Danny Kanell predicts how many games Colorado will win in 2024

Opinions surrounding the Colorado Buffaloes seem to be all over the place ahead of the program’s second season under head coach Deion Sanders.

College football analyst Danny Kanell recently joined The Ryen Russillo Podcast to preview the upcoming college football season. Where Kanell dished his take on how many wins he thinks the Buffs will secure in 2024 following their 4-8 finish last season.

“Here’s the thing about Colorado, if it’s 4.5 I’d go over. But I think it got up to 5.5, so I’ll go under,” Kanell said about Colorado’s win total. “Because I think 5-7 is probably where I would peg them to be, it is a step in the right direction for them. I do think they have a better roster this season, both seasons they’ve hit the portal hard.”

Once again the Buffaloes have turned over their roster in a major way with 40+ new additions through the transfer portal for a second straight offseason. But they do bring back several valuable pieces from last year that help Kanell see a future where they improve.

“I think Shedeur Sanders is incredible, but man, when he was doing really well they decided to make a move at coordinator, which made no sense. They bring in Pat Shurmur, kind of because it’s an NFL mind, I’m a little bit concerned there could be a step back offensively in the production. But here’s where I could buy in, Travis Hunter. They lost him for that midsection, that’s when kind of things started to come off the rails when they lost Travis Hunter for that three or four game stretch.”

“This team is all about vibes.”

Kanell believes that the fate of Colorado’s season could be decided in their Week 2 rematch against Nebraska. A game that may test the Buffaloes both on and off the field as they take on an improved team with revenge on their minds following last season’s loss to Colorado.

“If they lose that game, then they go to Colorado State. How do you feel about that game? A game that was a shootout last year in Boulder … Are we sure they’re going to win that game?” Kanell asked. “This is a program because all the new players, there’s not much chemistry, and there’s not much loyalty, and there’s not much camaraderie that you build up over time with classes even two and three years together. And that’s what we saw last year, the minute they faced adversity it imploded, the season fell apart on them.”

A hot start would be beneficial to any team in the country, but maybe for Colorado more than anyone else. A team that’s added nearly 100 new players through the transfer portal in the last two offseasons and has captured the national spotlight in an unprecedented way.

“So if it starts great, if they start 3-0 or 4-0, which they probably should, then yeah. Buy all the stock you can. But for me, I don’t trust it yet,” Kanell said. “Everything out of there feels like drama, and some of it’s intentional drama because they like being filmed. But I’m not buying the hype just yet until I see it consistently over time. I think there’s way too much uncertainty surrounding the team.”