3 Colorado strengths, 2 weaknesses after 2-0 start

Colorado football is more than just on the map right now — they’re taking up the attention of the entire country after stunning TCU in Week 1 45-42 and dominating Nebraska in Week 2 by a 36-14 margin.

The Buffaloes are now just two wins away from surpassing their preseason over/under total of 3.5 games, and Deion Sanders is looking like a revolutionary coach from a roster-building perspective.

Has every aspect of CU been perfect? Well, no. None have been perfect. But three have stood out in a positive light, while two have stuck out like sore thumbs.

3 Colorado football strengths, 2 weaknesses

Colorado football strength: Passing game

Undoubtedly, Shedeur Sanders has been the shiniest star in Colorado’s galaxy through the first two weeks of the season. His mechanics are crisp, and his delivery is tight, but his receiving corps has helped bring him to nearly the highest level in the sport right now.

Xavier Weaver is the standout of that group, one that amazingly includes two-way sensation Travis Hunter. Weaver’s former USF teammate Jimmy Horn Jr. is the decoy third wheel, and former Auburn Tiger Tar’Varish Dawson could find opportunities out of the slot.

Couple all of those talents with Dylan Edwards, who was the leading receiver for the Buffs in Week 1 against TCU, and you have all the ingredients for a dominant Colorado offense; which, at over 40 points per game on average against a Big 12 and Big Ten foe, is already the case for the Buffs offensively.

Colorado football weakness: Offensive line

Sanders would be able to fly higher if his offensive line was able to give him more protection. Sanders was sacked eight times on September 9 against the Cornhuskers, which is not sustainable for No. 2’s health long-term.

Coach Prime struck a worried tone on the group ahead of the season, and against Nebraska, the offensive line showed why.

“The main thing really – We’ve just got to protect the kid,” Deion Sanders said of his son on August 4 (h/t USA Today). “If we keep him upright, I can’t wait until you see what he does, especially with the receivers, the plethora of receivers that we have that can straight-out ball. And they can run like the wind.”

Sanders goes down, and this team’s prospects plummet.

Colorado football strength: Defensive line

Coach Prime’s first Colorado defensive line is a mix of transfers from blue-bloods like Florida State and schools in the Ivy League, and against TCU, it seemed the group would be in for some trouble during the 2023 season.

Perhaps it was because it was against Matt Rhule’s offense led by a mightily struggling Jeff Sims, but the Buffaloes had two sacks, three quarterback hurries and six tackles for loss and looked like a strength just as much as the secondary is.

Colorado football weakness: Running game

Edwards was a major weapon in Week 1, more so than in Week 2, but that was because of Sanders’ ability to find him on designed screens and check-downs and the rusher’s ability to rack up the YAC.

Thus far, Edwards and Anthony Hankerson have yet to get going, and that could ultimately hold Sanders back from reaching a Heisman level as the competition drastically increases in Pac-12 play.

Colorado football strength: Coach Prime

Not much needs to be said here because the difference between the 2022 season and the current campaign speaks for itself. But Coach Prime, the architect for the great Boulder rebuild of 2023, is undoubtedly a strength for this team.

Fan support is at an all-time high. Attention to the program on a national scale, especially at the sportsbooks, is also through the roof. CU, most importantly, looks like a winner.

None of it is possible without a head coach who takes all the heat off his players by being a lightning rod himself.

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