Sep 14, 2024; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines in the first quarter at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Colorado football coach Deion Sanders continued his war of words against late kickoff times, calling them “stupid” on Thursday.
The Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) will face No. 18 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday in Boulder, Colo., in a game that will start at 8:15 p.m. local time.
Speaking on the “Colorado Football Coaches Show,” Sanders said of the kickoff time, “Who does that to us, man, like who does that? How stupid is that? It’s not smart for a television executive to say we’re going to put this game on at this time. I mean, you’re thinking about eyeballs, you’re thinking about selling merchandise in the commercials, you’re thinking about all of that.
“Why would you do it at that time when half of America is asleep? None of the people I know would do something stupid like that.”
Sanders added that he will take a pregame nap.
Each of Colorado’s two prior home games this season started at 6 p.m. local time. The Buffaloes also had 6:30 p.m. local time starts at Nebraska and Colorado State and a 4:20 p.m. kickoff at UCF.
A year ago this week, Sanders said of an 8 p.m. local time kickoff against Stanford, “Who wants to stay up till 8 o’clock for a dern game?” He added that the late start was the “dumbest thing ever” and “the stupidest thing ever invented in life.”
Television networks clearly like having the Buffaloes in prime time, as their games have all drawn at least 3.2 million viewers nationally. The presence of charismatic coach Sanders and the team’s two star players, quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Deion’s son) and spectacular two-way performer Travis Hunter, drive fans to telecasts of Colorado games.
The Buffaloes are on a three-game winning streak entering their first matchup with a ranked opponent this season.
–Field Level Media
