Deion calls late start times ‘stupidest thing ever’
Oct 12, 2023, 03:35 PM ET STONE, Colo.– Deion Sanders does not want anyone sleeping on what’s occurring with his reconstructed Colorado Buffaloes.It’s simply sometimes hard to stay awake up until completion. A couple of late-night kickoffs have the Buffaloes going after wins when numerous around the country are catching “Zzzs.”Coach Prime isn’t the most significant fan of those late prime-time kickoffs, either. The Buffaloes will play well into the night once again Friday when they host Stanford at sold-out Folsom Field. The game won’t begin till a minimum of 8 p.m. MT and does not figure to end up until after 11:30 p.m., maybe even carry into early Saturday.Editor’s Picks “Who makes these 8 o’clock games? Dumbest thing ever. Stupidest thing ever developed in life. Who wants to keep up until 8 o’clock for a darn game?”Sanders said Wednesday on Buffs PrimeTime. “What about the East Coast– do they even care about ratings? Is anybody viewing it? What are we supposed to do with the kids all day till 8 o’clock? What are we expected to do in the hotel?”Asked by the host of his program, Mark Johnson, about perhaps viewing some football in the downtime, Sanders quipped:”Who’s using Friday?” It will be just the 2nd time the Buffaloes use a Friday the 13th. The only other event was November 2015 when they lost 27-24 to Southern California.Sanders just wants these late-night games were as rare.When the Buffaloes(4-2, 1-2 Pac-12)played Colorado State on Sept. 16– kickoff was at 8:21 p.m. Mountain– the game didn’t end up until 12:25 a.m.
It did go two overtimes, though, and lasted a little over 4 hours as
the Buffaloes rallied for a 43-35 win. It was the longest game in Buffaloes history, the school reported.Up ahead is another late one for Colorado on Nov. 17 at Washington State, which is set for an 8:30 p.m. MT kickoff. It’s a far cry from the early part of the season, which saw three kickoffs at 10 a.m. MT (the Buffs won the first 2).
Sanders has actually already had enough with games carrying into the wee hours of the night. It’s not uncommon in the Pac-12, where conference groups have a history of playing long after dark.”Thank God we’re not going to be in this conference,” Sanders said
on his radio program as the school prepares to move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 next season.One thing Sanders is a fan of: Stanford(1-4, 0-3 )and first-year Cardinal coach Troy Taylor.
Both coaches were tasked with reversing programs.” They have battle in them. They will not quit,”Sanders said.” I like what they’re placing on the field.
“Sanders has actually made the Buffaloes the talk of college football and their sideline at Folsom Field the place to be. Their field is nearly like the most popular nightclub in town, with performers( Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lil Wayne, DaBaby)and popular professional athletes (Terrell Owens,
Kevin Garnett )making appearances.Given the red-carpet ambiance, possibly it’s just fitting for a late start Friday as Colorado creeps closer to bowl eligibility a season after going 1-11. Even with an after-hours finish, the Buffaloes make sure to get more than their fair share of viewers tuning in. The prime-time television game against the Rams on ESPN was among the most-watched in team history. Colorado boasts five of the eight top-watched college football games this season in terms of viewership, according to research supplied from the school.”It’s pretty clear,”Taylor said, “that they’re a better group than they have actually remained in the past. I believe they’ll continue to improve. “