Colorado coach Deion Sanders a fan of being on national television, just not those late-night starts

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Contrary to his playing days moniker of “Prime Time,” Deion Sanders definitely prefers those early kickoffs.

It's just the coaching side of him surfacing, even if those late-night games do get the Colorado Buffaloes elevated exposure on national television.

Sanders was filled with a list of “likes” and “dislikes" Tuesday at his weekly news conference. The “likes” side of the ledger included the well-manicured grass he sees on his strolls around campus (he talked quite a bit about this), the surge of his sack-producing defense, the improved health of two-way standout Travis Hunter and being a win away from bowl eligibility.

Then there were his “dislikes,” which involved reliance on analytics over gut decisions and, of course, those late starts that sometimes finish well past his bedtime.

“We don’t like it, but we do love it,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) host Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday with kickoff slated for 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. “We’re not going to turn our nose up at being on national television. Yeah, we could argue with the time, but we’re still appreciative and thankful.”

The Buffaloes on late-night TV do tend to make for entertaining theater. Colorado beat Baylor last month courtesy of a Hail Mary pass for a TD to tie the game in regulation and a forced fumble by Hunter to secure the win in overtime.

This week, Sanders plans to roll out a revised routine to make sure his team's wide awake for the Bearcats.

“To make sure we get the proper sleep, the proper rest, and we’re ready and prepared for kickoff, regardless of whatever time it is,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the Buffaloes expect to have back a healthier version of Hunter, who was limited in a 34-7 win at Arizona last Saturday to give his banged-up shoulder more time to recover. He had two catches for 17 yards on offense and one tackle on defense.

“He’s on point with his conditioning, because he never tires, and we want to keep that what it is,” Sanders said of his Heisman hopeful receiver/cornerback. “He will certainly contribute a lot more than he did a week ago because he’s healthier.”

In Year 2 of Sanders in Boulder, the Buffaloes sit a win away from the program's first six-win season since 2016, when they finished 10-4 under coach Mike MacIntyre and went to the Alamo Bowl. They also earned a bid to the same bowl four years later in a 4-2, COVID-restricted season under Karl Dorrell.

“We’ve earned what we are,” Sanders said. “But we actually feel like we’re better than what we are, because we’re just starting to see the fruit of the work and the understanding of the expectation that we have for ourselves.

“We could be in a much better place, but we control our own destiny, and we like that.”

They're in title contention in a bunched-up Big 12 that boasts two undefeated teams (No. 11 BYU and No. 10 Iowa State) and four more with one loss in conference play (No. 16 Kansas State, Cincinnati, Colorado and Texas Tech).

Colorado's offense is producing points (31 points per game) behind the play of Shedeur Sanders despite a running game still struggling at times to find its rhythm.

The defense has 16 sacks over its last three games, including seven sacks against the Wildcats.

“We expect that. We expect them to be where they are right now,” the elder Sanders said of his pass rushers. “We expected that several weeks ago. They're just now meeting the expectations that we have for them.”

Just don't mention analytics.

“Who is the guy named analytics? I never met him. I've never seen him. I don’t know what he looks like. Is he a winner? Is he wealthy? Is he broke? Who is he? I don’t know what he looks like,” Sanders cracked. "You've got to know your team. Forget analytics, man. You've got to know your team and what they’re capable of.

“Sometimes, it’s just self-explanatory. I wasn’t a math major in college, but I was pretty smart. I’m not going to sit there and do mathematics on the sideline.”

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