On September 2nd, 2023, 280 days after ending their 2022 season with a disheartening 63-21 defeat and a 1-11 record, the Colorado Buffaloes, led by new head coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, shocked the world with a 45-42 upset victory over the National Champion runner-up TCU Horned Frogs. This victory sparked mixed reactions nationwide, but the consensus was optimistic about the Buffaloes’ future.

Fast forward several months later and the once 3-0 football program faced adversity, losing two straight to #5 Oregon and USC. In October, the team secured a 27-24 come-from-behind win over Arizona State. The following week, Stanford’s visit to Boulder turned the game quite interesting. After leading 29-0 with 2:57 left in the second quarter, the Cardinals staged a dramatic 46-43 comeback in double overtime. This loss marked a turning point where Colorado never recovered. Nonetheless, the “Prime Era” in Boulder was just beginning.

Recently, it has come to my attention that there has been a strong narrative that Colorado is overrated and will never be as successful as the hype that was imposed on them. After beginning 3-0 and the national spotlight being shined on the program, many sports analysts predicted an undefeated campaign. While this did not occur and the team lost 6-straight to end the season, one thing is for certain – the program is in good hands with Coach Prime and will continue to grow with new recruits, regardless of what new narrative is out on social media.

Earlier in the week, Colorado’s offensive coordinator Sean Lewis was named head coach at San Diego State, a program looking to improve off of their 4-8 record (2-6 in the Mountain West Conference). Lewis, who orchestrated an offense that averaged 28 points per game, was a key component in quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ development. Sanders threw for 3,230 total yards and completed 69.3% of his passes with 27 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. Receivers Xavier Weaver, Travis Hunter, and Jimmy Horn Jr., instrumental in the turnaround, were all brought in by Sanders upon his arrival in the Rocky Mountain State. Lewis will be missed but if the offensive weapons can stay intact, look for another promising year ahead.

To the doubters of this football program, let’s make one thing clear. The narrative that the Buffaloes are not going to improve in 2024 is simply ludicrous due to just how close the football games actually were and how a good recruiting campaign could fix several of the issues that were highlighted throughout the season. According to a recent post on X from Jeremy Bloom, Colorado University lost five games by 7 points or fewer.

CU lost five games by 7 or fewer pts. One more td per gm they coulda been a 9 win team. Coach Prime is on a mission, bring on Season II 😤🦬 pic.twitter.com/VUrZnugELD

— Jeremy Bloom (@JeremyBloom11) December 1, 2023

Bloom even went a step further and mentioned that if the team scored one more touchdown per game they would have been bowl eligible and a 9-win football team. Take this into consideration the next time a critic mentions how a 4-win team cannot improve even in the slightest in 2024 when there is an entire offseason to regroup and reload.

Although the team finished with a 4-8 record, not recovering after their Stanford debacle, the continued leadership of Deion “Prime Time” Sanders in 2024 remains a thrilling prospect for all fans.