NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Things are not the same in Boulder, Colorado. Deion Sanders has the Colorado Buffaloes playing at a level that garners media attention both on and off the field. It doesn’t matter if it’s The College Gameday Crew or a production team from Amazon Prime Video, Sanders has been at his best in the national spotlight. The Buffaloes are ranked 16th in the latest AP Poll and with that comes a new target on their backs tied to new expectations.
Yes, the Buffaloes have expectations. We can listen to Deion all we want about what HE expects but now the entire CFB is expecting them to be what Sanders told everyone they were at the beginning of the season. The issue is, that everyone remembers what happened last season but last season was last season. This is not the same team.
The Colorado Buffaloes are 8-2 with two games left to play in the regular season. They are just a game behind BYU in the BIG 12 standings. If Colorado can win their final two games, they will secure a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game which will put them on a path for an automatic bid in the new-look College Football Playoff. Things are changing in Boulder.
But first, they have to win. This is where we find out what their team is made of and how good of a coach and motivator Sanders is. He can’t afford to let his team fall flat in any of their last two remaining games.
Starting this Saturday, the Buffaloes will battle a Kansas team fresh off an upset win against BYU last week. If Colorado can leave with a W, things are swinging in their favor. Following the Kansas game, Colorado will host Oklahoma State. This is another must-win game for the Buffaloes. While looking at records, both games appear to be easy wins but nothing is ever etched in stone.
Colorado can’t afford to not show up. Does it matter if they win in blowout fashion or squeak by? It shouldn’t. All that matters is making that Conference title game. From there, all they have to do is win. If that happens, Colorado Football is officially back on the map, and Sanders as a head coach becomes a national treasure in Boulder.
However, there is one thing that the team and the coach must take into account. Shedeur Sanders is projected to be a top 5-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and with so many coaching jobs expected to be available, there is now talk of him leaving Colorado for the NFL. Will these rumors take a toll on the team as they fight for a playoff spot? Sanders has to do his best to limit the noise. So far, he’s saying all the right things that he loves coaching at Colorado as he does his best to keep his team focused on the season.
Just a season ago, this team was 4-8 with many doubting his ability to lead a program. Fast forward and he’s being mentioned as one of the top coaches in CFB as well as NFL circles. He has two players expected to go top 10 in the Draft and right now, the present and future look bright for the program. All they have to do is win out.
