It’s all superficial chatter, a constant barrage of talk that holds almost no significance. Unless you’re in Boulder mingling with the undercards.

Or you’re ESPN cashing in on sponsorship deals.

This is the narrative we’ve been sold: Deion Sanders is a revolutionary figure reshaping college football as Colorado’s head coach.

This is the truth: there’s nothing solid or fundamental, just a jumbled team with over 120 different scholarship athletes since the start of the 2023 season. A squad that hasn’t defeated an FBS rival since last October’s first week ― yet somehow dominates nearly every prime time slot on TV.

If we learned anything from Colorado’s too tight (and too messy) 31-26 victory over FCS North Dakota State on Thursday night ― a messy win in a sport driven by rankings and public perception ― it’s that consistency triumphs over time. And flashiness only dazzles briefly.

The illusion of hope, this chaotic collection of players assembled in mere months and marketed ― courtesy of “Coach Prime” ― as a legitimate contender to win (choose your league) the Pac-12 and Big 12, represents a clear example of how not to construct a college football team.

This is neither a transformative nor inspiring endeavor. It doesn’t serve as a roadmap for future success in the era of the transfer portal or as guidance for navigating the complexities of name, image, and likeness deals.

It’s merely poor football.

A squad filled with players not recruited by FBS schools, who have honed their skills in the North Dakota State program over the past few years, came to town and dominated the Buffs for nearly three quarters. Meanwhile, the team that started last season with 82 out of 85 different scholarship athletes and underwent another offseason overhaul adding 42 new scholarship players struggled to find solutions.

Without star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and standout Travis Hunter ― undeniably the best players on the field ― the Prime Experiment would have faced defeat for the ninth time in ten outings. Sanders, a likely top ten NFL draft pick in 2025, is so exceptionally skilled and composed that he alone could account for three or four victories.

The same four wins Colorado achieved in 2023, and the same four wins they are likely to secure in 2024. It’s not difficult to predict how this saga concludes.

Shedeur Sanders will head to the NFL, and Deion will depart, leaving behind a struggling program.

It shouldn’t be this way. Deion Sanders possesses the dynamic charisma and skill needed to recruit at elite levels and to build a sustainable roster. He is a unique talent, a former player who understands the game and how to coach it, and a figure capable of uniting an entire university around him and the vision for the program.

He has the potential to create a thriving program and make a substantial impact on the sport, using his influence to persuade college administrators in the Big 12 and other major leagues to schedule regular non-conference games against HBCUs, thereby helping the 21 schools that desperately need revenue from these matchups.

Instead, we are served a constant stream of insurance and fast-food ads, along with tiresome boasts about NIL funding and personal branding. Very little focus is placed on winning or any actual transformative change.

Let’s face it: teams mirror their coach, and since the moment Sanders arrived on campus and told players to leave (thanks to the transfer portal) because he was bringing in his own recruits, this downward spiral has been arising from the top. The ultimate sign of a program in decline is a coach who points fingers at the media.

The unfair media is the reason Colorado has managed only two wins in their last ten games, with those victories coming against arguably the weakest Power Four team (Arizona State) and an FCS team (NDSU). The unfair media is also to blame for Colorado allowing 56 sacks in 2023, still struggling to protect Shedeur Sanders against a smaller FCS defense.

This unfair media is the reason Colorado would not win another game this season without Sanders and Hunter.

This is the same person who attracted major sponsors like Wal-Mart, Procter and Gamble, and American Airlines to financially support the improvements at Jackson State, including a state-of-the-art locker room and football facilities. He is a marketing dream: he doesn’t drink, smoke, or use profanity.

He embodies everything you would want in a college football coach, yet he can’t seem to overcome his own distractions. He’s too focused on peripheral matters instead of focusing on what truly matters.

In the words of Prime

He sees himself as high-end, like Gucci, when he should be more practical, similar to Samsonite.

What we’re witnessing instead is just poor gameplay.