Tag: Coloraado Buffaloes football

Five burning questions ahead of Colorado’s Friday night game vs. Stanford

Colorado has some questions to answer heading into Friday night’s matchup with Stanford

In another battle of first-year head coaches, Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes are set to welcome Troy Taylor’s Stanford Cardinal to Boulder on Friday for an 8 p.m. MT kickoff under the Folsom Field lights.

The Buffs, who recently captured their fourth win of the season, are double-digit favorites against the 1-4 Cardinal. Although Coach Prime knows full well that his Buffs can’t afford to overlook another opponent. Colorado is only two wins away from securing bowl eligibility but with another slew of tough games coming up, beating Stanford is a must.

Below are five burning questions to ponder heading into CU’s final game before its bye week:

Baker Mayfield, ‘College GameDay’ crew give their picks for Colorado-Arizona State

“College GameDay” guest picker Baker Mayfield chose Colorado over Arizona State

The Colorado Buffaloes have a chance to right the ship on Saturday as they look to break a two-game losing streak against the 1-4 Arizona State Sun Devils.

CU (3-2) is a slight road favorite heading into Tempe.

Despite the low point spread, most people are see this game as one the Buffaloes should win. This includes the crew of ESPN’s “College GameDay.” This week, the “College GameDay” crew was joined by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and former Oklahoma Sooners great Baker Mayfield as they broadcast live from the site of the Red River Shootout.

Below are GameDay’s predictions for Colorado-Arizona State:

Five players who stepped up big for Colorado against USC

These five players stepped up big for the #cubuffs on Saturday

With Travis Hunter, Shilo Sanders and other key players out, several Buffs who hadn’t seen the field much this season, including a couple of true freshmen, stepped up when needed on Saturday against USC.

Yes, Colorado’s comeback attempt came up just short, but head coach Deion Sanders gained a good deal of confidence in multiple second and third-string players. The shorthanded Buffs even outscored the vaunted Trojans by 13 points in the second half thanks to their depth, something that many thought Colorado lacked heading into this season.

Below are five players who stepped up big for the Buffs on Saturday against USC:

Analysis: Colorado’s Omarion Miller-fueled rally comes up just short to USC

Colorado’s Omarion Miller-fueled second half rally came up just short

Neither Deion Sanders nor Shedeur Sanders believe in moral victories, but it’s hard not to feel good about Colorado after it nearly stormed back to beat No. 8 USC on Saturday.

After falling behind 34-7, the Buffaloes’ offense picked up its play late in the second quarter en route to outscoring the Trojans, 34-14, from that point.

Ultimately, though, the only score that Coach Prime and Co. care about is the 48-41 final, which went in favor of USC.

In that energetic second half, true freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller enjoyed a breakout performance for the ages with several clutch plays. I’ll have more on him below:

USC at Colorado: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Where will you be watching?

Every home game of Colorado’s Deion Sanders era has been and should continue to be an absolute spectacle. From Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and other major celebrities gracing Folsom Field’s sidelines to Lil Wayne performing in the north endzone, Coach Prime does everything big.

This week, the No. 8 USC Trojans are in Boulder with a good deal of their own flashy players. Led by Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and a group of stud wide receivers, USC’s offense sets the tone while its defense has struggled.

As for Colorado, the 3-1 Buffs are hoping to rebound from their first loss last week at Oregon.

Former Buff Brenden Rice opens up on returning to Folsom Field as a Trojan

Former Buff Brenden Rice shared his thoughts on returning to Folsom Field for the first time as an opposing player

Brenden Rice was a wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes who started to gain traction as a superstar during his two years in Boulder. Then, he transferred to USC and has become an integral part of the Trojans’ offense.

Rice finished his Buffs tenure with 27 catches for 419 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games, and 21 of those receptions came in the 2021 season.

In his first season with the Trojans in 2022, he caught 39 passes for 611 yards and four scores with the help of Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.

Ahead of his return to Boulder for Saturday’s Week 5 game between Colorado and USC, Rice spoke about his feelings and gave his thoughts on the current state of the Buffs under head coach Deion Sanders.

“I can’t wait to get back to Folsom,” Rice said. “Colorado is my first love, so seeing how coach Sanders has transformed Colorado, it makes me happy But at the same time, going back, that nostalgia, it’s a rivalry now. I can’t wait to go tear up Folsom.”

It will also be interesting to see if Rice stays hot after his seven-catch, 133-yard and two-touchdown performance against Arizona State a week ago.

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How much money has Deion Sanders been worth to Colorado so far?

USA TODAY Sports revealed an estimate of how much money Deion Sanders has been worth to Colorado so far

When Colorado hired Deion Sanders to lead its football program in December, athletic director Rick George said the university didn’t yet have the money to pay Coach Prime his five-year, $29.5 million salary, not including bonuses/incentives.

We’re now four games into Sanders’ tenure and the investment has done far more than just pay for itself. According to a report from USA TODAY Sports, the return value on Coach Prime stands at an estimated $280 million through the first month of his first season.

The vast majority of that estimated $280 million comes from increased media exposure (h/t Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY Sports):

The $280 million is a conservative estimate compiled by USA TODAY Sports. It includes increases in football ticket sales from last year ($20 million), increases in donations ($8 million), increases in other categories (at least $3 million) and the estimated value of the increased media exposure that came with hiring a Pro Football Hall of Famer who attracts so many cameras ($249 million).

The actual number is likely much higher but couldn’t be estimated because data for some revenue categories wasn’t available, including donations to the school after June 30 and merchandise sales at campus stores.

To clear up any confusion, that $280 million is based on increased revenue in those four aforementioned areas compared to the year prior to Coach Prime’s arrival.

Schrotenboer wrote that in September alone, CU generated over 31,000 media mentions, which translates to an estimated ad equivalency of $128 million.

Take a look back at Coach Prime’s tenure so far: