Back in December, Colorado shook the College Football world by hiring Deion Sanders from Jackson State. Sanders signed a 5 year, $29.5m contract with the Buffaloes to become the head coach. The most shocking part of this deal is that Colorado’s Athletic Director Rick George admittingly said, “We don’t have the money yet, but I know we’ll have it so I’m not worried about that piece.” This was a huge risk Colorado was taking and not having the money yet had people questioning Rick George’s decision on hiring Sanders.
When Deion Sanders took over as the coach for Colorado, there was a big culture change in the locker room. Sanders was fully transparent about his plans with the team to the Colorado team that just finished 1-11 in 2022. In his speech, he encouraged the current players to enter the transfer portal after he said, “I’m bringing my own luggage with me, and it’s Louis [Vuitton], OK?” There was a huge debate about whether this was the right or wrong thing to say. Sanders wasn’t lying about what he said as 41 scholarship players hit the transfer portal after Deion was hired. Another 51 players transferred into Colorado including former Jackson State quarterback and son of Deion Sanders, Shedur Sanders, as well as the #1 overall recruit from the class of 2022, Travis Hunter, both arrived at Boulder as key players. Cormani McClain, the #1 cornerback recruit in the class of 2023, also flipped his commitment from the University of Miami to Colorado University after Sanders was hired. It’s safe to say that the Deion Sanders effect really shook and changed College Football.
However, all this hype didn’t seem to convince people that Colorado was going to be good in year 1 of the Deion Sanders era. The Buffaloes’ preseason over/under win total was only 3.5 and were predicted to finish in 11th place in the PAC 12 only ahead of Stanford by the media.
In Week 1, Colorado traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to play #17 TCU. Colorado was 21-point underdogs heading into the game. By halftime, Colorado was shockingly up 17-14 thanks to a 49-yard field goal by Jace Feely. On the second play of the second half, running back Dylan Edwards went 75 yards for a touchdown to increase Colorado’s lead to 10. After a Colorado punt, and an unbelievable goal-line interception by Travis Hunter, TCU and Colorado would go on to score a touchdown in a combined 6 straight drives. Colorado’s go-ahead touchdown came on a 4th and 2 as Dylan Edwards went 46 yards for the score. Even after being 21-point underdogs, Colorado went on to shock the world and defeat TCU 45-42. Shedur Sanders set a school record with 510 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in the winning effort.
Colorado instantly became the talk of College Football and the world of sports. Colorado became the #22 ranked team in the country according to the AP Poll after being projected to finish 2nd to last in the PAC 12. Colorado would go on to beat rivals Nebraska 36-14, and Colorado State, 43-35 in overtime. Colorado was the 4th team ever to start 3-0 following an 11-loss season the year prior.
Colorado’s week 4 game was their toughest opponent yet. Led by Quarterback Bo Nix, Oregon was the #10 team in the country. Colorado traveled to Eugene, Oregon to face off in a highly anticipated game. Colorado was once again the 21-point underdog. There was some bad blood between the two teams and Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning gave his team a fiery pregame speech that went viral. Oregon went on to absolutely destroy Colorado by a final score of 42-6. Oregon outgained Colorado 522-199 in total yards leaving people questioning whether or not Colorado was as good as people thought. “We played like hot garbage,” Sanders said. “Good old-fashioned butt-kicking. No excuses.” Junior Alex Stavenas wasn’t surprised, “The Colorado Oregon outcome was bound to happen. They barely beat TCU and Colorado State so they were not going to beat a strong Oregon team.”
Colorado’s next game isn’t any easier as they host #5 USC. Colorado is projected to open as 21.5 point underdogs. Even though Colorado has proven themselves when they beat TCU, people are really starting to wonder whether their 3-0 start was a fluke.
