Prime Time

The sports universe is somehow now centered in ... Boulder, Colorado. That's right, coach Prime, as he likes to be called, has turned the focus completely on the Colorado Buffaloes and their captivating season. Neon, the Dirty Bird, Prime Time or whatever nickname you want to call Sanders, just try not to let the bright lights overshadow the reality that this version of Sanders is flat out a very good football coach.

In the new college football landscape someone like Sanders can succeed at levels we have never seen before. The Buffaloes were just 1-11 last season and have been a bottom tier team for a while now. Enter Sanders. College football has always been described as 50% recruiting and 50% coaching, but with the new NIL deals and transfer portal situations, one can argue that recruiting could be bumped up to closer to 90% of the job. Sanders is a polarizing figure, who attracts young players because of his well known name, his charisma and now his ability to make the entire sports world take notice of his team and players. Last week Game Day not only was being broadcast from Boulder, but also invited celebrities like the Rock on to sing Sanders praises. That sort of national attention used to be reserved for teams who were fighting for a national championship. Colorado has now won 4 games in 2 years. That is the power of the brand he is building.

Sanders doesn't gain universal praise though. His critics are wide and loud, but getting quieter with every win. The sports books had Colorado sitting at a mere 3 1/2 wins as their season long win total before the year began, and they are now one win away from cashing that ticket. Sanders has openly attacked media members who didn't believe he could turn the program around quickly, he verbally went after coaches who he felt slighted from and his message of us against the world seems to be ringing true for all of his players. It also helps that his son plays QB, and was a very highly recruited star, so he is able to back up his fathers rather large barking.

File Photo

Whether you like him or not there is no denying that Sanders has turned the program around, he also has turned the national attention onto Colorado. They have the most watched games of the week for 2 of the last 3 weeks. There are still questions Sanders must answer and they will come this week. Is this a nice turn around season and a feel good story only? Or can Colorado continue to shock the world and be a legitimate title contender. A trip this week to Eugene to take on Oregon can help answer those questions and then their schedule gets real hard. USC the week after Oregon, then a road trip to top 25 teams in UCLA, Washington State and Utah, and a visit from Oregon State will either make us all believe in Prime Time or make his haters say you're not ready for Prime Time.