After all of the insanity, hype, and breathless coverage of the phenomenon that was the 2023 Colorado 4-8 football season, one key aspect has been completely ignored.
Year One under Deion Sanders wasn't all that bad.
Well, sort of. Finishing dead last in the Pac-12 wasn’t a plus, but really … how much fun was THAT?
Yes, things are different under Coach Prime. There’s controversy, and hurt feelings, and player turnover in bunches, and telling tales out of school, and flipping conventional wisdom on its head, and lots of losses, but what if last season was the first year under Coach - pick a random guy name - Chad.
Colorado went 1-11 in 2022. If you told Buffalo fans that Coach Chad, or Coach Mark, or Coach Neal would make the program three wins better in a total gut job rebuild of a season, and with a fun style of play while doing it, the campaign would be considered a big step forward.
It won't be easy to make another three-win improvement.
Moving from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 may offer a slightly easier schedule, but not by much. The bigger issue is patience- there isn’t much.
In an era dominated by the transfer portal, continually upgrading to better players isn’t a crazy idea, but under Sanders so far, Colorado has been all frosting and no cake - the infrastructure isn’t there.
There’s a reason Colorado only won one game two years ago; there wasn't a good base to build off of. The transfer portal works best to find finishing pieces, not to make wholesale changes.
This season is about proving that it really is possible to take shortcuts. With no recruiting class to develop, everything revolves around the mercenary option - not a knock; it really could be the way everyone is supposed to run a college football program now - and the pressure will be intensified due to another big spotlight with all of the expectations and distractions.
This season will either elevate everything from 2023 to a new level, or be a hot mess of a reality show that fails spectacularly.
Either way, it’ll be entertaining. NOTE: The previews were published early this summer. We tried to catch the changes, but if we missed anything, please let us know at @ColFootballNews and we'll fix it right away.
Colorado Football Preview 2024: Offense
- The offense will get a tad bit more conventional with Pat Shurmur as the OC. Forgotten in all the stuff of last year was that parts worked when Sean Lewis - now the San Diego State head coach - was the coordinator for the first part of the year. The offense hit 400 yards in five of the first seven games, 500 yards in three of those, and exploded with it was clicking.
However, Colorado’s O didn’t work well - or at all - against Oregon, or UCLA, or Oregon State, or a few other Pac-12 teams, but all of those defenses were great. But patience isn’t exactly a strong suit here.
- Defenses spent most of last year using Shedeur Sanders for tackling practice. He didn’t get enough credit for how tough he was considering the beating he took behind an offensive line that was the second-worst in the nation in sacks allowed.
It’ll be another almost-new line mostly dominated by transfers and super-recruit Jordan Seaton. There’s talent and depth thanks to the portal, but it all has to gel fast and do more for the ground game that didn’t net 100 yards in any game but two.
Leading rusher Dylan Edwards is off to Kansas State and Anthony Hankerson is an Oregon State Beaver, but Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden will get every shot to carry the load.
- Shedeur Sanders has No. 1 overall draft pick talent. Brilliant, he threw for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns with just three picks behind the leaky line.
All-around star Travis Hunter will once again see time on both sides of the ball, and Jimmy Horn is back after working mostly as a midrange target. Coming in is Will Sheppard from Vanderbilt to take over on the outside, and Ohio State backup Sam Hart will take over at tight end.
Colorado Football Preview 2024: Defense
- The defense had a rough year. It was the fourth-worst in America allowing 453 yards per game, was 124th in scoring D allowing 34.8 points an outing, and it’ll take several new parts to make it better.
The line that didn’t get anything from the pass rush tapped into the Pitt defensive front - the program is always loaded with playmakers behind the line. Dayon Hayes is at one end, Samuel Okunlola will work as an edge rusher, and Houston transfer Chidozie Nwankwo has to rise up on the nose.
- A few holdovers will be the key to the linebacking corps. LaVonta Bentley makes a ton of tackles in the middle. He was second on the team with 68 stops, and Trevor Woods is a hybrid who can work as a tough safety or fast linebacker after finishing third with 56 tackles.
- Deion Sanders is the head coach. The defensive backs will be talented. However, the interceptions dried up - six of the last seven games were without one - and overall the pass D allowed passers to hit 65% of their throws with 28 scores.
With that said, Travis Hunter might be the best corner in America, Shilo Sanders led the team in tackles from his safety spot, and Oklahoma State transfer Samuel Okunlola will get the chance to make a ton of plays with everyone avoiding Hunter on the other side. Liberty transfer Preston Hodge will be all over the field.
Key To The Colorado Football Season
Keep Shedeur from getting blasted. This all implodes fast if the offensive line isn’t night-and-day better - or, at least, mildly competent. There’s a big, big concern, though, if you’re hoping for a line full of all new starters, new players, and a true freshman at left tackle to be great right away. Give Shedeur Sanders time to throw, though, and he’ll be unstoppable.
Colorado Key Player
Jordan Seaton, OT Fr. He’s a star prospect for the O line at either tackle or guard, but the 6-5, 285-pound new guy will likely be put at left tackle out of the box.
The skill and upside are there, but to keep hammering this home for the gajillionth time in this thing, he might be the one in charge of keeping the best prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft from getting hit. If he’s not the answer, the Buffaloes will have to do some shuffling.
Colorado Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Will Sheppard, WR Sr. There might be more important transfers at various positions, but add the top Vanderbilt target to a receiving corps with Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn, and look out. He’s a big speedster on the outside who made 150 catches with 21 scores over the last three seasons for the Commodores.
Top Transfer Out: Van Wells, C Jr. It would’ve been nice to have a bit more cohesion on the beleaguered offensive front, and it would’ve stared with a center who started for a bulk of last year before getting hurt late. It’s a low bar, but he was one of the better Colorado linemen. Now he’s at Oregon State.
Colorado Key Game
North Dakota State, Aug. 31 BE CAREFUL. It’s North Dakota State. This program knows how rise up and produce in big spots like this, and it’s coming off a run to the FCS semifinals last year.
Considering how last season ended for Colorado, and after all the drama this offseason, lose this at home in the opener, and 1) it’ll be one testy atmosphere in Boulder because 2) it would be uh-oh time with road games in three of the next four weeks.
10 Best Colorado Football Players
1. Shedeur Sanders, QB Sr. 2. Travis Hunter, CB/WR Jr. 3. Shilo Sanders, CB Sr. 4. LaJohntay Wester, WR Sr. 5. Will Sheppard, WR Sr. 6. Mark Vassett, P Sr. 7. LaVonta Bentley, LB Sr. 8. Samuel Okunlola, LB Soph. 9. Jordan Seaton, OT Fr. 10. Dayon Hayes, DE Sr.
- Sacks: Opponents 56 for 492 yards, Colorado 27 for 141 yards
Colorado Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season
Good luck trying to figure this out in Year Two under Coach Prime.
It’s nearly impossible to base Colorado’s potential based on last year’s personnel and performances, given the high turnover with many players gone and new faces in. There are too many question marks.
Will the offensive line suddenly be better? Will the defense be more productive? What happens if the season crashes on the launching pad?
Talent-wise the starting 22 is fine. There’s a mix of good transfers to go along with the superstars, but is there any way this can be a cohesive team in all phases?
Like last year, there will be games when the offense goes off. There’s no Oregon on the slate, but there is a trip to Arizona. TCU is swapped for North Dakota State in the opener, but that’s not necessarily a positive, and improved Nebraska and Colorado State teams are better and on the road.
The Buffaloes should find their way to four wins again, possibly grabbing a fifth on a good day at home against a great team when everything goes right, but securing that sixth win might hinge on the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State.
Set The Colorado Win Total At … 5.5
Likely Wins: Cincinnati
50/50 Games: at Arizona, Baylor, at Colorado State, at Kansas, Kansas State, at Nebraska, North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, at UCF
Likely Losses: Utah
2024 Colorado Football Schedule
Aug 31 North Dakota State Sept 7 at Nebraska Sept 14 at Colorado State Sept 21 Baylor Sept 28 at UCF Oct 5 OPEN DATE Oct 12 Kansas State Oct 19 at Arizona Oct 26 Cincinnati Nov 2 OPEN DATE Nov 9 at Texas Tech Nov 16 Utah Nov 23 at Kansas Nov 29 Oklahoma State
Missing: Arizona State, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local Colorado State
Most Popular
Comments / 0