{"id":120015,"date":"2023-09-29T05:29:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T05:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/?p=120015"},"modified":"2023-09-29T05:29:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T05:29:03","slug":"cu-buffs-what-to-make-of-deion-sanders-team-after-the-loss-at-oregon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/sports\/cu-buffs-what-to-make-of-deion-sanders-team-after-the-loss-at-oregon\/","title":{"rendered":"CU Buffs: What to make of Deion Sanders’ team after the loss at Oregon"},"content":{"rendered":"
Our Google search for the terms \u2018Colorado,\u2019 \u2018Sanders,\u2019 and \u2018fraud\u2019 this morning required exactly 0.26 seconds to spit out a slew of results. Substitute the term \u2018overrated\u2019 into the search bar, and a whopping 0.39 seconds were needed.<\/p>\n
Anyone who witnessed the 42-6 wipeout at Oregon on Saturday would conclude Deion Sanders\u2019 team did not look worthy of a top-25 ranking, national television broadcast or an ounce of attention from the college football media machinery.<\/p>\n
Sanders himself called it a \u201cgood old-fashioned butt-kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Counterpoint to the criticism from beyond Boulder\u2019s borders: So what?<\/p>\n
So what if Colorado was run off the field by a better, faster, deeper team?<\/p>\n
So what if CU is no longer unbeaten, ranked in the AP poll or deserving of lofty status in the best conference in the country?<\/p>\n
That was always a bar too high for Year One of Sanders\u2019 reclamation project.<\/p>\n
Despite the unprecedented roster overhaul and the coaching staff\u2019s acumen and the skills of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and the spotlight generated by an American sports icon, the Buffaloes were never going to challenge for the conference title.<\/p>\n
Not in this conference this year. The Buffaloes simply aren\u2019t good enough where it counts most — on the lines of scrimmage \u2014 to deal with the barrage of heavyweight opponents.<\/p>\n
But a non-conference schedule created years ago served as fuel for the hype train to blast out of the station.<\/p>\n
The Buffs opened with a victory at TCU, the 2022 national runners-up, and drew a massive audience on the Fox “Big Noon” broadcast. Then came another Fox appearance in the home opener against Nebraska, a big name with a small game.<\/p>\n
Had the schedule been more in line with the program\u2019s pre-Sanders trajectory — had it featured an FCS opponent in Week 1, followed by a Group of Five foe and an appearance or two on the Pac-12 Networks \u2014 the hype would have been limited.<\/p>\n
Instead, the eyes of the sport were on the Buffaloes instantly, and they remained transfixed as CU headed into an ambush Saturday afternoon in Autzen Stadium.<\/p>\n
The Buffaloes are not frauds; nor are they contenders. They are a vastly improved team that\u2019s one or two recruiting cycles from stocking the lines of scrimmage with enough size, depth and talent to contend for a conference title.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s fine. The reality doesn\u2019t diminish their entertainment value. It doesn\u2019t lower their eventual ceiling. It doesn\u2019t make Sanders any less of a coach. (The first and brightest indicator that Sanders should be taken seriously: He surrounded himself with a top-flight staff, especially offensive coordinator Sean Lewis.)<\/p>\n
College Sports | <\/p>\n
College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n So how about we apply the rarest natural resource college football has to offer — nuance \u2014 to the first year of the Sanders era?<\/p>\n The Buffaloes weren\u2019t as good as the early hype and aren\u2019t as bad as they looked Saturday. Could they topple USC this weekend? Perhaps. The Trojans struggled at Arizona State and have feasted on second-rate opponents thus far.<\/p>\n But the Buffaloes aren\u2019t equipped to navigate a difficult schedule, at least not to the level necessary for a run at the conference title.<\/p>\n Before the first snap in Fort Worth, they appeared to have the roster of a four-win team, with the potential for five if every bounce and break fell into place.<\/p>\n They are probably a level better — certainly, a bowl berth is well within range. (They need three wins in the final eight games and play both Stanford and ASU.)<\/p>\n But sustained excellence over three months is a year or two away. That was the case before the breathtaking start, it remains the case today, after the Autzen beatdown, and it will be the case this time next week, regardless of the outcome against USC.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s fine. Whether you collect receipts, wear sunglasses indoors or relish \u201cold-fashioned butt-kickings,\u201d there\u2019s space available in the audience.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s acknowledge the improvement, recognize the reality of CU\u2019s roster and, above all, appreciate the theatre.<\/p>\n *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716<\/em><\/p>\n *** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline<\/em><\/p>\n *** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.<\/em><\/p>\n Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.<\/em><\/p>\n Suzanne Morphew's remains found in Saguache County<\/li>\n Keeler: Where's Cormani McClain? Stuck in Deion Sanders' doghouse. There's only one way out. "It's time to grow up."<\/li>\n Here's how the Floyd Hill project on I-70 will affect ski traffic this winter<\/li>\n Lauren Boebert escorted out of "Beetlejuice" musical in Denver after "causing a disturbance"<\/li>\n Parent sues Denver school board member Auon\u2019tai Anderson in test of Colorado\u2019s new social media law<\/li>\n Pot boom wakes sleepy Dinosaur, Colorado: \u201cThere\u2019s money running out of our ears\u201d<\/li>\n Kiszla: Jamal Murray, strawberry Starburst and why the Nuggets don't care if the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard<\/li>\n Six buddies open gay bar in former Prohibition Bar space on East Colfax<\/li>\n Denver area homes have shed $5 billion in value the past year amid jump in mortgage rates<\/li>\n Opinion: Republicans should be laughing at Boebert too — that they're not is a sign of the times<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nMountain West power ratings: Air Force jumps, SDSU falls and Fresno State tightens its grip on the top spot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nPac-12 power ratings: Washington on top as Colorado holds steady, Utah, WSU and ASU rise<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nAP top-25 ballot: Georgia is No. 1 as Washington State jumps USC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nPac-12 recap: Best and worst of Week 4 as Oregon, UW dominate<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nRanking the Pac-12’s five undefeated teams, from UW to USC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nShare this:<\/h3>\n
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