The biggest story of the NCAAF season has been Deion Sanders leading Colorado to a 3-0 start. He has taken a program in disarray coming off a 1-11 season and has propelled it into the lexicon of college football. The program has flown so high to the sun with Deion Sanders. But does he have the same fate as Icarus?
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Sanders came in strong with a road win against a ranked TCU squad that was in the National Championship last year and then got a win against Nebraska at home.
While these were significant wins at the time, they might not hold as much weight now. TCU has fallen out of the national rankings, and their only notable win is against Houston, which is in its inaugural year in the Big 12. Nebraska is undergoing turnover under new head coach Matt Rhule.
Then came the game against Colorado State, an in-state rival they were favored to win by 24 points after their head coach made remarks about Coach Sanders. This game had the national spotlight with ESPN Game Day visiting the campus and airing on their national broadcast. This was the Buffaloes’ chance to dominate against a mid-major and show they’re ready. Colorado State took them to the brink of ending their dream season in mid-September, and it took some big plays and overtime for Colorado to avoid the upset.
There will be no TCU or Colorado State in the next two weeks
The Buffaloes first go to Eugene, Oregon, where they face a Ducks offense that is scoring the second-most points behind a future NFL quarterback in Bo Nix. Colorado will have to hold a team that has already scored 80 points this year while trying to score against a defense ranked 31st in points allowed.
The biggest test will be next week. USC is a top-scoring offense in the NCAA, backed by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who could join Archie Griffin as the only player to win that prestigious award twice. These two games will define their season and, early on, could shape perceptions of Coach Sanders’ competitiveness in college football. Not many expect them to win either game, and they are being given two touchdowns in the odds against Oregon. They need to show they can compete with these teams. If Colorado stays competitive with both Oregon and USC, that will loom large with Colorado fans and college football enthusiasts.
The University put faith in Sanders to revive this program.
In fact, they paid him money they admitted they didn’t have. The fans want to believe he can return the Buffaloes to the days of glory under Bill McCartney, so much that they and boosters helped fund Sanders’ salary.
The people of Boulder hope to continue to enjoy the views of the Rocky Mountains while they watch their Buffaloes charge towards victory led by Coach Prime and restore once-winning traditions to the program. That all starts now.
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