Deion Sanders has done a lot of good at Colorado. When he took over prior to the 2023 season, the Buffaloes were an afterthought, a far cry from the program's peak in the 1990s. He gave them an instant shot of relevance, even if results didn't follow until year two.
Now, Colorado appears to be in a bit of a transition year, finding life tough in a post-Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders world. The Buffaloes are off to a 1-2 start, suffering a disheartening 16-point road loss to Houston last Friday night.
That road matchup and this weekend's home game against Wyoming have something in common: both games will be played under the lights. Under Coach Prime, Colorado has struggled in night games, something he pointed out after the loss to Houston, much to the chagrin of fans:
“Yeah, night games,” he said. “We get ourselves’ butt kicked at night. We normally get our butts kicked at night.”
Sanders blamed it on Colorado being a morning practice team and struggling to acclimate to playing in the evening. That quote raised some eyebrows, though he did walk it back a little by saying that both teams play at the same time, but the quote still rubbed people the wrong way for a coach who has seemed to be short on answers through three weeks.
Sanders isn't wrong, however. USA Today did the legwork: Colorado is now 5-9 in night games under Coach Prime following last week's loss to Houston.
That could be bad news for this week and next. The next two weeks, the Buffs play home games that will kick off at 8:15 pm local time.
Could Colorado really be on upset alert vs. Wyoming?
The one good thing is that this game is at least played on Saturday. The Buffs are 0-2 in their two Friday night games this season and 1-0 on Saturday. But they'll need to play better than they have in any game this season to gain separation against a well-coached, physical Wyoming team that is 100% coming into Boulder believing they can pull off an upset.
Sanders is reportedly turning back to Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter at QB, and this is the final opportunity for Colorado to figure things out on offense before the Big 12 slate gets going in earnest. This is the final non-conference game of the year; the Buffs will play eight consecutive conference games after this to finish the 2025 season.
Colorado is currently listed as a 13.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel. This is a game Colorado should win, but it'll take consistent effort. It'll take better QB play than they've gotten through the first three weeks. It'll take putting the offense in better positions to succeed.
Colorado probably won't be contending for a Big 12 title this season. But if they want to even have a shot at a bowl game and a winning season, they have to avoid a stunning upset on Saturday night at home.