Trending Now

Mike Farrell Sports: Colorado ‘Should’ Be Better in 2024

By Bryan Clinton

Posted on January 24, 2024

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines as his team takes on the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium.

It hasn’t been long since the 2023 season came to a close, but as is the natural response to losing the sport that we love so dearly, football fans are already looking toward what’s to come in 2024.

This past season was a rollercoaster ride for plenty of teams around the country, but perhaps no team out there experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows the way that the Colorado Buffaloes did under first-year head coach Deion Sanders.

After upsetting TCU as double-digit underdogs to open the season, Colorado strung together a three-game winning streak to start the season at 3-0, and even made an appearance in the AP Poll at No. 19 heading into their game against Oregon.

That’s when things came unhinged for Coach Prime and the Buffs, as a 42-6 loss to the Ducks sent them spiraling into oblivion, losing eight of their final nine games.

The offensive and defensive line play in Boulder simply wasn’t up to par for the Buffaloes to make any sort of noise in the Pac-12’s swan song season, but the hope is that things will improve in a big was as Colorado heads to the Big 12.

In a recently published story at Mike Farrell Sports, the Buffaloes are one of five teams that “should” be better in 2024 after all the chaos of the transfer portal and coaching carousel.

“Coach Deion Sanders wasted no time fortifying that O-line, acquiring six offensive linemen from the transfer portal early this offseason,” Skeeter Smith writes. “He also shocked the world by landing the top offensive tackle of the 2024 class, Jordan Seaton. Adding offensive weapons like Will Sheppard, Cordale Russell, and Lajohntay Wester should also boost Colorado’s offensive firepower. Addressing defensive needs, the Buffs strengthen the trenches with players like Chidozie Nwankwo and Quency Wiggins. With improvement on both sides of the ball, Deion should be well on his way to reaching a bowl game in year 2.”

The author also notes Ohio State, Ole Miss, Maimi (FL), and Syracuse as teams set to improve in 2024, but one particular prognostication caught my eye in Smith’s thoughts on Colorado, as he sees Sanders leading the Buffs to a bowl game in 2024.

With a win total currently set at 4.5, that’s certainly not a hot take, but it is an interesting topic of discussion. When I look at Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season, I’m not overly confident in predicting 6+ wins.