Midnight Comes For Deion, Colorado As Oregon Demolishes Buffaloes' Cinderella Start In Epic Beatdown

It wasn't just coach Dan Lanning's pregame speech that fired up Oregon ahead of it's decisive win over Colorado on Saturday. The 5th ranked Ducks were tired of being a footnote in their matchup with Deion Sanders and his upstart Buffaloes.

Well, there's no denying Lanning's squad now after it's 42-6 'dismantling of Coach Prime's squad.

If you're Lanning, you sat back all week long and watched networks build this game around Colorado, not Bo Nix and the Ducks. This was the game where Colorado was going to be really tested on a national stage.

This wasn't TCU, Nebraska or Colorado State. No, this was one of the best teams in college football, waiting for the chance to further prove themselves to the national pundits.

EUGENE, OREGON - SEPTEMBER 23: Quarterback Bo Nix #10 of the Oregon Ducks runs for a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half at Autzen Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

But if we're being honest, there was nothing to prove by Oregon. We knew they had a Heisman candidate leading them at quarterback, along with blue-chip talent scattered throughout the field. If you were watching that pregame speech, you could tell this was personal for the Ducks, knowing that some people were even questioning Oregon.

Sure, the story of this early portion of the season has been Deion Sanders and his Colorado team, rightfully so. The college football world was injected with a new team, outside of the regular dominant squads. But we also knew that depth and talent at every position would finally catch up with the Buffaloes, and there's nothing wrong with that thought.

There was a reason Colorado was a three-touchdown underdog heading to Eugene. But, there was coverage all week of Dan Lanning being asked about comments made over the summer about previous Colorado teams. Somehow this was turned into a slight towards Deion Sanders, which it wasn't. By the time kickoff rolled around, Oregon was fuming and ready to take it out on the Buffs.

Colorado Is Not There Yet, With A Long Road Ahead

Sure, Colorado flipped its roster and raided the transfer portal for talent, but this did not mean it would be an easy fix. To get in the same conversation as Oregon, USC, Georgia or even Alabama, it takes time, not just one gigantic haul. This is one of the reasons why beating TCU and Nebraska in the manner they did was so impressive.

But Saturday's game was a dose of reality, with Oregon storming out to a 35-0 lead at halftime, while Colorado only had 21 total yards.

As Oregon led 42-0 with 10:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, Colorado was looking for some type of momentum on offense that could carryover to next weekend's game against USC. This is where the Buffaloes are at right now, but with room to grow.

Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks walks on the field against the Colorado Buffaloes. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

Though they came up short on Saturday, Colorado has already done half the work to meet outside expectations this season. Currently sitting at three wins on the season, this Deion Sanders led squad can certainly attain six wins by regular season's end. So, Colorado fans should continue to look at the positives attained over the last previous three weeks of the season, while still being engaged.

The postgame chatter on social media will not be entertaining to the Colorado fan base, but be thankful your even at this point to be talked about this much. This is where reality has to meet expectations, even if it's not what's being said inside the building in Boulder.

I would imagine Shedeur Sanders will take this loss pretty hard, enough to drive him further into the film room, looking to continue progressing. The same can be said for every player on that roster who doesn't like the feeling of being embarrassed.

Will we see a drastic change in just one week? I wouldn't expect Deion Sanders to change one bit.

The USC Trojans Are Headed To Colorado

The job only gets tougher from here, with Lincoln Riley bringing his USC Trojans to town next weekend in Boulder. I would have to think we'll get a cleaner performance from Colorado next weekend, but that does change the fact that the reigning Heisman winner is headed to town.

In fact, the Colorado defense will have played back-to-back Heisman candidates over these two weeks, after Bo Nix put on an impressive performance on Saturday. So, the challenge will be tough, but I expect Boulder to be raucous, just as its been for the previous two home games. The only difference is that USC will get out of Boulder with a win if we see the same Buffaloes show up.

EUGENE, OREGON - SEPTEMBER 23: An overhead interior view of the field during the first half of a game between the Oregon Ducks and the Colorado Buffaloes at Autzen Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel, with games against Arizona State and Stanford following the Trojans. Judging by the Colorado schedule, they'll likely need to split those two games to have a shot at bow eligibility. This is why the upcoming week is important for Deion Sanders to get his team in a better mental spot.

At the end of the day, Oregon was the much better team, and we've known this for weeks. This shouldn't change what Colorado has turned into over the past eight months. Folks will be once again tuning in next week to see if this team can present a fight against the Trojans.

But Saturday afternoon was spotlight on a program that's not there yet, and still has a very long ways to go. Even so, this won't stop folks from tuning in next weekend, especially with Caleb Williams headed to town.