Analyst breaks down how Coach Prime increases the worth of other Big 12 teams
Not only have the Colorado Buffaloes benefitted from Coach Prime’s arrival, but the entire Big 12 has reaped the benefits of the celebrated former NFL star's national appeal.
As host of “Locked On Cyclones,” Nick Marovets, pointed out in the “Locked On Big 12” podcast with Drake C. Toll, Deion Sanders in Boulder opens the door for other schools’ growth also.
“As far as the market, as far as the money, as far as the attention on the Big 12, that is what I am very appreciative of Deion coming back to Colorado for. You’re just not going to get the same amount of eyes if he’s not in the Big 12 and that plays into so many different things.
“Obviously, as you mentioned, the economy that Colorado essentially sparked by bringing him in. But also, how much is it worth if Iowa State beats Colorado? How much would it be worth if Iowa State were to beat Colorado with ‘Joe Schmo’ coaching?” Nick Marovets said.
Colorado viewership numbers are by far the highest in the conference after Coach Prime and the Buffaloes' first season in the conference. Their 3.86 million viewers average per game lands just outside the top 10 despite the team playing five games after 7 PM ET.
With Texas and Oklahoma leaving the conference ahead of the 2024 season, the Buffaloes are the closest team the conference has to a marquee school in terms of national attention.
Nick Marovets sees several Big 12 teams competing with Colorado
While mentioning that Deion Sanders’ personality and attention could eventually turn Colorado into a conference powerhouse, Marovets believes it isn’t happening soon. When asked about who could compete with the Buffs, he sees several teams in the mix, including Iowa State.
“Iowa State, obviously. Why would you have me on if I’m not going to answer that way? BYU, (is) up there as well,” Marovets said. “Arizona State, I’ll be very interested to see what they can do without (Cam) Skattebo … outside of that I’d love to see, maybe, Oklahoma State make some noise.”
While the Cyclones and Sun Devils played for the conference title and BYU went undefeated most of the season, Oklahoma State’s selection is surprising. The Cowboys were the worst team in the Big 12 and didn’t win a single conference game.
However, the insider pointed out that every year, some teams tend to surprise and jump up the conference ranks. Arizona State and Indiana were examples of that in 2024.