Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Did Deion Sanders & Colorado Actually Outperform Matt Rhule & Nebraska in 2024?

Public perception is that Colorado is better than Nebraska, but did that turn out to be true?

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Jul 10
Jul 10

By Rock Westfall

There are two mindsets when it comes to judging a football team’s results. NFL Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells preferred to keep it simple by saying, “You are what your record says you are.”

It is hard to argue with Parcells’s basic logic, especially in pro football, where parity is king. But in college football, it is not so easy to judge purely by a team’s record because of scheduling and the disparity of quality teams in certain conferences or non-conference scheduling.

The other way to judge a team is by “perception is reality.” This, too, can be a simple way to look at a team since it is based on image.

As is the case in most things in life, the truth is often found in the middle, which leads to the Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

We can easily verify that the Buffs and their fans are more satisfied and confident than Husker Nation and the Big Red itself. But is that outlook reality based? 

Conventional wisdom is that Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is getting it done more than Matt Rhule is at Nebraska.

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But is that actually true?

A Prime Time Breakout 

The Colorado Buffaloes finished 9-3 with a record of 7-2 in the Big 12 Conference. The Buffs were a near miss for the Big 12 Championship Game. In Big 12 action, Colorado slipped at home against Kansas State in Week 7, blowing a late lead, 31-28. And the Buffs were ambushed at Kansas in a Week 13 debacle 37-21. 

While K-State finished 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12, it was still a letdown year for the Wildcats. Meanwhile, Kansas got stuck in the ditch early and never fully got out of the muck. The Jayhawks finished with a record of 5-7 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12. 

Arizona State beat both KU and K-State to make the Big 12 Championship Game. Meanwhile, ASU’s opponent on Saturday, Iowa State, beat K-State and lost to KU. Colorado’s failure against both is what’s keeping them home this weekend.

Still, it was a tremendous season in Boulder and far better than what was touted in the preseason. Shedeur Sanders thrived at quarterback, improving his NFL Draft stock, while two-way sensation Travis Hunter is the favorite to hoist the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

Colorado showed marked improvement on defense in 2024, ranking a respectable 37th for points allowed. However, its one weakness remained the offensive line. CU had a useless rushing attack, which ranked 134th in the nation. Additionally, Sanders was sacked 38 times during the season. The lack of a reliable offensive line and running game is not what championship teams are made of.

Colorado was able to hide its inability to run the ball and protect its quarterback by playing in the Big 12 Conference, which is arguably the weakest of the four Power Leagues. Per the 2024 ESPN College Football Power Index, Colorado’s strength of schedule ranked 69th, hardly a Big Ten or SEC gauntlet.

Nov 9, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) scrambles in the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field.

Big Red Limps In – Barely a Bowl Game 

The Nebraska Cornhuskers limped home to a final record of 6-6 after an impressive 5-1 start. Nebraska snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at home against Illinois and on the road against Iowa. They showed up late for work in a winnable home game against UCLA and could have won road games against USC and Ohio State. Nebraska, at a bare minimum, should have finished 8-4 and could have been 9-3 or 10-2. But they lacked the maturity and ability to handle success to finish those losses.

Nebraska’s offense became so bad that it had to hire Dana Holgorsen as offensive coordinator for the final three games to earn a win and bowl eligibility. The Big Red’s special teams were often a liability, and the running game was unreliable.

While the season was not a disaster, it was not what it could have been. The Huskers did end an 8-year bowl game drought, which was mandatory in Rhule’s second year.

In comparing progress, it must be acknowledged that Nebraska played a significantly more difficult schedule in the rock-ribbed Big Ten compared to Colorado. The Big Red ranked 19th in the nation for strength of schedule, a whole 50 slots tougher than Colorado.

The Verdict: Head-to-head Comparison 

Coach Prime’s and Colorado supporters like to gloss over the Week 2 showdown at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium, where the Huskers dominated the Buffs 28-10. Nebraska outgained the Buffs 334-260 despite taking its foot off the gas in the second half.

Colorado fans say if the teams played now, it would be different. Nebraska fans too can retort, yes, it would be, because of now having an elite offensive coordinator in Dana Holgorsen, who was not present for that September 7 showdown.

On the recruiting trail, Colorado has shown impressive improvement. Most services rate its 2025 class in the 30’s just before signing day. But Nebraska consistently ranks better, almost always in the Top 25 of most services, with a couple having them in the Top 20.

Colorado certainly had an edge in 2024, taking advantage of its schedule and significant self-improvement over last year. In comparison, Nebraska left a lot of money on the table. But Colorado would not have been as successful in the Big Ten. At the same time, Nebraska would likely have done better in the Big 12, where it is easier to hide weaknesses.

In reality, Colorado is not ahead of Nebraska. Nor is Nebraska ahead of Colorado. 

There is an understandable perception that Colorado is getting it done and Nebraska is not. But that perception doesn’t mean it is reality. In reality, the teams are comparable, Colorado just had an easier schedule and fewer expectations.

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