Deion Sanders defines success in first season at Colorado, looks toward future

The Colorado Buffaloes came up just short at home against the No. 21 ranked Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats beat the Buffaloes on a last-second field goal, winning the game 34-31. With the loss, Colorado drops to 4-6 on the season and is 1-6 in Pac-12 play.

Things didn’t always look this grim for Colorado, which is currently on a four-game losing streak. And sitting at the bottom of the Pac-12 is likely not what head coach Deion Sanders envisioned for his first year leading the program. Still, many consider what he has done up to this point a success. But does he? According to the Buffaloes’ headman, the season is a successful one for a few reasons.

“In many aspects, certainly,” said Sanders. “I feel as though every time these fans come in the stadium, there’s an expectation of us to win. I think that’s progress. I wasn’t here last year, but I’m pretty sure.

“We have consistency in several positions that are phenomenal. And I truly feel that is progress. We have inconsistencies in some positions that we can fix. We know the problem, we identified it, and we’re gonna fix it; that’s progress because we know what the problem is, and we have the aptitude to fix it. So I really feel like we’re underachieving for my standards, but when you really look at it, I’m pretty sure you see a better football team on the field each and every Saturday; just ask the fans.”

Colorado’s 4-6 mark is better than it was at any point last season when the Buffaloes finished 2022 with just one win to their name. Still, in his eyes, while in many ways this year has been successful, it’s not entirely up to Sanders’s level of expectation. And the Colorado headman is on a mission to fix it.