Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are set to take on No. 18 Kansas State in the Big 12 late game of the Week 7 slate, which has caused some blowback from both programs.
Sanders ranted about the placement during his weekly coaches show on Thursday, saying that the kickoff time is “stupid” because “half of America is asleep.”
“Who does that to us? Who does that?” Sanders asked. “I mean, who has the power to sit up there and say, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna make them play at 8:15?’”
While the Week 7 matchup will be televised on ESPN’s main feed, the kickoff time starts at a brutal 10:15 p.m. on the East Coast, forcing most casual fans in the area to go to bed instead of staying up to watch.
“It’s not smart for a television executive to say, ‘We’re gonna put this game on at this time.’ I mean, because you’re thinking about eyeballs, you’re thinking about selling merchandise on the commercials, you’re thinking about all that,” Sanders continued. “Why would you do it at that time when half of America’s asleep?”
The game carries many Big 12 Championship implications, with Colorado sitting at 2-0 in league play with wins over Baylor, UCF, and Kansas State at 1-1, but firmly expected to compete for a spot in Arlington.
Sanders finished his thoughts by saying, “I’m talking now. None of the people I know would do nothing stupid like that.”
Kansas State is currently listed as a 3.5-point favorite over Coach Prime’s Buffaloes. Still, with Colorado appearing to be better than most expected heading into the season, the matchup should make for some incredible TV. Saturday’s game kicks off on ESPN at 9:15 p.m. CT at Folsom Field.
