Joel Klatt expects Deion Sanders’ CU Buffs to compete for playoff soon

Deion Sanders was hired, and instantly the Colorado Buffaloes were back, at least back in the conversation of relevance.

Vaulted from a one-win team last year, they’ve already been bolstered by some amazing talent, prospects they never got before Coach Prime arrived. Already many are seeing a path for Sanders to pull a quick turnaround due to an influx of talent and the changing college football landscape.

Former Buffs quarterback turned star commentator Joel Klatt sees that path and laid it out on his college football podcast on Monday.

“Deion Sanders at Colorado likely, in my opinion, will compete for a playoff spot in year 2 in 2024”@JoelKlatt explains why year 2 under @DeionSanders could be special for @CUBuffsFootball 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/ju62bttzwU

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) January 23, 2023

Klatt explains that in 2024 Colorado won’t have to be one of the top four teams in the country to get a nod into the College Football Playoff, rather they’ll just need to be the best of ten. With USC and UCLA’s exits for the Big Ten coming prior to that football season, the tournament’s expansion from four to 12, and two recruiting classes under Coach Prime’s belt, Klatt sees how the Buffs could be competing for the top of the Pac-12 and thus a spot in the CFP.

Vegas only tabs the Buffs for 4.5 wins right now in 2023 and going from one win to being one of the 12 best teams in the country would be a miraculous turnaround even for Coach Prime. But the talent coming to Colorado indicates that the journey to the top is somehow within reach for the Buffaloes, a program without a postseason win since Klatt last took the field for the black and gold, nearly two decades ago.

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