Sports columnist questions whether Deion Sanders, CU are ready for the Big 12

Head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have heard it all this offseason, with many wondering how a 4-8 team prepares for a jump to the Big 12 Conference.

Coach Prime will tell you Colorado is more than ready to make the jump, pointing to the Buffs’ whirlwind offseason strategy aimed at fixing their issues from last season.

Ahead of this week’s Big 12 football media days, The Oklahoman sports columnist Joe Mussatto examined that question and the uncertainties surrounding the conference’s other 15 programs. After asking if Colorado is ready for change (and vice versa), Mussatto explained why he thinks Coach Prime and the Big 12 have opportunities to surprise each other.

This is what Mussatto wrote:

After winning their first three games, the Buffs have lost eight of their last nine. Of the 72 scholarship players (high school recruits and transfers) Colorado signed in 2023, 61% of them are no longer with the team, according to CBS Sports. Colorado has continued to recruit well, though, both in high school and in the transfer portal. The Buffaloes signed five-star tackle Jordan Seaton to bolster their offensive line. Colorado has added 40 players from the transfer portal, more than any other school in the country. There is no such thing as stability in college football, but what Colorado is doing is extreme, even in this climate.

The changes Mussatto highlighted are reminiscent of the all-new Colorado program the college football world had to prepare for at Pac-12 media day last summer. While Sanders’ star players proved themselves last season, the supporting cast will need to step up in 2024.

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