Colorado Football: Expectations revealed for third year of Deion Sanders era

Losing Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, among others, this offseason after going 9-4 last year, Colorado is going to have a much different team for this season. So, after losing two of the sport’s best players, who had been the faces of the program since their arrivals, and again in the mix of an open conference of the Big 12, what is a successful year three for Deion Sanders in Boulder?

Josh Pate answered that question this morning while making an appearance on ‘Get Up’ on Thursday. He thinks the Buffaloes being competitive this fall would be them having success, especially when considering their league and being honest about what the program was before Coach Prime came.

“Being competitive in every game,” Pate said. “That could be six wins. It could be nine wins in the Big 12. What he knows is what he’s experienced, and that is the gap between the lead car and No. 11 11 car in that lead field is very narrow.

“But, I just encourage people. If you start thinking about Colorado, think about them pre-Deion Sanders because that’s still the backdrop against which I view them. I mean, six wins, seven wins, whatever it is, could be nine wins. If they’re competitive, that is lightyears better than what they were 72 months ago and beyond.”

Alongside Pate, ESPN’s Joey Galloway was in agreement. With all things considered through multiple lenses with the roster, league, and school’s recent history, at least being capable on any given weekend would be enough for the Buffs.

“I agree with you, 100%. I think that people have these lofty expectations that are sort of unfair,” Galloway said. “He lost the best player in college football in Travis Hunter, lost his starting quarterback. And so, they’re going to take a step back.

“You’ve got to win the games you’re supposed to win. You’ve got to always do that. And then be competitive in the other games. When you have ranked opponents, when you have opponents at home, you have to be competitive in those games. You go back to before he got there, nobody was talking about Colorado at all. We wouldn’t be having this discussion on ‘Get Up’ with you right now. So, they just need to win the games they’re supposed to and be competitive in those other games against ranked opponents.”

Again, things may be overhyped just because of the name of Deion Sanders. The fact of the matter is, after improving by eight wins over two seasons for their best finish in eight years, Colorado lost Hunter, the winner of the Heisman Trophy, along with Sanders and receivers Lajohntay Wester and Jimmy Horn Jr. as picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

That’s not to mention losing the likes of wide receiver Will Sheppard, among the Buffs’ top four receivers all gone, running back Isaiah Augustave, and six of their top eight in tackles. Colorado also lost its leader in sacks and forced fumbles in DE BJ Green II, and its secondary’s best player in Hunter, as well, from the defense.

Colorado may not be pushing for double-digit wins, and, with that, conference contention again this fall. If the Buffaloes can do enough over the course of their slate, though, this can still be considered quite a successful tenure so far for Sanders.