TV Ratings Confirm Deion Sanders, Colorado Are Hottest Story in College Football

‘Prime Time’ is delivering primetime television viewership through two weeks of the season.

Much of the college football landscape did not expect Colorado and first-year coach Deion Sanders to produce two wins in their first two games of the 2023 season.

However, despite the doubters, the Buffaloes (2–0) have notched victories against TCU—last year’s CFP runner-up—and most recently against their rival Nebraska on Saturday, putting Boulder, Colo., at the epicenter of college football as the home of the sport’s most exciting team.

After the Buffaloes’ win against the Horned Frogs in Week 1, Sanders clearly stated that his team was “coming” to change the narrative on the projections for his first year at the helm of the program, one that finished 1–11 in the ’22 campaign. Following Saturday’s second victory, not only has Colorado already doubled its wins from last season, but the program continues to deliver in television viewership.

Saturday’s Colorado-Nebraska game at noon ET on Fox generated 8.73 million viewers, seizing the highest viewed college football matchup in Week 2. For perspective, the Buffaloes-Cornhuskers’ clash topped the primetime contest on ESPN between Alabama and Texas on Saturday evening, generating 7.96 million viewers and the second-best game last week.

Sanders is no stranger to the bright lights and television as he consistently found himself in the headlines and the topic of conversation during his college and NFL careers. But now, the Pro Football Hall of Famer has led his team to No. 18 in the latest AP poll and his team is must-see TV so far this season.