College Football

For Deion Sanders and Colorado, expectations will meet reality vs. TCU

Published Aug. 29, 2023 8:25 p.m. ET

One of the best combinations of words in the English language was put to good use this past weekend: College football is back.

However glorious it was to see some actual, live football in person or on television, though, Week 0 was simply an appetizer. It gave us just enough action after the long and dreary slog of an offseason, but in reality, it amped up our hunger for a full slate.

HOW TO WATCH ‘BIG NOON KICKOFF’

The good news is that we won't have to wait long to be satisfied. On deck is the five-day feast of Week 1 that is the true start to the 2023 campaign and, just as important, the much-anticipated return of "Big Noon Kickoff" on FOX.

As great as it will be to see Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt fist bump each other to kick off the telecast when the clock hands point straight up, this year's opener might just be the most anticipated matchup since the "Big Noon Kickoff" era began in 2019. There's no mystery as to why either, with casual fans of all 133 FBS teams bound to watch right alongside those devoted Colorado and TCU fans for the simple reason that it's Deion Sanders' debut on the sidelines with the Buffs.

Were it not for conference realignment upending the entire ecosystem this summer, Coach Prime going Power 5 was easily the storyline of 2023. More words have been written or uttered about Colorado in the past eight months than any other full season this millennium (and maybe the one before, too). The media covering the sport may not even need GPS to get up to Boulder at this point given the number of trips undertaken to get a little face time with the man in charge.

The sight of those majestic Flatirons that hover over Sanders' new locale might as well be the sport's new bat signal — letting everybody know to sit up and tune in as one of the grandest experiments in major college football is here for all to see this fall.

Yet Saturday in Fort Worth will be about something else entirely for Colorado football and their new head coach, as expectations will be thrown out the door as soon as the whistle blows. From that moment forward, the reality is that the Buffaloes' on-field product will be what gets everybody talking.

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No longer will the discussion be first and foremost about an unprecedented roster turnover.

No longer will those soundbites be shared with glee on social media because they're anything but coach-speak.

No longer will the discussion be about what Sanders can do to revive one of the worst teams in the country last season, but, tangibly, what is actually working between the lines. Say ta-ta to the talk, the win-loss column is going to be driving the narrative more than anything as we will transition from speculation into plays to diagram, turnovers to diagnose, and missed coaching opportunities to debate.

It doesn't help Sanders and his team that they'll have to contend with the weight of all that combined with their actual opponent being far from a typical warmup act.

The Horned Frogs are fresh off an appearance in the national title game (even if it was just that, an appearance) and are one of just seven programs that can claim a College Football Playoff win on the résumé. This year's group is ranked 17th in the country, and Sonny Dykes enters Year 2 on the western half of the metroplex as the reigning Coach of the Year. The team has a host of All-Big 12 selections roaming around and a handful of potential All-Americans on the roster, too. For good measure, the program has lost just one home opener in the past two decades and is 2-0 in Big Noon games.

Heck, TCU hasn't lost to a Pac-12 team in 20 years. Needless to say, CU isn't easing into anything with this type of opener.

The spotlight was always going to be on Sanders & Co. given the attention the Hall of Famer naturally attracts and the way events have unfolded since last December. True to form, he has not shied away from any of it.

Now that kickoff is approaching, however, things are about to change in a big way. Getting people to care about Colorado football is an accomplishment for all involved, but that also means that there's a double-edged sword if the results are suboptimal. Just how those in black and gold handle things going from theoretical musings by those outside the program to real results-based discussion is going to be as equally fascinating to follow as is what happens on the field over the next 14 weeks.

Sanders lost just three times in the past two years as a head coach, just once by more than one score. How will he — and by extension his team — handle falling behind in a game? If things are tight or tense, just what will the head coach call to break things open? What if things get out of hand on the scoreboard, as is possible when facing a schedule loaded with top-25 opponents? Will a team hastily assembled via the transfer portal come together when things get tough? When success does come, be it against TCU or others, will the Buffs be able to ensure it doesn't go to their head?

The college football world cannot contain its excitement over Coach Prime's debut with Colorado this season, and it's fitting that it comes in one of the biggest games of the year in the time slot that is synonymous with newfound greatness.

But make no mistake, it's about to get real, too. That is reason enough to tune in.

First and 10

1. USC beat San Jose State 56-28 behind the usual, brilliant theatrics of Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, but the real story was the dazzling debut of freshman Zachariah Branch and a less-than-stellar effort from the Trojans defense. On the latter, I don't think things were quite as bad as some of the numbers may have suggested, especially given the heavy rotations employed and so many fresh faces getting their first taste of action against an actual live opponent (plus Spartans QB Chevan Cordiero, the MWC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year is really good). Still, DC Alex Grinch got too creative at times with his play calls, leading to some big busts. And the secondary was especially meh given the number of blue-chippers on the backend. It's not a group as bad as last year, but the jury remains out on seeing if they can earn a ‘much improved' sticker.

2. Branch is going to evoke plenty of comparisons to Reggie Bush with the violent cuts he has running around the Coliseum, but multiple people also brought up the freshman as looking like Tavon Austin. One can certainly see that even if Branch is a little lighter and not quite as well-built as the former West Virginia star. Either way, Lincoln Riley has a new toy to play with, and it's going to lead to some spectacular plays based on this limited sample set.

Zachariah Branch shines in debut with USC

3. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman threw for a modest 251 yards on 19 completions against Navy in Dublin, but it was really his command of the offense in notching four touchdowns that may have been the most impressive part of the 42-3 win. The veteran from Wake Forest looked so calm in the pocket and really did a nice job of putting his unheralded receiving corps in good positions to make plays. Throw in Audric Estime's ability running the ball and a defensive line that looks stout, and the Irish seem far more dangerous than they did a year ago.

4. We're so starved for action that Week 0 leads to plenty of overreactions, but some of the Notre Dame faithful talking about Hartman being the best QB in South Bend since FOX Sports' Brady Quinn actually might not be hyperbole. While that says plenty about the signal-callers to roll through the program over the years, it also underscores how valuable it is for Marcus Freeman to add a QB who has thrown for 38 or more TDs the past two years to an already quality roster.

Why Sam Hartman is raising Notre Dame's ceiling

5. Hats off to Jacksonville State kicking off the season with their first win as an FBS school, beating new CUSA rival UTEP, 17-14. It was far from the crispest of performances from Rich Rodriguez's team (especially offensively) but they'll certainly take it in the heat and humidity of late August in the Deep South. We've seen plenty of FCS teams move up a level and find success, and it wouldn't shock if the Gamecocks continue the trend.

6. Speaking of big W's, huge kudos to Don Brown for a 41-30 victory over New Mexico State that doubled as UMass' first road win since Oct. 27, 2018. The Minutemen were one of the worst teams in the country the past two years and seemed completely lifeless and unentertaining just about every Saturday they took the field. Yet Brown has used the portal to great success to remake the roster this offseason and may have found something in QB Taisun Phommachanh, a former Clemson signal-caller who used his arms and legs to make Week 0 a runaway success at a place that hasn't experienced much of anything good in years.

7. It was a real bummer that Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke got injured and missed most of the Bobcats ' loss to San Diego State, because he's one of the best at his position in the Group of 5 and a potential NFL guy down the road. Given the play of his backup, he would have made a massive difference for one of the MAC favorites, but you probably won't hear the Aztecs complaining after their defense picked off backup CJ Harris three times and otherwise helped win a very physical battle between two very solid programs.

8. Former Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier threw for 333 yards with Louisiana Tech as the Bulldogs scraped by to notch a 22-17 win over a pesky FIU team in Ruston. While it would not have been great for Sonny Cumbie to suffer a loss, the Panthers nearly pulling one out despite having just four yards passing deep into the fourth quarter is the kind of action only true CFB diehards tune in for.

9. Though Hawaii lost 35-28 to Vanderbilt, the effort out of Timmy Chang's group against an SEC opponent on the road was a real eye-opener. The Rainbow Warriors struggled mightily early last season and had significant roster turnover, but they were very competitive in this one and even had a shot to tie it down the stretch. Junior QB Brayden Schager made some impressive throws and is reason enough to think that those late night MWC games the team is always involved in could be really fun to watch this season after that not being the case a year ago.

10. Week 0 underscored that we need to bring back that college football game in Australia just so we can have a game on Friday night before the action really returns on the first Saturday of the season.

Play of the Weekend

Double-Take from Week 0

Saturday Superlatives

Best Player: Zachariah Branch, USC

Team of the Week: UMass

Coach of the Week: Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State

Heisman Five: 1. Caleb Williams (USC), 2. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), 3. Sam Hartman (Notre Dame), 4. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), 5. Brock Bowers (Georgia).

Tweet of the Weekend

Super 16

Here's my ballot for the NFF/FWAA Super 16 Poll:

Michigan
Georgia
LSU
Ohio State
USC
Penn State
Clemson
Washington
Texas
Florida State
Utah
Kansas State
Iowa
Oregon
Notre Dame
Oregon State

Just missed the cut: Tennessee

Best of the rest: TCU, Tulane, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Boise State, Louisville

College football awards predictions

Pre-Snap Reads

Florida at No. 14 Utah

So much is riding on whether QB Cam Rising is cleared to play in this one, but with or without their star signal-caller, the Utes should be able to take care of business at Rice Eccles as the Gators struggle going West of the Mississippi for a non-conference game. Utah -6.5

Nebraska at Minnesota

Matt Rhule typically tears things down to the studs to rebuild, but that might not be the case in Lincoln as B1G play gets underway on Thursday night. It feels like people are sleeping quite a bit on the Gophers this season in the West but something says Jeff Sims can keep things close. Nebraska +7.5

Colorado at No. 17 TCU

Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs must be so tired of hearing about Coach Prime and the Buffs by this point. CU looks improved in the first half but the depth really wears away after the break to allow the home side to run away with this one. TCU -21.5

Boise State at No. 10 Washington

This just might be the second-best game of Week 1 considering the Broncos are deserved MWC favorites and the Huskies have a clear path to the final Pac-12 title game. Turnovers will prove critical as UW keeps the visitors at bay in nervous fashion. BSU +14.5

No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State

It wouldn't be completely shocking if this was the first of two meetings between the two sides this season. Despite playing closer to home, the ‘Noles are just shaky enough to get tripped up late by the Tigers in this one. LSU -2.5

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.