Young blood’s rising! And Shedeur Sanders delivered his verdict with some pepper on top of it. The result of the 2024 Big 12 football media poll ranking recently came out and Colorado’s position shocked many Buffs fans and players alike. 

While the Utah Utes ranked atop the poll as the favorite to win the Big 12 in 2024, Colorado saw itself sinking to 11th place. This only portrays the lack of trust and confidence by the Big 12 football media members in the Coach Prime-led program. But Shedeur Sanders isn’t about to let them have the last word. 

According to the media, while Colorado has some star experienced players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, it may not be enough to improve the team’s overall performance. As per a new episode by DNVR Sports on YouTube on July 11th, the Buffs signal-caller slammed the naysayers during his conference speech at the Big 12 Media Day in Las Vegas. This is what he said — “The media says a lot of things that’s not true but we don’t really pay attention to what their say is.” 

While we can agree with Shedeur Sanders on that, the next part of his dialogue reveals his utter disgust at the nagging critics trying to drag them down. The 22-year-old, who was recently named preseason all-Big 12 first-team quarterback, further added, “They don’t dictate under any of our lives. They don’t help any of us in any way. So it’s like why we care about what they’re saying.” After all, what goes around comes around! But the bigger question remains: Will the Buffs be able to gather enough performance power to crush their critics’ verdicts in the upcoming season?

Will Colorado triumph over negative verdicts in 2024?

One thing is for certain; the Buffs aren’t what they were last season when they went 4-8. There’s been a major change in the roster with the addition of elite players like No. OT Jordan Seaton, OLs Kahlil Benson, and Justin Mayers, among others. In addition, both the preseason offensive (Shedeur) and defensive (Travis Hunter) player of the year are on the team. 

Even so, challenges are on the cards for Colorado as they get ready to face the 2024 season with lots of doubts from the public. Their first season game doesn’t make it any easier, as they’re set to face one of the most dominant FCS teams, which is decorated with 17 National titles and 37 conference titles. The opener against North Dakota State on August 29 could be a strong determiner of the Buffs’ destiny for the season.