NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Things will be different in the Pac-12 for the upcoming 2023 CFB season. While Deion Sanders is the biggest draw for the Colorado Buffaloes, he comes with not only pressure to win, but the program is under a microscope like never before. Even when the program was one of the best in the nation, the Buffaloes were not under this type of pressure. But are they ready for what’s about to come and what’s at stake?
Winning trumps everything and Sanders is coming into the season with a firm belief that his new team has what it takes to start winning right away. Well, this is not Jackson State playing the likes of Shaw University. This is a Power 5 school that will play Power 5 competition almost on a weekly basis. Is Deion Sanders ready for that?
The Florida State University, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, and Dallas Cowboys Sanders is, but is the Power 5 coach? When Sanders announced he would be leaving JSU for Colorado, the hounds came out in droves. “Sanders did it for the money and he sold out all HBCUs” were the direction of the discussions. What if he did? What if he always wanted to be at a Power 5 and just used Jackson State as a springboard? Did they not use him as well?
Well, the time is now and what the Colorado Buffaloes will face can only be measured with teams like Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, and those other schools who are constantly ranked as the best in the nation. Colorado has a target on their backs and they only won 19 games in the last 5 years.
Will The Colorado Buffaloes Win Under Deion Sanders
The reason why is simple. Attention. Since Sanders arrived in Boulder, he has changed not just the image of the football program, but the entire school. Do we really need to speak on the difference between the students at JSU and Colorado? Deion doesn’t care and neither does the student body at Colorado. They’re excited to see this team. Let’s not forget, the Buffaloes are just a month removed from finishing their 2022 season 1-11. But yet, the expectations are high and not everyone is rooting for the Buffaloes or Sanders to succeed.
Sanders expects to win. But there are those silently rooting for him to fail as well. His leaving JSU was a slap in the face for many. But if he can win at Colorado, in that division, then what does that say about Coach Prime? He will be coaching against Heisman winner, Caleb Williams, and USC, while also taking on 6 teams in 2023 that finished the season ranked in the Top 25 in 2022. This is not an easy schedule. And yet, Sanders expects to win.
This is not the same 1-11 team from last season. Sanders has talent at his disposal and everyone, including himself and his staff, has a chip on their shoulder. The country is watching what happens in Boulder and rightfully so. But Deion Sanders doesn’t want it any other way.
It was the same type of attitude he displayed while down at JSU. He wanted all the smoke that came with being at an HBCU and all he did was deliver. The Buffaloes haven’t taken the field yet and the atmosphere on that campus is already electric. How many Colorado coaches can say they have a close bond with Nick Saban? How many of them can say they can sit in front of Shannon Sharpe with a CU hoodie on and talk football and winning expectations after an 11-loss season?
Deion Sanders has cameras following him everywhere he goes. His kids are now enrolled in Colorado. He’s touring the city looking for the best food places, and he’s bringing a slew of talents with him as well. This is not your ordinary season for the Colorado Buffaloes because nothing is ordinary about Deion Sanders. Everyone understands this and that’s the reason why everyone will be watching.
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