Deion Sanders and Colorado fight for relevancy following bye week

Coach Prime and the Buffs hit down time hoping to count blessings on the other side

Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Bye weeks. There’s always differing thoughts about these breaks in a season. I chuckle at the first thought. In addition to a long career in sports television, your scribe also spent a stint in sports talk radio. It was fun. I’ll never forget a caller one time who, looking at her favorite team’s schedule, wanted to know who was an opponent four weeks into the season. “Mark, who is BYE? I know there’s a BYU but is there a BYE?” Gotta love it.

Anyway, the CU Buffs are coming off one darn impressive road win, gaining momentum and some skeptics are not howling as vociferously. This is one of the moments where some might suggest, “Dang, wish we were playing K-State at home this weekend and not having to wait two weeks.”

Mighty Mo is a beast that ebbs and flows through a football team, or any team, and is welcome to stick around as long as desired. It can be fleeting. The Buffs seem pretty healthy right now. That’s one of the big benefits from having a bye five weeks into the season. You’re almost 50% through the 2024 campaign. There’s bumps and bruises.

Coaches have a pretty good idea who they can depend upon to deliver the goods offensively, defensively and on special teams. The players are getting to know one another better.

Especially for the Buffs along the offensive line and on defense. Holding the nation’s top rushing offense to half its production was a strong signal of hope. Running for more than 100 yards. Good. Realizing the importance of a decent ground game to compliment unique skilled players and the passing prowess that is Shedeur Sanders and a bevy of talented receivers? Even better.

“Play the ‘Cats now," cry those who believe in Mighty Mo and the “use it or you might lose it” mentality. Just one dude’s opinion, it sometimes makes sense. But not now. This will be another much-anticipated and widely-watched tussle between old Big 8, 12 and 12-again conference foes.

K-State is really good. Dynamic dude named Avery Johnson at quarterback. Great throwing the ball and running it too. An extra week to prepare strategies to slow down the Wildcats offensive threats should be time well spent for coordinator Robert Livingston and his staff. It will not be easy. Johnson is a dual threat along with the likes of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Miami’s Cam Ward. Coach, good luck there. It will be challenging.

The K-State defensive staff has its own problems with an emerging CU offense that’s more balanced and threatening. Which brings us to an undeniable truth. Travis Hunter should be front and center in this year’s Heisman Trophy consideration. The Florida native let the world know upon striking the Heisman pose during the Buffs 48-21 shellacking of Central Florida on the road, in the heat and humidity.

Say what you want about the Buffs coach and the style of this attempted resurrection of a once-proud football program but this was a statement game. The Knights were two touchdown favorites and got their tails whipped by 27. Something clicked within the soul of the Buffaloes. Thus the concern over whether this is a good time to take a week off.

Back to Hunter. What a story unfolding. The nation’s top recruit out of high school says adios to initial suitor Florida State, follows his childhood idol, now coach, to Jackson State and then Colorado. Unleashes talents rarely seen on the college football gridiron and the team is 4-1, playing well and starting to believe something special could happen. Cameras will continue to focus on the Colorado Buffaloes allowing large audiences to see Hunter’s amazing talents.

A real key will be CU’s success once the grind is over. Many roadblocks, starting with nationally-ranked and respected KSU. A bye for Hunter’s body is a blessing and won’t hurt his deserved Heisman run.

The big question that will play out before a late-evening sellout crowd at Folsom Field? Will the bye be a blessing for the Buffaloes? Shoulder to shoulder will they use this sojourn to rest, restore and resume fighting for football relevancy?