- NCAA. Deion Sanders could be in line for another conflict with the media after criticism of his team
- NCAA. Deion Sanders' insider tips big things from Colorado Buffaloes: Destruction is going to be released
Entering the 2024 NCAA football season, the Colorado Buffaloes are among the sport's most fascinating teams. Led by second-year head coach Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes have moved back to the rejuvenated Big 12 Conference and are hoping its headline players -- receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders -- can spark a further improvement from their 4-8 season in 2023.
But plenty of Colorado skeptics remain, even with Shedeur, Hunter, and a host of strong recruits coming in to the program in 2024. Coach Prime's bravado and status as an NFL great have led many to hail the Buffs as the next big thing in college football, but the Associated Press is among the outlets that still need convincing.
Shedeur and Travis Hunter have to silence the doubters
AP on Monday released its first preseason top-25 poll, which approximates the college football landscape in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2024 season at the end of August. Despite all the hype around Colorado's program, the Buffs received only one top-25 vote and were omitted from the poll.
The "snub" shows that voters aren't going to be so easily swayed this year after Colorado began the 2023 season with a perfect 3-0 record and rose into the top 20 of the AP poll. The Buffs went on to lose eight of their past nine games and have been left out of the initial poll this year as a result, prompting one X/Twitter to say "the world is healing".
Shedeur Sanders has generated quite a bit of Heisman Trophy hype entering the new season, while Hunter is widely regarded as one of the top players in college football and a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both stars will have to perform at their absolute best to sway voters, starting with Colorado's season-opening showdown with North Dakota State on Aug. 29.