Paul Finebaum evaluates Colorado's chances at competing in first year under Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders has placed a national spotlight upon Boulder, Colorado. After winning one game a year ago and posting just two winning campaigns over the past 17 seasons, Coach Prime has brought his Louis Vuitton bags and set up shop with the Buffaloes.

Still, what can we genuinely expect from Sanders and Colorado this season? In Paul Finebaum’s eyes, he at least thinks they’re off on the right foot to make something of themselves.

In an appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’, he said that this weekend’s spring game was great evidence of the excitement around the program. For now, that’s all that matters considering they’re still months away from the season kicking off.

“I felt good. Now they’re losing a couple players but that could be because Deion Sanders wants them to lose a couple of players in the portal. But it was a great show and that’s what this program is being built on,” Finebaum said. “That’s not what will sustain it and win them games in the Pac-12. But give him all the kudos in the world for delivering what he promised. This is no longer a fringe program in a Power Five league. This is a program that has captured the country now.”

Even so, Finebaum added that Colorado still has a long way to go, even in the Pac-12. He sees a very clear hierarchy out west and, at the moment, he doesn’t see the Buffaloes cracking into that upper tier in 2023.

“At the risk of sounding like a spoilsport, they have to back it up. ESPN won’t be there next year if they come in at 7-5. They have to be a factor,” said Finebaum. “I don’t think they’re going to be on the top shelf. It’s pretty obvious who’s going to be up there. It’s Southern Cal, it’s Utah, Oregon. Colorado may be in the middle of the pack, which is still a plus, but I do not see them vying for the title.”

Again, anything is going to look like an improvement to a program that went 1-11 a year ago. Besides the COVID season and their 2016 campaign, they have consistently been an inconsequential program over the last two decades.

Even so, Sanders has already accomplished the most important part by bringing an immense amount of hype to the program. Finebaum just thinks we need to tap the breaks a tad when it comes to what we expect their final record to be and whether or not they’ll be competing for a league title in his first season in the league.