Deion Sanders’ Opening Game Viewership Numbers Holds Paul Finebaum’s Criticism Untrue

If history has taught us anything then it is never to doubt Deion Sanders. Days after veteran broadcaster Paul Finebaum labelled CU Buffs irrelevant among the traditional powerhouses of college football, the Coach Prime-led team broke ESPN’s seven-year-old viewership record.

As per the latest reports, Colorado’s season opener against North Dakota averaged a whopping 4.8 million viewers with the peak viewership recorded at 5.6 million. Moreover, the Buffs match became ESPN’s best opening game viewership in the last seven years as it recorded a whopping 49% over last season’s opener between Navy Midshipmen and Notre Dame.

These incredible numbers are proof that Coach Prime and his team are one of the most relevant teams in college football today. Luckily for the Buffs, their bout was a proper humdinger with North Dakota fighting tooth and nail. A top-quality game on top of Deion Sanders and CU Buffs’ popularity is like adding a cherry on top of the cake.

The viewership speaks for itself but now the haters are nowhere to be found. These stats simply prove that Paul Finebaum’s comments were way off the mark and alarmingly outdated for a broadcaster. Safe to say, the internet didn’t have any mercy for Paul. Especially fellow broadcaster and former Washington star RGIII who took to “X” to tease the broadcaster for his controversial claim.

“Apparently Colorado Is Relevant” – RGIII Pokes Fun At Paul Finebaum

Hours after ESPN published that their opening day viewership record was broken by the CU Buffs, all Deion Sanders fans had one agenda – get the pitchforks out for Paul Finebaum. RGIII led the roost as he quote tweeted ESPN’s report with a collage of Paul Finebaum and Deion Sanders topped with a sarcastic comment – “Apparently Colorado is relevant.”

Apparently Colorado is relevant. https://t.co/ZpicQVoESx pic.twitter.com/rUT3qisXNZ

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 30, 2024

If one were to play the devil’s advocate here, Paul Finebaum’s opinion isn’t as outlandish as the media and fans are making it to be. It’s a fact that in comparison to traditional biggies like Texas Longhorns and Alabama, the Buffs have a laughable legacy.

To put things into context, Colorado in their college football history only have a single national title to their name. The less said about the National titles to Texas and Alabama’s names, the better.

But from a contemporary lens, it’s undeniable that the Buffs top the relevancy metrics. Deion Sanders’ inclusion has made them from literal nobodies to title contenders. As far as social media viewerships are concerned, Coach Prime and his men have YouTube and Instagram in the palm of their hands with their training camp footage regularly going viral.

Last but not least, as Deion Sanders said, if Colorado was irrelevant, would a veteran broadcaster like Paul Finebaum be speaking on Prime Time TV? If Deion Sanders manages to bring on-field results on top of the massive popularity that he has brought for Colorado, his stint for the Buffs might be the biggest takeover success story in the history of college football.