Colorado-TCU averages 7.62 million viewers in Deion Sanders' debut

The Deion Sanders effect continues to stretch across college football.

Colorado captured the nation’s attention in Week 1, from Coach Prime’s postgame press conference to Travis Hunter’s two-way performance. The Buffaloes escaped Fort Worth with a 45-42 win, knocking off No. 17 TCU.

The game was the most-watched game of the day on any TV network, averaging 7.62 million viewers. The viewership was up more than 17% compared to 2022’s Big Noon Saturday average of 6.32 million. According to a release from FOX, it was the most-watched Week 1 Big Noon Saturday game. It was also the fourth-most streamed college football game in the network’s history.

FOX will be in Boulder this weekend for Coach Prime’s home opener against Nebraska, slated for the Big Noon Saturday slate. It’s another big-time moment for Sanders and Colorado.

Colorado’s season-opening win brought the Buffs into the AP Top 25 poll at No. 22. It’s the first time they’re ranked since a brief stay in the poll since the 2020 season. They were also ranked for two weeks in 2018, but have only finished a year in the poll once (2016) in the last 20 seasons.

While all eyes were on Sanders off the field, Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders were the stars against TCU. A wide receiver and cornerback, Hunter was constantly making plays. He finished with 11 catches for 119 yards and picked off TCU quarterback Chandler Morris from inside the Colorado 5.

Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s youngest son, finished 38 of 47 for 510 yards and four touchdowns while breaking the single-game passing record.

Colorado continues to see exposure, benefits following TCU win

Anticipation continues to build around Deion Sanders’ home debut at Folsom Field. Already sold out, resale tickets were going between $356 for endzone seats in the nosebleed section to more than $2,300 on the 50 on Seat Geek, according to the Denver Gazette. Prices on Ticketmaster were rivaling Super Bowl prices, with tickets going for roughly $11,000.

Per Brian Howell of Buffzone, the athletic department sold nearly $300K in tickets following Saturday’s win. The Stanford game is already a sellout, with four other home games closing in on being sold out.

Largely because of Sanders’ move to Colorado, the Buffaloes were the only school in the country to play its spring game on ESPN. The game drew in 551,000 viewers; Lincoln Riley and USC produced 287,000 viewers in 2022.

The Buffaloes generated about $343,000 in ticket sales and roughly $143,000 in concessions from the spring game, with just under 45,000 packing into Folsom Field.