ESPN’s college football 2024 season is coming closer and it seems like the Deion Sanders-led Buffs will be in the headlines more often than not. Recently expert analyst Paul Finebaum sparked controversy by claiming the Colorado Buffaloes “do not matter” and are “irrelevant” in college football. This hot take met with Robert Griffin III’s disapproval as he fired back on ESPN’s First Take, calling it “one of the worst things I’ve heard.”
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Sanders has transformed the Buffaloes into a team that’s captivating audiences and riling up opponents with their unwavering confidence. With standouts like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, potentially top picks in the 2025 NFL draft, fans would definitely be tuning in to watch Colorado’s progress. However, Finebaum insists this isn’t “the in thing to do.”
RGIII “vehemently” disagreed with Finebaum, pointing out how Colorado broke TV viewership records in 2023. He even mentioned how people kept tuning in to watch the Buffs, despite their losses, saying,
“Colorado is very relevant and broke TV viewership records last year even after their 3-0 start that saw them finish the year 4-8. They outdrew some of the biggest brands in all of College Football last year. Their blowout loss to Oregon had 10.03 million viewers, which topped the Notre Dame-Ohio State game.”
I VEHEMENTLY disagree with Paul Finebaum’s criticism of Coach Deion Sanders, Sheduer Sanders and Colorado.
He called them irrelevant and that they don’t matter to College Football.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Colorado is very relevant and broke TV viewership… pic.twitter.com/Wlzoaz3vfN
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 15, 2024
Griffin believes Colorado’s relevance extends beyond their playoff chances. He argues that teams are eager to face the Buffaloes, driven by a desire to put down their perceived overconfidence. Other coaches are even amping up the passion, feeling Colorado’s attention is undeserved.
Echoing Coach Prime’s sentiments, RGIII noted that Sanders is looked at differently, with his wins measured from a different perspective. He also addressed Shedeur’s comment about other teams treating their matchups with Colorado like Super Bowl games, and it is evident that the debate over Colorado’s relevance in college football is continuing to heat up.
RGIII Defends Shedeur’s “Super Bowl” Claim Against Finebaum’s Criticism
Finebaum didn’t hold back while aiming Shedeur’s “Super Bowl” comments. He bluntly stated, “Shedeur, you are not, you are an easy win nowadays,” adding that the Buffaloes have done nothing but “crash and burn” since their initial hype.
These remarks also rubbed Robert Griffin III the wrong way as he quickly jumped to Shedeur’s defense. RGIII argued that Finebaum missed the point of Sanders’ comments entirely.
Griffin believes Shedeur’s perspective is spot-on in his assessment. Last year, every team brought their A-game against Colorado, knowing all eyes were on them and seeing it as a chance to shine in the spotlight. RGIII didn’t stop there and defended Coach Prime’s vision, stating,
“Coach Prime is building something at Colorado and as an analyst, I don’t think we should be trying to kick him and his team down because they are confident and believe in themselves. They are great for College Football because they are different. Different might make people uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
Griffin concluded by suggesting that opposing teams weren’t just aiming to win; they wanted to crush the Buffaloes’ spirit. Despite this, he noted that Coach Prime, his sons, Travis Hunter, and the entire Colorado squad remain undeterred and they keep marching confidently towards their goal.
