I Can’t Decide If I Love or Hate the Deion Sanders Experience

Colorado football is the most confusing thing in sports right now and I need to talk about it.

On one hand: the vibes are immaculate. The content is fire. Every game feels like an event. Travis Hunter won the Heisman doing something nobody’s done in decades. Shedeur Sanders is going to be a first-round pick. They went 9-3 and made a New Year’s Six bowl.

On the other hand: I can’t tell if any of this is sustainable or if we’re watching the world’s most entertaining house of cards.

Let me explain my brain.

The football has genuinely improved. Year one was chaos — massive roster turnover, guys who couldn’t play, embarrassing losses to bad teams. Year two was different. The offensive line got better. They found some actual depth. The defense went from “please don’t give up 50” to “actually okay.”

Nine wins is real. You can’t fake nine wins. They beat Kansas State. They beat Arizona State. They hung with everyone except the top tier. That’s progress.

But — and this is a big but — so much of Colorado’s success is tied to two players who are leaving. Travis Hunter is gone. Shedeur Sanders is gone. That’s your Heisman winner and your starting quarterback walking out the door at the same time.

What does Colorado look like without them?

I genuinely don’t know. And I don’t think anyone knows. Maybe Deion recruits replacements through the portal. Maybe the culture he’s built sustains itself. Maybe next year they go 10-2 and I look like an idiot for doubting them.

Or maybe the whole thing collapses and we’re back to 4-8 Colorado.

The other thing that’s hard to process is just… the CIRCUS of it all. The cameras everywhere. The Netflix documentary. The press conferences that turn into content. The constant discourse.

I’m a simple guy. I like watching football. I like talking about football. I don’t know if I like watching a reality TV show that happens to feature football.

Mike’s note: This is the most thoughtful Jake has ever been about anything. I’m concerned. Are you feeling okay?

I’m fine. I’m just genuinely conflicted about Colorado. Part of me thinks Deion is a genius who’s changing the sport. Part of me thinks this is all smoke and mirrors and we’re going to look back in three years and wonder what the hell we were watching.

Both things might be true? I don’t know.

What I do know: Colorado games are must-watch TV. Whatever you think about Deion, you can’t look away. And maybe that’s the whole point.

— Jake