USC Fans Travel To Colorado For 'Primetime Beatdown' Of Deion Sanders, Anticipate Another Reality Check For Buffs

BOULDER, CO- Strolling around the Colorado campus on Friday morning, you could tell we were 24 hours until one of the biggest home games in recent memory. From ticket brokers to USC fans taking in the atmosphere over a cup of coffee, Deion Sanders is the talking point.

While FOX was setting up its broadcast equipment inside Folsom Field, a few fans wearing USC shirts were trying to get a quick peek of the field. That quick peek lasted about two seconds until a security guard yelled at them.

But, this did give me the opportunity to get their take on what was happening here in Boulder. It's a guys weekend for the group from Santa Monica, who made the trek for the 10 a.m. kickoff between two football teams looking to make a statement.

As we got to talking, the conversation quickly turned to Deion Sanders, who has captivated the college football world.

'I Think Saturday Is Another Reality Check For Colorado'

The off-field excitement is one thing, but delivering on the field is a tougher battle that this group doesn't feel Colorado fans are ready for.

"You saw what happened last weekend at Oregon. They (Colorado) were overmatched at the line of scrimmage," Gary from Santa Monica mentioned. "Look, I'm not saying what Deion Sanders is doing here isn't special, he's bringing in new fans, while he also had some early success. But there's gonna be a primetime beatdown tomorrow, which should be a reality check for Colorado fans, if last week wasn't."

But what about the overall effect on college football? USC has some new fans because of what Lincoln Riley is doing in LA, with aspirations of a national championship. Is there a correlation between the two, trying to sell a program, while also delivering wins

"I don't think you can compare the two. One team is a national title contender, while the other is trying to re-establish its name in college football," Travis, another member of the group noted. "We've got Lincoln Riley, and a program fighting for titles. By the way, we could be the last stop for Riley. This isn't the case for Deion.

"What happens if he wins six or eight games in year two? Somebody bigger is going to offer him a job, obviously. Would Colorado fans expect him to stick around, even after the second season? I hope they are enjoying this now, because it won't last. Whether that's in two years or four years, he most likely isn't living in this area."

Deion Sanders Has Entered A New Phase Of Stardom

Forget what he's done so far in Boulder, if you were paying attention, he was doing the same thing at Jackson State. Also at that time, Deion Sanders had film crews following his every step for the Amazon series. He promoted the program to a degree that people had to pay attention to what he was doing in Mississippi.

"First off, he's on my television during every commercial break. Then, when College Gameday went out to Jackson State, you knew he had something brewing," Gary mentioned. "He's doing commercials with (Nick) Saban and has built a massive brand. When have you seen other coaches do that, outside of being a head coach?

"We're college football fans, so we pay attention. But for the average joe, just flipping on a game because of his days in the NFL or his television appearances, that's where he built his brand. I do wonder if folks on the West Coast will pay as much attention when he's coaching in a different conference next season. But the man is a star, coaching Colorado football."

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines during the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium September 23, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

While they are not wrong, and who knows what happens in the future, it is wild to see this much excitement, in such a short period of time. I wonder if the new car smell wears off sometime this season, but then I see what he did to get certain players to Colorado from the portal.

One thing is probably true, and that centers around his future. If Deion Sanders has success at Colorado, it's only a matter of time before other schools come calling again. But this time, they'll be national championship contending teams.

But for this weekend, these USC fans traveled all this way to enjoy some Trojan football, while hoping Coach Prime takes another loss. Now we wait to see if Deion Sanders can spoil their weekend.