Colorado coach Deion Sanders calls late game times 'stupidest thing ever invented in life'

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders doesn’t want anyone sleeping on what's happening with his reconstructed Colorado Buffaloes.

It's just sometimes hard to stay awake until the end. A few late-night kickoffs have the Buffaloes chasing wins when many around the nation are catching “Zzzs.”

Coach Prime isn't the biggest fan of those late prime-time kickoffs, either. The Buffaloes will play well into the night once again Friday when they host Stanford at sold-out Folsom Field. The game won’t start until at least 8 p.m. Mountain and doesn't figure to finish until after 11:30 p.m., maybe even carry into early Saturday.

“Who makes these 8 o'clock games? Dumbest thing ever. Stupidest thing ever invented in life. Who wants to stay up until 8 o'clock for a darn game?” Sanders said on his weekly radio show. “What about the East Coast — do they even care about ratings? Is anyone watching it? What are we supposed to do with the kids all day until 8 o’clock? What are we supposed to do in the hotel?”

Asked by the host of his show, Mark Johnson, about maybe watching some football in the downtime, Sanders quipped: “Who’s playing on Friday?”

It will be just the second time the Buffaloes play on a Friday the 13th. The only other occasion was November 2015 when they lost 27-24 to Southern California.

Sanders only wishes these late-night games were as rare.

When the Buffaloes (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) played Colorado State on Sept. 16 — kickoff was at 8:21 p.m. Mountain — the game didn’t finish until 12:25 a.m. It did go two overtimes, though, and lasted a little over four hours as the Buffaloes rallied for a 43-35 win. It was the longest game in Buffaloes history, the school reported.

Up ahead is another late one for Colorado on Nov. 17 at Washington State, which is set for a 8:30 p.m. Mountain time kickoff. It's a far cry from the early part of the season, which saw three kickoffs at 10 a.m. Mountain (the Buffs won the first two).

Sanders has already had enough with games carrying into the wee hours of the evening. It's not uncommon in the Pac-12, where conference teams have a history of playing long after dark.

“Thank God we’re not going to be in this conference,” Sanders said on his radio show as the school prepares to move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 next season.

One thing Sanders is a fan of: Stanford (1-4, 0-3) and first-year Cardinal coach Troy Taylor. Both coaches were tasked with turning around programs.

“They have fight in them. They won’t give up," Sanders said. "I love what they’re putting on the field.”

Sanders has made the Buffaloes the talk of college football and their sideline at Folsom Field the place to be. Their field is almost like the most popular nightclub in town, with entertainers (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lil Wayne, DaBaby) and famous athletes (Terrell Owens, Kevin Garnett) making appearances.

Given the red-carpet vibe, maybe it's only fitting for a late start Friday as Colorado creeps closer to bowl eligibility a season after going 1-11.

Even with an after-hours finish, the Buffaloes are sure to get more than their fair share of viewers tuning in. The prime time game against the Rams on ESPN was one of the most-watched in team history. Colorado boasts five of the eight top-watched college football games this season in terms of viewership, according to research provided from the school.

“It's pretty clear,” Taylor said, "that they’re a better team than they’ve been in the past. I think they’ll continue to get better.”

Colorado looks to extend winning streak over Stanford to 4 in a row

Stanford (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) at Colorado (4-2, 1-2), Friday, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Line: Colorado by 11 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Tied at 6-6.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

A win over Stanford would move Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes a step closer to bowl eligibility after the team went 1-11 last season. The Buffaloes haven't won a bowl game since 2004. Stanford, coming off a bye week, is looking to avoid its worst overall start since 2006, when the Cardinal began 0-9. They’ve lost three straight to Colorado by a combined 11 points. Their last win over the Buffaloes was in 2015 and featured San Francisco 49ers running back and Denver native Christian McCaffrey.

KEY MATCHUP

The Cardinal offense continues to search for ways to get the ball in the end zone. They’re ranked first in conference for field goals (11) and 12th for touchdowns (nine). Their 19.2 points per game would be the lowest since 1996 (19 points per game), according to Pac-12 research. They face a Colorado defense that has allowed the most touchdowns in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes have seen opponents score 35 or more points in four of six games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stanford: Justin Lamson, a dual-threat quarterback who made his first start against Oregon. He had 22 carries in the 42-6 loss to No. 8 Oregon, the most by a Pac-12 QB since Tyler Huntley had 25 for Utah versus West Virginia in 2017.

Colorado: Colorado receiver Xavier Weaver has 507 yards receiving through six games. He’s the first Buffaloes player since 2019 to eclipse the 500-yards receiving mark for a season.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Cardinal are 1-17 in their last 18 league games. The win was over Arizona State on Oct. 22, 2022. ... Stanford hasn’t won coming off a bye since 2018. ... Stanford has allowed 40 or more points twice this season and seven times over the past two seasons. ... The Buffaloes are 3-0 against unranked teams this season. They were 1-7 last season. ... Colorado is 17-35 in conference home games since joining the Pac-12. ... Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders leads the country in yards passing with 2,020. ... Buffaloes kicker Alejandro Mata was named the league's special teams player of the week. ... Sanders has nothing but respect for first-year Stanford coach Troy Taylor. “He’s doing a great job to me. He’s doing his thing. They’re playing hard,” Sanders said. “They have fight in them."

No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington highlights the week in Pac-12 football

Things to watch this week in Pac-12 football:

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington, Saturday. The Ducks and Huskies will meet for the first time with both teams ranked in the top 10 in one of the most anticipated Pac-12 games in years. It also will be their final Pac-12 meeting, with both programs heading to the Big Ten next season. The Huskies, behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr., are the only FBS team averaging over 400 passing yards per game at 446.4 per game, on pace for the most since Texas Tech averaged 463 per game in 2016 behind Patrick Mahomes. The Ducks have been a bit more balanced offensively, entering the game ninth in rushing yards per game, 10th in passing and second in scoring.

BEST MATCHUP

No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon State. The Bruins and Beavers will meet as ranked teams for the first time since 2001 in a battle of strengths. Oregon State's Damien Martinez is the Pac-12's leading rusher with 586 yards and he will be facing the conference's best rushing defense. UCLA is third nationally in rushing defense, allowing 65.6 yards per game, and is one of two teams — with Washington — that has yet to allow a run of 20 yards or more. UCLA is fifth in the FBS in total defense, giving up 254.2 yards per game. Oregon State is 14th nationally in scoring at 38.5 points per game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The Pac-12 has seven teams ranked in the AP Top 25 for the third time this season. The conference had never had more than six prior to this season. ... Cal, which plays No. 16 Utah this week, is in line to play five straight ranked opponents, which would be a first in the Pac-12 since 1980. ... Oregon QB Bo Nix is the first player to account for at least 55 TDs at two FBS schools (Auburn and Oregon). ... Utah has won 17 straight home games, the third-longest active streak in the FBS, and 26 straight home games against unranked opponents.

UPSET WATCH?

No. 10 Southern California at No. 21 Notre Dame, Saturday. The Trojans are 2 1/2-point road favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and will be undefeated heading to South Bend for the first time since 2005. USC has been an offensive powerhouse as Caleb Williams has backed up his Heisman Trophy win with another stellar season. The problems for the Trojans has been on defense. USC is 112th nationally in yards allowed per game (421.3), tied for 79th in scoring defense (27) and had to outlast unranked Arizona 43-41 in triple overtime last week. Notre Dame is third nationally against the pass, so Williams and the Trojans will have their work cut out for them.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei. The former Clemson quarterback has been a productive addition to a deep Pac-12 quarterback class. Uiagalelei has thrown for 1,307 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions this season. He was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week after throwing for 275 yards and five TDs in a win over California last week.