came up, the players found they "really weren't" as different as expected.

The meeting also signaled that any lingering resentment between the programs had largely passed; before a 2019 meeting, the two schools had not played each other for 46 years, in part due to bad blood stemming from incidents late in the Vietnam War era when the campuses found themselves on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

The informal camp visit renewed a broader conversation about what the college game permits during the preseason. NFL teams routinely hold joint practices and exhibition games at this time of year, and high school programs often hold preseason scrimmages against each other — but no such formal arrangements exist in college football. With Air Force committed to eight conference games plus matchups against Army and Navy, its 12-game schedule leaves little flexibility, meaning any future meeting with in-state opponents may need to come outside the regular season.

Calhoun said he hopes the NCAA will eventually allow programs to work against one another in a spring game or August scrimmage format, expressing optimism that "maybe there can be a breakthrough in that regard down the road."

Whether the NCAA will revisit its joint-practice rules — and whether Air Force and Colorado could arrange a future formal preseason matchup — remains to be seen.