Deion Sanders on Colorado's success, goals: 'We expect to be where we are'

Colorado is right where it wants to be entering the home stretch of the regular season. It’s also right where it expected to be this time of year.

The Buffaloes clocked in at No. 20 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. They are 6-2 on the year, including 4-1 in the Big 12.

They have a chance to win the conference and, in turn, book a trip to the 12-team CFP, a year removed from missing out on any kind of bowl game.

In just his second year at the helm, head coach Deion Sanders was asked Tuesday if he gets the sense that his squad is ready to seize the opportunity in front of it.

“I would hope so,” Sanders said. “That’s what we train for. I mean, this is one of the few teams in the country that’s been lied on, cheated, talked about, mistreated. … But honestly, man (long pause), yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know.

“I don’t know, we’ve been through a lot, and we’re prepared for the moment. We’re not shying away from what we expect. We expect to be in this. We expect to be where we are. We expect to be better than where we are, honestly. But we’re here, and we’re thankful, we’re happy, we’re excited, we’re elated.”

Colorado has won five of its last six games after suffering a humbling 28-10 loss at Nebraska in Week 2. Since that night in Lincoln, the Buffaloes have made significant strides, most notably on defense and in the run game.

The Buffaloes allowed 34.8 points per game last year, the 10th-most nationally of any team in the FBS. This time around, they’re giving up a much-improved 22.0 points per game. That ties the Buffs for 42nd in the country in scoring defense. It helps that Colorado is tied for fifth in the Big 12 this year with 13 takeaways.

As for their run game, the Buffaloes have recently discovered success in that department, rushing for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in Sanders’ two-season stay. Colorado has hit the century mark on the ground four times in eight games. Last year, the Buffs reached that mark only twice in 12 games.

Colorado is still led by high-end NFL Draft prospects in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and phenom wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.

But the program enters a Week 11 matchup at Texas Tech with a lot more to offer than just two stars.

“We’re not done,” Sanders said. “And we cannot wait to get to Lubbock to do what we’re gifted to do. Daunting challenge on the road. We love it.”