Coaches come and go in college football every year, but the University of Colorado is making headlines for bringing in Deion Sanders to lead the Buffaloes in 2023. 

Sanders immediately made his own headlines by essentially telling Colorado players that they should enter the transfer portal, because immediate changes are coming for a team that won just a single game in 2022. 

“Coach Prime” plans to make an immediate impact in Colorado, but will he? Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has revealed his hypothetical college football futures odds on Sanders’ tenure in Colorado, and beyond. 

Colorado Buffalos 2023 Win Total

Nobody can question Sanders has skyrocketed into a position worthy of a Pac-12 coaching gig. He has just three seasons of head coaching experience. Sanders took over for Jackson State in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, going 3-3. His first full season, he led the Tigers to an 11-2 record. This year, JSU is a perfect 12-0, winning games by an average of 26.8 ppg. 

His video introducing himself to Colorado players has gone viral – and signifies he’s expecting a similar meteoric rise up the standings. Colorado sports betting fans, take note.

But it might take a little longer at this level. The 2022 Buffaloes won just one game, a 20-13 overtime effort at home against Cal. 

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Their 11 losses were by an average of 32.8 ppg. They were massive every-week underdogs on betting apps. That’s not something that often gets turned around in a year, even if a heralded group of freshmen enter the fray. 

As of right now, Colorado owns the 42nd-ranked recruiting class for 2023 – not bad for a one-win team. Based on Deion’s words, expect changes to that list, and an increase in interest from the hundreds of names in the transfer portal. 

The portal makes the speed of a potential turnaround much quicker. But in 2023, the schedule shows four winnable games: at home against Colorado State, Arizona and Stanford and at Arizona State. CU hosts Nebraska and plays at Washington State, games with potential for an upset. 

The Under gets a slight lean in Year One, but counting out Deion with a full offseason to attack the transfer portal would be folly. A total of 4.5 is impressive, given what’s coming back. 

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Colorado Buffaloes First CFP Berth

Building a football program to prominence often takes a long time. Sanders proved it can be done, but that was at the SWAC level with a program on even footing with its rivals. Colorado is competing with the likes of USC, Oregon, Utah and UCLA, among others – established teams with loads of talent and resources. 

In other words, it might take longer than three seasons for Prime to do at Colorado what he did at Jackson State. How much longer? We can’t discount the track record or the influence of today’s transfer portal to completely revamp a program. Colorado, for its part, has nationally worthy resources for the program. 

We also shouldn’t discount the expansion from just four teams to 12 starting in 2024. No longer must a team go unbeaten or suffer just one loss to warrant consideration for the College Football Playoff. Winning a Pac-12 title would do the trick. Finishing second, in many cases, could as well. 

The competition in the Pac-12 is a new thing for Sanders, but Colorado is on the map. 

Deion Sanders Next Coaching Gig Odds

Sanders’ deal with Colorado is for five years and $29.5 million. Whether he lasts the full five seasons, nobody knows how it will play out. But if he can build Colorado to the level he expects, other teams with lots of cash and opportunity will come calling. 

There’s a strong mutual admiration between Sanders and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who just declared over the weekend that Sanders is “very capable” of being an NFL coach someday. If Sanders jumps one day for the pros, nobody would be shocked if it’s for an opportunity with Dallas, which makes the Cowboys our favorite in this college football betting market. 

The Falcons would make the next-most sense, given his already legendary status in Atlanta as a player and his strong connections to the region, coaching in Mississippi and growing up in Florida. 

Florida State is where Sanders played ball and could be the lone gig, outside of a blueblood such as Alabama or Clemson, that might intrigue him over Colorado. Coach Prime might enjoy the challenge of taking a tradition-rich national brand such as Notre Dame and adding a little pizzazz – and success. 

All that said, many people have moved to Colorado and fallen in love with the mountains and fresh air. Boulder is a true college town. Maybe Deion, 55, decides he’s finally found his place. Time will tell. 

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