‘That’s on Y’all’ — Deion Sanders Bluntly Reacts to Colorado’s Declining TV Ratings After Disappointing 2–2 Start

Deion Sanders can sell tickets, move television numbers, and turn a September press conference into a clip before lunch. None of that does much good when Colorado is sitting at 2-2.

So when Sanders was asked about the Buffaloes losing some of their television juice, Coach Prime made his priorities pretty clear. Nielsen can worry about Nielsen while he worries about getting Colorado back in the win column.

Deion Sanders Has Zero Interest in Winning the Ratings Battle

“Man, we ain’t playing for no durn TV ratings. That’s on y’all,” Sanders said. “We don’t care about no TV ratings.”

The question did not come out of nowhere. Colorado became appointment television almost overnight when Sanders took over for the 2023 season, but the audience has cooled in the years since

ESPN games featuring Colorado averaged 6.1 million viewers in 2023, 3.4 million in 2024, and 2 million last season. That 67% slide already sparked plenty of discussion about whether thePrime Effect was starting to wear off before this season even began.

Sanders essentially answered that conversation with the scoreboard.

“TV ratings follow you when you win. They follow that,” Sanders said.

He pointed to the crowd Colorado drew at Baylor and predicted another strong turnout when the Buffaloes return home this weekend. No. 12 Texas Tech visits Folsom Field for Homecoming on Saturday, giving Sanders a much bigger concern than who is holding the remote.

Sanders even turned the ratings discussion into a comedy bit.

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“Do they rate homes in the hood?” Sanders asked while wondering how Nielsen actually measures audiences. “I’m serious, straight up. Do they rate homes in the hood?”

Then he got back to the number he actually cares about.

“I’m not worried about no ratings, man. I’m worried about a durn record,” Sanders said. “Like, I want to win. That’s what I’m concerned with.”

Colorado Needs Wins a Lot More Than It Needs Viewers

The record explains the irritation.

Colorado opened with wins over Georgia Tech and Weber State, then got blasted 41-7 by Northwestern before losing 23-13 at Baylor. The Buffaloes are now 0-1 in Big 12 play with an undefeated Texas Tech team coming to Boulder.

The underlying numbers are not helping Sanders sleep any easier. Colorado owns a 71.7 grade in PFN’s CFB Offense Impact rankings, No. 89 nationally through four games.

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The Buffaloes scored seven points against Northwestern and 13 against Baylor. They also have a quarterback decision hanging over the offense after Isaac Wilson replaced Julian Lewis during the Baylor loss.

Sanders is in his fourth season, making Colorado impossible to ignore. At 2-2, he would clearly trade a few million eyeballs for one more number in the win column.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.