Surprisingly, Deion Sanders has his inaugural Colorado Buffaloes football team midway to bowl eligibility.
Well, the surprise is to everyone except Coach Prime and the Colorado players.
This week, Colorado – which spent multiple weeks ranked in the national top 25 polls before dropping out after back-to-back losses to Oregon and USC – is visiting Arizona State and its first-year coach, Kenny Dillingham.
The Sun Devils, through no fault of Dillingham nor the overwhelming majority of current players, are not eligible for postseason play; ASU athletics director Ray Anderson had his Sun Devils’ football program voluntarily impose a postseason ban despite no current coaches being involved in the football program’s NCAA violations.
Though not in an NCAA quagmire, Sanders knows well the toll of inheriting a downtrodden program.
Also, Coach Prime knows that sometimes a preemptive strike is better than a thorough lashing.
“My mom used to hand out whoopins back in the day,” Deion Sanders said this week. “So, if I did something stupid, I was like, ‘Mom, you know what, I don’t even want to go to the game tonight. I’m not even going.’ Because I know that would lessen the whoopin.
“So, if that’s what they’re doing, I understand. Because I’ve done that before. ‘Mom, I ain’t going to the fair. I’m good. You ain’t gotta spend no more money on me, I’m straight.’”
While the Sun Devils are, by the school’s own choice, not eligible for postseason play following the 2023 season, they are nonetheless showing strong fight under their first-year coach.
Last week, ASU – despite quarterback injuries and poor play – had an opportunity to take a fourth-quarter lead against undefeated, College Football Playoff contender USC and also came up just three points short in a road game at California.
Coach Prime, leaning into his program’s detractors and supporters, indicated his Colorado program has set out to still prove a point.
“First of all, hate – that comes along with the territory,” Deion Sanders said. “You know that. The love has been tremendous. Like I reiterate every week, just walking out there to a packed stadium, seeing the pandemonium around the city, seeing the friends and family members that’s coming in the airports with all the Colorado apparel on. Driving into the stadium and seeing all ethnicities in unity, I love it. The love nationally, even from the celebs that you see and ones in luxury boxes you don’t see, and the faithfuls.
“I have the absolutely utmost respect, because they all believe. And you all believe. Not all of you believe, but maybe 85% of you believe.”