Colorado Has a Problem, and it’s Not Deion Sanders

Colorado’s football team has been the biggest storyline through three weeks of the college football season. In Deion Sanders’ first year as head coach, the Buffaloes are undefeated through three games. They are even ranked for the first time most Colorado fans can remember. Somehow, Sanders has been the most criticized coach of the season so far. 

It seems Deion has his own way of doing everything. He got rid of nearly every returning player on Colorado’s roster. Instead of naming captains, his team has leaders and dogs. He also allows players to wear their social media on the back of their practice jerseys. He even talks the same way he always has, and walks around with the confidence of a high school guy who just lost his virginity. 

I find some of these things that Sanders is doing to be incredibly annoying. That being said, he has turned a bad football program into a ranked team in less than three games. His success is undeniable. There is no issue with the way he is coaching, but their fans need a look in the mirror.

This past weekend was the first sign of a struggle from Deion’s Colorado team. They found themselves down to Colorado State early. Colorado State has an average-at-best program, but they are still the Buffaloes rivals due to a shared word in their names. Still, Colorado came out flat in a game they were favored by three touchdowns, and needed a pair of overtimes to secure the win. It didn’t stop their fans from rushing the field anyway. 

Rushing the field after squeaking by an inferior team that they spent all week patronizing is weak. As Colorado is trying to claw their way back to becoming a contender, their fans look content with a few wins and a College Gameday appearance. Not only are they setting themselves up for disappointment, they are encouraging the rest of the world to dance on their graves once Colorado loses to a real opponent. 

I don’t want to place the blame on Deion for Colorado’s ego getting back to Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos levels of hype. Through his success as a player, and now a coach, he has earned his inflated ego. The same cannot be said about the fans.

The weekly “Do you believe now?” is doing dangerous things to the Colorado fan base. Especially when the answer to the question is, “less than I did last week.”