The Big 12 has been an exciting, action-packed conference in 2024. Its first season without Texas and Oklahoma has gone as well as could have been expected, especially with Iowa State and BYU still undefeated. However, one glaring hole is the lack of a name program. That was Texas and Oklahoma, but now there is a void. And the one school that can fill that void is Colorado.
College football is built around the haves and have nots. And there are many more have nots. Everyone constantly hears about Alabama, Michigan, Miami, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson, but there are a lot more of the Purdue, Mississippi State, Virginia, Minnesota, Arkansas and Georgia Tech type programs. The have nots may have their occasional successful run, but then fall back into the pile. The haves are the elite and the Big 12 needs at least one to reach that level in order to thrive long-term.
And the one that has the most potential to reach that status the fastest is Colorado. More specifically, Colorado has the most potential to reach that status because of Deion Sanders. Love him or hate him, Coach Sanders is a magnet for publicity. And that is what the Big 12 needs right now.
After a disappointing first season in Boulder, Coach Sanders quickly regrouped through the transfer portal and has the Buffaloes relevant in 2024. Most importantly, they aren’t just relevant on social media and in the press, but they’re actually relevant on the field this season. At 6-2 and 4-1 in the Big 12, Colorado is right in the thick of the Big 12 title hunt as we enter November.
Iowa State, BYU and Kansas State are probably better this season, Utah, TCU, West Virginia and Oklahoma State possess more stable programs, but none of these bring the eyes and attention that Colorado does. Because of this, while they would never admit it, you can be sure that the Big 12 offices are hoping that the Buffaloes continue to win.
However, there is an elephant in the room. How long will Coach Sanders stay at Colorado beyond this season? Almost two months ago I wrote that I believed that his plan since taking the Colorado job was to leave, likely for the NFL, after this season (can read here). If I’m correct and he follows his son, Shedeur Sanders, and Travis Hunter to the NFL, where does that leave Colorado and the Big 12?
More Sports News
No matter how Colorado finishes this season, replacing Coach Sanders with someone as magnetic is nearly impossible. Will the Buffaloes try to go this route again or would they make a more traditional hire? Either way, Colorado will likely be stuck in the “have not” pile. For the Big 12 it will have been a wasted opportunity. Even with a potentially very successful season for the conference, they would have lost their biggest star coach, plus his star quarterback son and the potential Heisman Trophy winner.
What the Big 12 and Colorado need is for Coach Sanders to be inspired by this season’s performance. They need him to believe that this is proof that he can do more in Boulder. They need him to stay for the long haul. Do I think it will happen? No, but this is what the Big 12 and Colorado need. However, I still think Coach Sanders has different plans.
