Paul Finebaum on Colorado: 'They don't mean anything in the world of college football'

Colorado enters their second season with head coach Deion Sanders at the helm for the Buffaloes as they transition from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 Conference. And as expected, there has been no shortage of offseason dialogue surrounding the Colorado program between the end of last season and their Week 1 kickoff this year.

One of the most eye-opening storylines surrounding the Buffs stemmed from a report by The Athletic’s Max Olson. Who spoke with former Colorado players who were essentially cut by Sanders and did not have the kindest things to say about the program. A culture that Mike Golic Jr. asked college football analyst Paul Finebaum about and if it was an area of concern on the GoJo and Golic show.

“It should, and some pretty enlightening reporting,” Finebaum said Friday. “I don’t want to back away from anything I’ve ever said, but it was the first week of the SEC Media Days and you guys have been there both. You start throwing things up against the wall and Lincoln Riley, I probably got a little carried (away with). I think it’s a good coach, I don’t think he’s a great coach, and I think his record in big game speaks for itself. I just threw Dion out there and that was prior to the reporting.”

Finebaum blasted USC‘s head coach in July, calling him an ‘average football coach’, eventually saying that Sanders could be a potentially good replacement for him in the future in Los Angeles. But in that same breath, Finebaum also made it pretty clear that his feelings towards Sanders as a head coach and the Colorado program at large are not positive ones.

“I’m just not impressed with what he’s done,” Finebaum said of Sanders. “And I started talking about the relevancy of Colorado and his son got very upset, came after me and so did others. And my point is it’s about Deion Sanders, it’s not about Colorado. Colorado is worthless. They don’t mean anything in the world of college football. Deion does and he needs to show something, and unless he does, I wouldn’t suggest anybody like USC hires him.”

Colorado’s football program dates back to 1890 with 26 conference titles to their name and a claimed national championship in 1990. A team that was 1-11 prior to Sanders’ arrival and finished 4-8 last season in his first year as a head coach at the FBS level.

But Sanders’ impact on bringing a national spotlight to Boulder has been undeniable regardless of any opinions surrounding his coaching ability. A spotlight that would definitely shine bright in Hollywood.

“But in the world we live in guys in the media world that you both been part of a long time, most of that doesn’t matter. It’s how much conversation can you create and in LA, nobody could create more conversation than Deion Sanders,” Finebaum concluded.

Sanders has vocalized a desire to stay at Colorado after this season despite his two sons and Travis Hunter likely all departing from the program. But his future in college football will definitely hinge on how the Buffs fare in the Big 12 this upcoming season.