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The Athletic writer believes Big 12 teams want to "humble" Deion Sanders

Coach Prime has become the target of college football again this offseason
Josh Tolle|
Sep 23, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders watches the reply board during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders watches the reply board during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports | Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

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Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes are moving back to the Big 12 conference with significant excitement, largely due to the "Prime Effect" being a strong force in Boulder. Deion Sanders enters his second season after posting a 4-8 record in his inaugural Power Five year. Now, he faces a different outlook with new conference foes and heightened expectations.


There are massive groups around the country rooting for Colorado's success, but others want the experiment with Sanders to fail miserably. The Athletic's Max Olson recently talked about the Buffs going into the 2024 football season and how the rest of the Big 12 will welcome them into the conference. The college football analyst believes other coaches are particularly motivated to "humble" CU similar to the blowout win Dan Lanning and Oregon posted against Sanders and the Buffs last year. 


"They know that the way the TV networks are going to pitch this is that Colorado’s the most exciting team in the Big 12," Olson said. "There’s going to be a lot of schools in the Big 12 that are going to want to "humble" them, just like Dan Lanning last year.


Sanders evokes strong reactions for his coaching style and using the transfer portal similar to NFL free agency. There are analysts who believe the Buffaloes have a chance to be one of the teams in the College Football Playoff, while others predict Colorado will fall short of a bowl bid for the fourth straight season. 

Olson wrote about transfer players who left Colorado earlier this year. The piece sparked a confrontation between Shedeur Sanders and Xavier Smith, with other players and Coach Prime jumping in to add their two cents.


The Buffs are faced with a difficult schedule this year. They'll open at home against North Dakota State before hitting the road to face Nebraska and Colorado State. There isn't a stretch where Colorado is home for two straight weeks during the entire season, including a trip to Orlando, Fla. to play UCF on Sept. 28. 

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Josh Tolle
JOSH TOLLE

Josh Tolle is a writer covering college sports for On SI. Outside of storytelling, the multi-talented broadcaster has play-by-play experience at the professional and collegiate levels. In 2018, he began calling games for the National Women’s Soccer League. He has also called games for the United Soccer League, Concacaf, and the U.S. Open Cup. He has called hockey for the Premier Hockey Federation for the past three seasons and was the play-by-play voice for the Superior RoughRiders of the Western Hockey League. He has provided play-by-play for various other sports including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball events. Since 2015, Tolle has been the voice of Colorado School of Mines Athletics having called football, men's and women's basketball and soccer. He previously wrote for SB Nation.

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