Paul Finebaum fires major shots at Deion Sanders’ Colorado, calling their confidence “ridiculously inflated”

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes can’t catch a break. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum did not hold back on his criticism of Sanders’ Colorado program during ESPN's "First Take" on Monday morning.

Finebaum believes that the Buffaloes’ confidence is “ridiculously inflated,” and he argues that Colorado is not relevant on a national scale despite the hype surrounding them.

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“There are so many misconceptions out there," Finebaum said. "Deion Sanders is the best salesman I’ve ever seen. I personally love the guy for what he stands for. But the program looking out has a ridiculously inflated view of itself."

He went on to address Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' recent comment about Colorado being "everybody’s Super Bowl," dismissing the notion outright.

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“Shedeur, you are not," Finebaum said. "You are an easy win nowadays. You got off to a phenomenal start last year beating a couple of mediocre teams that had big names and quite frankly, you haven't done anything since other than crash and burn.

" ... Colorado isn't important in college football. Deion Sanders is, he is a standalone person. He's one of the most charismatic people we've ever seen but Colorado is nothing. They don't matter. They're irrelevant in the big picture of college football."

After a 4-2 opening record last season, the Buffs ended up losing their final six games, finishing the year at 4-8. Entering the 2024 season, there is the same excitement as last year before Deion’s debut. Despite the buzz, Finebaum is skeptical:

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“Anyone asking whether Deion Sanders and Colorado are close to the playoffs simply doesn’t understand the reality of the road. They are not going to the playoffs this year. I'm not sure Deion Sanders is ever going to get them to the playoffs because I don't think he has the patience to stay at Colorado long enough."

Finebaum further emphasized that the media should shift their focus away from Colorado and highlight teams with genuine playoff potential.

Deion Sanders backs son Shedeur Sanders over false narrative

Coach Prime is standing strong beside his son Shedeur Sanders amidst a wave of false narratives. Shedeur, anticipated to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL draft, was misquoted by NFL Rookie Watch as listing preferred NFL teams. Shedeur swiftly debunked the claim on X (formerly Twitter), stating:

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“When did I say this?”

The Colorado Buffaloes coach took to social media to defend his son. He wrote:

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“Please stop lying on us. Show me where @ShedeurSanders said what teams he desired to play for? That’s something we don’t do. God bless whomever was the GENESIS of this lie. We love ya and hope u attain what u desire. ‘A LIE DON’T CARE WHO TELLS IT.’ #Dad/#CoachPrime.”

Shedeur Sanders is anticipated to shine in the 2024 college football season after an impressive last season. In 2023, his stats read 298-for-430 (69.3%) for 3,230 yards with 27 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions.

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