Coach Prime drops an eye-opening remark on Colorado's readiness for College Football Playoff
The first edition of College Football Playoff rankings arrived with the Colorado Buffaloes at No. 20. The 6-2 Buffs are still in the thick of the Big 12 race with an outside chance at making the CFP. But that shot is enough to keep expectations high, and coach Deion Sanders is invested in the possibility, as his comments Tuesday at practice confirmed.
"What I'm seeing right now is a playoff team. What I'm seeing right now is hard work, dedication, determination," Sanders said.
Colorado's playoff chances
At 6-2, the Buffaloes are certainly still alive for the playoff, even if the initial poll or the predictors aren't quite as confident as Coach Prime. Colorado's biggest remaining challenge comes this week against a 6-3 Texas Tech team on the road. If the Buffs win there, they're in a good spot.
Remaining home games with 4-4 Utah and 3-6 Oklahoma State are sandwiched around a trip to 2-6 Kansas. While each of those games would have sounded imposing in the preseason, they are probably the three most underachieving Big 12 teams.
If Colorado can run the table and finish 10-2 (and 8-1 in the Big 12), it will certainly be in the hunt. BYU at 5-0 is the lone team without a conference loss. Iowa State, like Colorado, is 4-1 in league play, but the Cyclones have to play Kansas State in a pivotal game to end the regular season. That's Colorado's path to the Big 12 title game and possibly the playoff.
Absent the title game, the playoff is a long shot at best. ESPN's FPI gives Colorado a 14.0% chance of reaching the playoff. Slightly better is the 19.9% chance given to Colorado to win the conference title game, a close third behind Iowa State.
Colorado's (potential playoff?) season
The Buffs are already 6-2, giving them an excellent shot at their first winning season since 2016. If Sanders and Colorado can win 10 games in 2024, they'll eclipse the three-year total of his predecessor at CU, Karl Dorrell, for victories.
The Buffs have shown slight improvement offensively since Sanders' first season of 2023, which has combined with marked defensive improvement. Colorado has jumped its scoring from 28.2 to 31.4 points per game but has also allowed 22.0 ppg, down from 34.8 a season ago.
QB Shedeur Sanders has had another outstanding season, benefitting from a supporting cast of pass catchers. Colorado has four receivers with 27 or more receptions already, all of whom are likely to top 500 receiving yards for the year. Foremost among those is Heisman candidate Travis Hunter, with 60 grabs for 757 yards and nine touchdowns.
Perhaps a hidden key to Colorado's success has been third downs. The Buffs are second in the conference both in converting their own third downs (45.79%) and in stopping others (33.94%).
What do you think about Coach Prime's comments? Are the Buffs going to make the CFP? Share your thoughts below in our comments section!