Spring football is over. The transfer portal is closed. The calendar reads June. You know what that means? College football is almost here. It has now been five months since Michigan took down Washington in the national championship game in Houston, and we have made it through the hardest part of the offseason. We are well past the halfway point, and now, there's nothing but excitement to get us to the finish line. We are less than three months away from the start of the college football season, and Colorado football is ready. Buffaloes fans can't wait to see their team take the field for the first time.
The 2024 college football season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons in a long time, and it's because of all the changes that are coming to the game in 2024. Let's start with the expanded College Football Playoff.
It's going to be interesting to see how the first year of the new 12-team College Football Playoff goes. The four-team playoff era is over, and having eight more teams make it is going to make a huge difference.
First of all, college football fans can breathe a little bit easier during the regular season. There's no worse feeling as a fan than seeing your team lose a huge game in the first weeks of the season before conference play even starts. In the four-team playoff era, that's as demoralizing as it gets. You know that one more loss is the nail in the coffin, and even with one loss (or in Florida State's case, zero), there is no guarantee that you will make it. Now, power five teams that go 10-2 should be pretty safe, and even some 9-3 teams will likely be able to make it.
The other big change is more football and a longer season. The College Football Playoff committee recently released the schedule for the 2024 playoff, and it is going to be an exciting month. Instead of three total playoff games played in the span of a week, we will get to see 11 games spread out over the span of a month. That is going to be a lot of fun.
Another huge change to the college football world this year will be with the new conferences. The Pac-12 is gone as everyone except for Oregon State and Washington State found a new home. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are now in the Big Ten, Cal and Stanford moved to the ACC, and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are in the Big 12.
The Big 12 did lose two teams, however, as Oklahoma and Texas are making the move over to the SEC.
All in all, big changes are coming to college football, and it should make for an exciting season. Things are going to look different, and not everyone is a fan of the new changes, but there is going to more football and more good matchups. That's a plus.
All eyes are on Colorado football
A lot of people have been talking about the Colorado football team since Deion Sanders took over. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, there was some recent negative publicity because of some drama that unfolded on Twitter. A story came out about a former player sharing his experiences about how he was treated when he was told to transfer away from the Buffaloes. Colorado quarterback and son of head coach Deion Sanders tweeted a response to the story saying that he didn't even remember the player, and that he was “mid.”
Some other Colorado players got involved as well, and then Deion Sanders did, too. However, most people expected a head coach of a power five college football team to put an end to behaviors like that. Instead, Sanders joined in.
After this all went down on Twitter, Sanders and Colorado football started to receive a lot of backlash. They don't seem to have a ton of supporters outside of their own fan base now, which is a big chance from what we saw at the beginning of the 2023 season.
The Colorado football team had all eyes on them last year with Deion Sanders in year one of being the head coach, and the team got a lot of positive buzz. However, there really wasn't much to celebrate if you're a Buffaloes fans. Sure, the beginning of the season was a lot of fun. Colorado rattled off three straight wins to start the year and they were ranked in the top-25, but it was all downhill after that.
After the 3-0 start, Colorado football finished the season 1-8 and finished in last place in the Pac-12. Deion Sanders created a lot of positives in his first season as the head coach of the Buffaloes. Ticket sales sky-rocketed, social media following shot up, but in terms of on-field results… there really wasn't much. Still, there was improvement record-wise from the year prior, and there is still reason for optimism if you're a fan of the Buffaloes.
This season is going to be a big one for Sanders and Colorado. Year one is over. Everyone will have their eyes on this program and they will be playing in front of full stadiums every week. It's time for the Buffaloes to find success on the field
If they are going to achieve their goals this season, the Colorado football team will need a lot of players to step up. Here is one player that could be ready for a breakout season.
Dallan Hayden, RB
One thing that Deion Sanders has done well since coming to Colorado is landing transfer portal players. One pickup this offseason that could be a huge asset is running back Dallan Hayden. Hayden was with Ohio State before this year, and he should end up being the starting RB for the Buffaloes in 2024.
Dallan Hayden has a lot of potential, and he showed that when he played for the Buckeyes even though he was always in a backup role. In 2022, he rushed for 553 yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries. He only had 19 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown last year, however.
Ohio State had a lot of talented RBs on their roster, so Dallan Hayden was never able to break through in Columbus. However, as the starter for the Buffaloes next year, he will have the opportunity to make a name for himself.
This is a huge season for Colorado football. A lot of these transfers are going to need to step up, and as the starting RB, Dallan Hayden is one of those guys. He will be a very important player for the Buffaloes, and he should be able to have a good year.
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