Interest in Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes seems to be waning this season, as television viewership numbers have dropped significantly compared to last year’s eye-catching ratings. Despite an improved season on the field, fans aren’t tuning into Colorado games at the same rate they did during Sanders’ inaugural year as head coach.
When Deion Sanders, known as “Coach Prime,” took the reins at Colorado in 2023, his presence attracted massive attention from college football fans. Colorado’s games became must-watch TV, and the team’s performances were a focal point of national sports coverage. However, the allure that once surrounded the Buffaloes appears to be fading.
Colorado’s recent win over Arizona averaged just 2.02 million viewers on Fox, making it the least-watched game on broadcast television during Sanders’ tenure at Colorado. It was also the second-least watched game overall, with only last year’s Friday night contest against Washington State drawing fewer viewers.
This season, Colorado’s games have averaged 3.84 million viewers—nearly half the viewership from the first eight weeks of the 2023 season, when the Buffaloes averaged a staggering 7.59 million viewers. Colorado has yet to hit last year’s numbers, with their most-viewed game this season coming in Week 2 against Nebraska. That game, in which Colorado was blown out, averaged 5.67 million viewers.
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For comparison, by this point last season, five of Colorado’s six Nielsen-rated games had surpassed seven million viewers. The stark difference in viewership has left many fans and analysts wondering what has caused the drop.
Fans on social media have shared various theories about why interest in Sanders’ Buffaloes may be declining. One fan suggested, “A lot of people hate-watching likely tuned out once they [Colorado] got up big,” while another commented, “As the Buffs improve, haters who tune in hoping for a CU train wreck are having to back into the bushes.”
Some fans even speculated that Colorado’s own supporters might be growing frustrated, with one person saying, “That’s because our fans are fed up lol.” Despite the decline, others pointed out that Colorado’s viewership is still strong compared to other Big 12 teams. “Colorado’s viewership remains strong, by far the highest in the Big 12, but is on a declining trend,” another fan noted.
One major factor contributing to the lower numbers may be the competition Colorado faces in its TV slots. Their game against Arizona went head-to-head with two powerhouse matchups: Alabama vs. Tennessee and Michigan vs. Illinois. The Alabama-Tennessee game drew a massive 10.23 million viewers, while Michigan-Illinois garnered 3.01 million viewers, both outperforming Colorado’s broadcast.
Colorado was the third-most-watched game in its mid-afternoon window, but the weekend’s largest viewership belonged to the prime-time showdown between Georgia and Texas, which drew 13.19 million viewers.
That game became the most-watched of the season, surpassing September’s Georgia-Alabama game, which had 11.99 million viewers. While Georgia-Texas had the most average viewers, Alabama-Tennessee reached a higher peak viewership with 14.9 million, compared to Georgia-Texas’ 14.4 million.
Looking ahead, sports networks are likely anticipating big viewership numbers for upcoming marquee matchups. This weekend will see No. 12 Notre Dame take on No. 24 Navy, No. 15 Alabama face off against No. 21 Missouri, and No. 8 LSU clash with No. 14 Texas A&M—games that are sure to draw significant national attention.
As Colorado continues its season, the drop in viewers raises questions about how long the Deion Sanders effect will last.
While the initial surge of interest in Sanders’ arrival brought unprecedented attention to the Buffaloes, sustaining those viewership numbers will depend on their performance on the field and their ability to remain relevant in the broader landscape of college football.
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