Colorado's win against Colorado State averaged 9.3 million viewers on ESPN.

That makes it the most-watched college football game this season & ESPN's 5th most-watched college football game in history.

That's a huge number, especially considering the game started at 10 p.m. ET. pic.twitter.com/Tix7K6ng7x

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 19, 2023

It was on a Saturday night and ended at 3 am. Let that sink in.

The impact of Deion Sanders in Colorado cannot be emphasized enough. In just one season, he has transformed a program that was once overlooked on a national scale into one that is now breaking viewership records, even rivaling the 2023 NBA Finals. The recent game on Saturday night reached its peak with an impressive 11.1 million viewers, coming very close to the average viewership of the NBA Finals.

Although CU faces a challenging match this week against Oregon, especially without Travis Hunter, if the Buffs manage to secure a victory, their upcoming game against USC in Boulder next Saturday promises to be a spectacle unlike anything seen before. It’s hard to predict the exact viewership numbers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it threatened to reach 15 million, assuming Colorado remains undefeated.

Regardless of the outcomes, it’s almost certain that the Buffs, in Coach Prime’s first season, are on track for at least a bowl berth. Furthermore, their sideline presence resembles a blend of the Grammys and the Pro Football Hall of Fame every week. Remarkably, Boulder has become the focal point of American sports.

It’s safe to say that Colorado made the perfect choice in hiring Deion Sanders.