Colorado football got a wake-up call when they were thumped by Oregon last month, but it was not strong enough to prevent a disastrous result versus Stanford this past weekend. A 29-0 blown lead at home against a lowly conference opponent might as well be equivalent to pouring a bucket of ice cold water on this program.

But just in case Deion Sanders' guys still didn't get the message, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made sure to deliver his own harsh statement. “It’s an absolute disgrace,” he emphatically declared on Monday's edition of First Take. “The [Colorado] players got caught up in the shine…. Show up on the damn field and do what you’re supposed to do instead of getting your a** kicked on national television.”

Sanders, who gave Smith a pair of his “Coach Prime” sunglasses earlier in the season, could only agree with the outspoken personality's flaming criticism. “He's Right now let's move on,” he posted.

It is unclear if Sanders is saying that his team needs to “move on” from the agonizing defeat to the Cardinals, or if he wants the media and fans to put the whole debacle behind them. If it is the latter, then that is an unreasonable ask. The country went all the way in on the Buffaloes when they were winning and will thusly eviscerate them after a humiliating loss. That's the double-edged sword of being a national phenomenon.

In his undressing of Colorado football, Stephen A. Smith mentioned Shedeur Sanders' ill-advised social media post (promoted merchandise) at halftime of Friday night's game. While the star quarterback might not have been the culprit himself, it is his name and brand that was attached to the decision.

It is imperative that he and the entire team learn from this humbling experience. Otherwise, their time on top of the college football world will feel like an eternity ago by the time the year ends.