Deion Sanders and Colorado have a loaded schedule — Coach Prime will need to be at his best

The Pac-12 gave Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes plenty of obstacles in 2023. It’s not just the teams. It’s the alignment and sequencing of games.

The hype around the Colorado Buffaloes football program is at levels not seen since the glory days of Bill McCartney, when CU won the 1990 national championship. The hire of Deion Sanders has been a massive success in Boulder, and the Buffs recently landed top-rated cornerback Cormani McClain and have a visit with former Florida QB commit Jaden Rashada.

However, the schedule for the Buffs is one of the toughest in the Pac-12. They begin the year at TCU and then face Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers (h/t Jon Wilner of The Mercury News).

“How’s this for intrigue,” Wilner wrote. “The Buffaloes open the Deion Sanders era at TCU and face hated Nebraska in the home opener; they open conference play at Oregon; and they welcome USC for the conference opener. (Any of those four could end up on Fox or ESPN/ABC.) Of note: Colorado and Cal are the only teams that finish with back-to-back road games.”

The Buffs play the Ducks in Eugene, then turn around and face the USC Trojans in Boulder for Coach Prime’s first Pac-12 home game.

The Buffs are one of two Pac-12 teams to finish with two straight road games. Deion Sanders and the new-look Buffs will show everyone if they belong on the field. This brutal schedule in 2023 will reveal what they are made of.

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