Deion Sanders' second season with the Colorado football program has been a much more successful campaign than the debut of "Prime Time" in Boulder last year. As Slate's Alex Kirshner writes, though, interest is disturbingly down during their Big 12-contending season.
"...nobody gives a shit. Or at least the American football–watching public cares much less about Colorado than it did when Sanders was presiding over a public-relations stunt that also had football games in his first season. A Sports Business Journal analysis in early November found that Colorado’s TV ratings this season were about half of what they were in 2023. Colorado is still pulling above-average numbers and playing all of its games on either network television or ESPN’s main channel, but the masses are not tuning in to the show in quantities at all similar to last year. Google searches for “Deion Sanders” are less than 10 percent of what they were during that hot start in 2023. Searches for “Colorado football” are down by about the same proportion. Less scientifically, social media shouting matches about Colorado are down to a fraction of what they were in their heyday," Kirshner wrote.
When CU was 3-0 in 2023, the Buffs were being compared to the 2019 national championship-winning LSU Tigers. Overreactions were everywhere. But now that Colorado is consistently winning with a stout defense, up-to-snuff pass protection, and an actual run game, no one is talking about "Prime Time" anymore.
Could it be "Prime Time" fatigue? Perhaps. There was a lot of noise but little reason for it in 2023. But it could just be that the media doesn't know how to handle Coach Prime being good at his new chosen profession.
Regardless, Colorado doesn't have the hoopla, but the Buffs do have a winning record. No self-respecting CU supporter would trade what they have for what they had.