Deion Sanders' Colorado football belongs in EA Sports College Football 25 Tier 1 for payment

The EA Sports College Football 25 video game will have a four-tiered system of paying universities for being in the game based on the last few years of revenue, and Deion Sanders' Colorado football program is in Tier 3.

Mike Farrell Sports' Rock Westfall believes Coach Prime's Buffs should be in Tier 1; though only for the interest he's generated in the program, not because he has an actual chance of leading CU to a national championship.

"You can love them or hate them, but there is justification for Colorado being in Tier 3 above Nebraska," Westfall prefaced before saying, "And an argument can be made the Buffs should have been higher. When you take away the Top 25 ranking criteria for tiers, the reality is that Colorado belongs to Tier 1.

"It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that  has made Colorado a top new brand and that the Buffs are going to bust a lot of joysticks this summer. Colorado will be the team of choice for countless College Football 25 players. The reality is that as long as Coach Prime patrols the sidelines in Boulder, CU will be one of if not the most popular teams in the EA Sports lineup. Still, College Football 25 is a fantasy game and an illusion. Players can win the national championship with terrible teams. Like Deion Sanders, it’s not based on reality. It's a flash in the pan."

Two-way Colorado football star Travis Hunter the biggest name on EA Sports College Football 25 cover

Colorado is going to help move units for EA Sports this summer when EA Sports College Football 25 is released on July 19. Travis Hunter, the game's cover athlete, is the most recognizable face on its branding.

No disrespect to Quinn Ewers, who may well get selected higher in the 2025 NFL draft, but Hunter is a more nationally known name who'd be recognized by casual sports fans with a passing interest in a college football video game. Donovan Edwards' name holds nowhere near the same clout as Hunter's.

Of course, brand recognition doesn't win games on the field. And evidently, it didn't even generate a higher check from EA Sports, since it came too late for CU to be a Tier 1 earner.