Remember when the University of Colorado was a powerhouse program that competed for national titles and sent numerous players to the NFL each year?
Deion Sanders College Football Specials At Colorado
The University of Colorado made a big splash with its head coaching hire.
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Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) steps up to pass while under pressure by Southern defensive end Jordan Lewis (32) and defensive tackle Jason Dumas (1) during the second half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
From 1989-1996 under Coach Bill McCartney and then Rick Neuheisel, that was the case, but the program has since fallen into a state of irrelevancy. Colorado has finished with a losing record every year since 2017 other than the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. The Buffs were an ugly 1-11 overall this past season and the only win was over Cal in overtime.
Karl Dorrell was fired midseason and the administration clearly had to make a splash hire to replace him. It did just that with arguably the most flamboyant college football coach in the country in Deion Sanders. He turned Jackson State into one of the premier programs at the FCS level, coached the program to the Southwest Athletic Conference title this year and finished 27-5 record in three seasons there. Sanders can recruit nationally, that has been proven. He will also bring a spotlight that should allow some Colorado players to earn more pay for their names, images and likenesses (NIL).
How all-in was Colorado to land Sanders? It used to have very strict requirements regarding the transfer portal and which players would be accepted at the school, but that will be changed.
“This new initiative combined with the NIL collective and our existing resources for student-athletes will set our football team up for long term success,” said Chancellor DiStefano.
Let’s break down a few Sanders props.
Sanders’ Son Installed As QBÂ
Colorado is given an over-under 5.5 wins for 2023 but it’s hard to judge the roster right now because Sanders basically dared all the current players to leave with a new sheriff in town: “I’m coming, and when I get here, it’s gonna be changed,” he told a room full of players recently. “So I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in the portal and do whatever you’re gonna get because if more of you jump in, the more room you make.”
We do know the team’s 2023 quarterback: Sanders’ son Shedeur, who transferred from Jackson State after dominating the SWAC for the past two seasons. Bovada actually has an over-under prop of how many incoming players from the transfer portal will play for CU next year: 10.5. Also, CU’s schedule is known if not the dates: at TCU, vs. Nebraska and vs. Colorado State out of conference. Among the nine Pac-12 games are USC, Oregon, UCLA and Utah. The Buffs might only be favored in 3-4 games overall.
That Sanders is still the coach of Colorado in Week 1 of the 2024 season is -200 with no at +150. Hard to imagine he leaves after only one year, although the Pac-12 is going to be downgraded when USC and UCLA leave that year for the Big Ten. If Sanders has huge success in Year 1, some even bigger programs could come calling.
Finally, which conference Deion coaches in after the Pac-12 (must be by start of 2024 campaign): SEC at +200, ACC at +250, Big 12 at +300 and Big Ten at +400.
