Colorado moved to 4-1 on the season with a 48-21 win over UCF on Saturday. The Buffaloes have already equaled their win total from Deion Sanders’ first season has head coach.
Under Sanders, Colorado is also 2-0 in Big 12 play, which puts them in a tie for first place in the conference, albeit with more than half a season left to play. Still, Stephen A. Smith is excited by the job the Buffaloes have done so far, so much so that he thinks Sanders could be in line for some coaching hardware if things continue.
On First Take Tuesday, Smith argued that Deion might be worthy of Coach of the Year consideration if he’s able to get four or five more wins in the next seven games.
“What we’re seeing in Prime Time Deion Sanders — again, it’s not about you being Alabama or Georgia or something like that — it’s about us looking at Colorado and saying, ‘How good is this team going to be?’” Smith said, via On3.
“They were projected to finish like 11th [in the Big 12]. They’re 4-1 right now. They keep playing like this, they go to a bowl game, they win about eight or nine games — Deion Sanders is going to be a candidate for coach of the year.”
Not surprisingly, Colorado has been paced by stellar play from quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s youngest son, and two-way superstar Travis Hunter, a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate.
Through five games, Shedeur Sanders is completing 70.1% of his passes for 1,630 yards, 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions, while Hunter has 46 receptions, 561 receiving yards and six touchdowns on offense to go along with 15 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups and one game-winning forced fumble on defense.
After a bye this weekend, Colorado’s schedule picks up with a meeting against No. 20 Kansas State on Oct. 12.
The Buffaloes will also face No. 18 Utah and 4-1 Texas Tech in November. If Deion’s team gets to eight or nine wins, they will certainly have earned it.
Related: Deion Sanders Being Praised For Interaction With Reporter