Set Number: X164462
The always-optimistic Deion Sanders sees no reason why Colorado can’t challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff next season.
Appearing on FS1’s Undisputed (starts at 1:18 mark), Sanders said the Buffaloes “most definitely” can be a playoff team in 2024.
UNDISPUTED @undisputed
“Last year we instilled hope, this year we gotta go do it.”@DeionSanders expects CU to challenge for a CFP spot this upcoming season pic.twitter.com/rsNVEo3L4Z
The path to the College Football Playoff will be easier next season when the field expands to 12 teams.
It will be interesting to see how Colorado fares in Sanders’ second year as head coach and in a new conference. The Buffaloes are moving back to the Big 12 after spending the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12.
This new iteration of the Big 12 won’t include Oklahoma and Texas, both of which are moving to the SEC. That could open the door for a new program to take over as a dominant force in the conference.
The Sooners and Longhorns combined to win seven of the last nine Big 12 titles and 18 of 28, including shared titles, since the conference debuted in 1996.
Colorado hasn’t won a conference title since 2001. Teams don’t need to win a conference championship to make the playoff. The six highest-ranked conference champs receive an automatic bid, with the top four teams getting a bye to the quarterfinals.
The six highest-ranked teams after the conference champs will also make the playoff field.
It’s still going to be a tall task for Colorado to make that group of 12. The team went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season and had the 10th-worst defense in FBS by points allowed per game (34.8).
Recruiting from the high-school ranks is still an issue for Sanders. The Buffaloes have the worst incoming class in the Big 12, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
The transfer portal could pay huge dividends, with the top-ranked class among Big 12 programs.
Even if Colorado doesn’t turn into a top-12 program in 2024, as long as the program continues to show signs of progress in Sanders’ second season, that’s a huge win given where it was at prior to his arrival.
