Colorado's ratings down 49% in Year 2 under Deion Sanders

The Colorado Buffaloes are already bowl eligible for the first time since 2016 and are ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but they aren't driving the same massive television ratings seen during coach Deion Sanders' first season in Boulder.

Colorado games are averaging 3.7 million viewers through the team's first eight games of the season across Fox, NBC, CBS and ESPN. That's down approximately 49 percent from the same point last season, according to the Sports Business Journal. Through the first seven games in 2023, Buffs games averaged 7.3 million viewers.

However, that doesn't mean the national shine is off of Sanders' program by any means. This years ratings are still up 424 percent from the same point in the 2022 season, according to the SBJ, when the Buffs averaged only 706,000 viewers during their one-win season.

Colorado's loss to Nebraska is its only game among the top 15 most-watched college football games to date this season. The Buffs finished last year with three of the top-15.

At 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12, Colorado is poised to potentially play in the title game in its first season back in the conference. A win in the Big 12 title game would also assure a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Shedeur Sanders completed 25 of 30 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown as Colorado beat Cincinnati 34-23 in its most recent game on Oct. 26.

The Buffs have four regular-season games remaining. They travel to Texas Tech on Saturday before returning home to face Utah on Nov. 16, followed by a road trip to Kansas and then playing host to Oklahoma State.

No. 9 BYU (8-0) currently leads the Big 12 with a 5-0 record, followed by Colorado and Iowa State at 4-1.

--Field Level Media