Deion Sanders and the University of Colorado’s football team lost to No.9 Oregon 42-6 in a complete blowout. Before the game, Oregon Coach Dan Lanning told his players they fight for “wins,” not “clicks,” directly criticizing Coach Prime’s garish methods. As Lanning told them to do, Oregon spoke with their “pads,” dominating the match from start to finish. Oregon tossed the Buffaloes around, putting the legitimacy of Coach Prime’s team into question. The Buffaloes bounced back after the loss, but ultimately fell short to No.8 USC 48-41. After suffering such an embarrassing loss to Oregon, followed by a poor defensive performance against USC, is Colorado really worth the hype? Will Coach Prime continue to make his presence felt in college football?
Despite the loss, the team should remain confident in their abilities. With so much talent on the roster, such sentiments are warranted. Two-way star Travis Hunter has turned many heads since their win over TCU. Hunter has racked up 213 yards in three games as a speedy, elusive receiver. On the opposite side of the ball, Hunter exhibits a lockdown mentality at cornerback, holding the team’s secondary intact. Hunter is currently on the IR with a rib injury but hopes to return on Oct. 13 against Stanford. Alongside Hunter’s dynamic play, Coach Sanders’s son, Shedeur Sanders, has played terrifically at quarterback, already tossing 11 touchdowns on the year before playing USC. Some analysts saw the team as a dark horse for the college football playoff after week 1. Still, with injuries and an inexperienced roster, Colorado will have to wait a couple of years before seriously throwing their hat in the ring.
Knowing his track record as a coach, Sanders has something special brewing in Boulder. Coach Prime quickly rose through the ranks of organized football. With his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, at his side, Coach Prime dominated the high school and FCS levels, earning his spot with a power five school.
Although the FBS features much more robust competition, especially in the Big 12 (Colorado is joining the conference for the 2024-2025 season), Sanders should have the weapons to compete soon enough. With their ever-growing popularity, top recruits from the high school circuit and the transfer portal will filter in to support this talented cast of athletes. Coach Prime has established himself as the face of an evolving, more commercialized NCAA. Since the NCAA instituted “name, image, and likeness” clauses, the transfer portal is more loaded than ever, and players are eager to join a popular program with market potential. The Colorado football team continues to draw in more and more viewers. Over 35 million fans have tuned in to watch Colorado this season, blowing the rest of the Pac-12 out of the water. Also, home tickets for the season are already sold out. With such a thriving program, the upside for future recruiting is exponential.
They don’t call him “Prime Time” for nothing. Deion Sanders and publicity have gone hand in hand, dating back to his time as a player at FSU. Each week Sanders finds a way to pull media attention in his direction. Whether through back-and-forth trash talk with coaches like Jay Norvell or his quotable quips like “now, it’s personal,” Sanders continues to put his team in the spotlight. Soon enough, their eyes will adjust to the bright lights of championship competition.
Considering where Colorado’s football program was last year, this turnaround is unprecedented in college football. The Buffs completed the 2022 football season with an abysmal 1-11 record, finishing dead last in the Pac-12. Five weeks into the 2023 season, the Buffs have tripled their previous win total and don’t plan to slow down.
