Is Colorado in hot waters again? Well, the criticism against Deion Sanders and Co. hardly ever stops coming, it’s almost a staple. However, criticism based on their disastrous 4-8 record continues to haunt them. The faults in their previous season’s roster were many, but the sloppy O-line was the biggest. The offensive linemen failed to do their main role of protecting their QB. Shedeur Sanders, the starting QB of Colorado, got sacked 52 times, the highest in the country.
Which is precisely why Josh Pate is furious over EA Sports 25’s rankings. Per the 2023 offensive YPG rankings for EA Sports top 10, Colorado ranked 8th on the list. Pate was not only shocked but was not even ready to believe this. Last season, Colorado finished 60th in points per game chart. ESPN’s 2023 offensive leader’s chart of the Pac-12 conference saw Colorado ranked 9th among the 12 teams.
While Colorado was sitting at the 8th position, Ole Miss got the 10th spot in EA Sports rankings. Whereas, in the points per table chart, Ole Miss was 8 spots higher than Colorado at No.52. Another reason for Pate to be aghast. Per the ESPN rankings of the 2023 team total offense stats, Ole Miss ranked 11th spot, while Colorado was sitting too far behind at No. 79.
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Stanford at Colorado Mar 3, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes student fan holds a photo cut out, Freisteller of football head coach Deion Sanders during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at the CU Events Center. Boulder CU Events Center Colorado USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRonxChenoyx 20240303_szo_ac4_0362
The evident discrepancy elicited several reactions from the analysts worldwide. SportsGrid’s Ben Stevens mercilessly ripped the ‘overrated’ offense of Deion Sanders by pulling out some numbers from 2023. “Colorado’s 2023 offensive numbers (FBS rank out of 133 teams): Scoring – 28.2 PPG (No. 57), Total – 363.6 YPG (No. 78), Sacks allowed – 56 (No. 132),” Stevens prefaced before pulling the ultimate sarcastic card saying, “But sure, 8th best offense in the country makes sense.” While everyone is busy pointing out the evident gap in the rankings, they’re forgetting what might be a major reason behind it.
Is Travis Hunter the reason behind Colorado’s attention?
All of us remember Travis Hunter featured as the center athlete on the cover page of the EA Sports 25 CFB game, one of the biggest possible reasons for Colorado getting all the attention this season. Plus, it is the team of Deion Sanders, of course. Even though the rankings of the 2023 season look a tad bit unfair, Colorado is trying its best to change the narrative in the 2024 season.
Now, the addition of O-line beasts like Jordan Seaton, Yaikiri Walker, Ivan Yates, Justin Mayers, and more have toughened up the offensive lineup at Colorado sure. Even the O-line players whom Coach Prime was not too confident about, like Cormani McClain, have left Colorado this spring transfer portal. After the revamp, the performance of the O-line is expected to be significantly better.
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