For all the brash talk, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has no problem recognizing and complimenting the success of others. Just ask USC football head coach Lincoln Riley.
Ahead of this weekend's Pac-12 matchup, Sanders was effusive in his praise for his USC counterpart. “First and foremost, I have the utmost respect and love and appreciation for their head coach. This is a bona fide winner,” Sanders told reporters on Thursday, courtesy of USCFootball.com's Connor Morrissette.
Sanders went on: “Not just a winner, but a man who has put a plethora of young men into college and they care about the character of the men…I've got love, respect, and appreciation for everything that he's accomplished. He's one of the upper tier coaches and I admire him and his staff tremendously.”
Certainly, there's no questioning Riley's track record. After posting a record of 55-10 in five seasons as head coach of Oklahoma football, Riley made the move to the West Coast. He has found success immediately with USC football. In his first season, Riley's Trojans went 11-3, and QB Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy.
Coach Prime is about to get a front row seat to how good Riley's team is. After a flawless start to the season that saw them take down #17 TCU football opening weekend and vault into the AP Top-25 rankings themselves, the Buffaloes were humbled last Saturday.
Colorado was thrashed by #10 Oregon football, to the tune of 42-6. That does not bode well for Sanders' squad, considering that USC is ranked ahead of Oregon in the polls.
Deion has not been shy about making his feelings known, whether they are expressing positive or negative sentiments. Maybe his truthfulness here also had a secondary motivation. Might Lincoln Riley take it easy on Sanders if the chance to run up the score presents itself? Flattery might be Colorado's best defense in this case.