ESPN highlights three Colorado football games as must-watch in 2025
ESPN's Bill Connelly dove into the best ways to enjoy the upcoming college football season, and three Colorado games made his must-watch list.
Under the headline "bask in wild conference title races," Connelly highlights how each Big 12 Conference matchup can dramatically change a team's trajectory. Colorado visiting Utah makes the Week 9 slate of must-see games, while the Buffs' road matchup against Kansas State is one of the top regular-season finales.
The Colorado love does not stop there, as Connelly also rates the Buffs' season opener against Georgia Tech as the top non-weekend game for Week 1. The Yellow Jackets come to Boulder on Friday, Aug. 29, which should be a good early-season test for both squads.
Colorado's popularity is not dipping anytime soon, and with four of its first five games scheduled for national broadcasts, the Buffs will once again be front and center.
Can the Buffs absorb the loss of several key starters and make a run at a Big 12 title? That remains the central question just 11 days out from the opener.
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Yahoo
30 minutes ago
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Shedeur Sanders confronts 'negative' reporter before NFL debut
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This sense that a reporter or writer being on the wrong side of history and using their platform irresponsibly still exists today. Fast forward to this year and Deion Sanders has put multiple college players in the NFL. Two of which are his own children. People can say many things about Deion Sanders, but not preparing his sons is certainly not one of them. Shedeur and Shilo Sanders are two of the best media trained rookies maybe ever. Shedeur specifically found himself in a media market that tends to chew up and spit out rookies that aren't prepared for the moment. The Cleveland sports media landscape is a tale of two types. The old guard and the younger generation who are not married to an old logic. From the moment Shedeur was drafted 144th in the fifth round, one Cleveland reporter has been consistently on the wrong side of this and as recently as Thursday still refused to accept that, doubling down at every turn. Insert long time Cleveland Browns beat writer, Tony Grossi. 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After the draft, throughout rookie minicamp and even into voluntary minicamp, Grossi could not stop himself from pushing the 'order of operations' narrative. Kenny Pickett was acquired first which must mean they like him the most. Then they signed Joe Flacco. Then they drafted Dillon Gabriel. Making Shedeur Sanders fourth in the order of priority based on that antiquated logic. The issue with that logic is that it died right about the time College Football coaches stopped picking starting QBs based on seniority and NFL teams stopped starting the rookie QB no matter what based on an elite salary. While Grossi hasn't uttered that order of operations line recently, it's evident he still believes it to some degree. As every other QB not named Shedeur Sanders took team period reps with the starting offense, Grossi again attempted to twist the knife. Every comment about Shedeur, especially during his segments on ESPN Cleveland (formerly 850 am WKNR), was dripping with condescension. It seemed to be Grossi's intention to paint Shedeur Sanders as the tagalong of the QB competition. The 'also ran' who isn't a threat to any other QB in the room. He often commented about the 'Shedeur fans' and how they are ruining this process. Also making suggestions that hype won't win the job. On a radio appearance on Tony Rizzo's 'The Really Big Show' last week, the topic of Shedeur sitting out of practice with arm soreness came up. All of a sudden, this reporting veteran of over 40 years pretended to not understand the concept of arm soreness with quarterbacks. Further suggesting, his arm shouldn't be sore due to lack of reps. Tony Rizzo pressed him for clarification. Rizzo maintained that if a guy is not getting a ton of reps and chooses to get in extra work to better prepare himself, that's a good thing. To which Grossi added, 'well it was obviously counterproductive'. Tony Rizzo, the host of the show, almost stormed out of the air studio. 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Deion Sanders prepared Shedeur Sanders for his moment. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox Sports
an hour ago
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2025 CFB Week 0 Action Report: Small Weekend Slate Doesn't Deter Bettors
College Football 2025 CFB Week 0 Action Report: Small Weekend Slate Doesn't Deter Bettors Updated Aug. 21, 2025 12:20 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link The first weekend of the 2025 college football season doesn't present the most exhilarating matchups. But the bottom line is, it's still football. So bets are flowing for the first few games on the college football Week 1 oddsboard. "Everybody is excited that football is back. Yes, we've had NFL preseason the past couple weeks, but that's not the same as a college football game that actually counts," Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. "Even though it's a small slate, there's still that excitement of it being a college football Saturday." Bookmakers and sharp bettors offer their Week 1 college football betting insights, kicking off with Kansas State vs. Iowa State from Dublin, Ireland. Big 12 Battle It all gets going at noon ET Saturday across the pond, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Kansas State vs. Iowa State has been on Caesars' betting board since May 23, when the Wildcats opened at -3 (-120). From then until mid-July, the line dipped to -2.5 multiple times. But over the past two weeks, K-State got as high as -4 occasionally. In the past week, the Wildcats have toggled between -3.5/-3, and they're currently 3-point favorites while getting the bulk of attention. "The Ireland game always does big numbers. That game is what's gonna drive the weekend," Feazel said Wednesday afternoon. "We've got quite a bit of Kansas State money, which is not super surprising." ADVERTISEMENT That's in part due to K-State being the +450 co-favorite to win the Big 12 title, joined by Texas Tech. On The Move The matchup generating the most noteworthy odds move is Saturday night's Stanford vs. Hawaii tilt. The Cardinal opened as 2-point favorites and touched -2.5 a couple times early in the summer. 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Where Caesars is seeing more interesting action so far is in the College Football Playoff championship odds market. Among the notable plays: $10,000 Clemson +900. If the Tigers win the national title, then the bettor profits a hefty $90,000 (total payout $100,000). $1,000 TCU +20000 (200/1). It's a long shot, but if the Horned Frogs win it all, then the bettor bags $200,000 profit (total payout $201,000). $1,000 Colorado +12500 (125/1). Can Deion Sanders and Colorado succeed without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter? The past two seasons, coach Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes were all the rage with the public betting masses. But Coach Prime no longer has son Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, nor Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star Travis Hunter. Let's hope that the Colorado bettor followed the most practical wagering advice: Never bet more than you can afford to lose. Enjoy opening weekend, everyone! Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
2026 SEC football recruiting rankings after Vols flip Kamari Blair from South Carolina
Tennessee received a 2026 football commitment on Thursday. Four-star offensive lineman Kamari Blair flipped his commitment from South Carolina to Tennessee. The 6-foot-6, 281-pound prospect is from Kirkwood High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. Tennessee has 23 commitments in its 2026 recruiting class: quarterback Faizon Brandon, wide receiver Tyreek King, offensive lineman Gabriel Osenda, linebacker Braylon Outlaw, defensive lineman CJ Edwards, defensive lineman Zach Groves, safety KJ McClain, safety Luke Thompson, defensive end Kedric Golston II, offensive lineman Edward Baker, wide receiver Zaydyn Anderson, quarterback Legend Bey, defensive lineman Dereon Albert, linebacker TJ White, cornerback Jamyan Theodore, defensive lineman Darryl Rivers, wide receiver Javonte Smith, linebacker Brayden Rouse, safety Jowell Combay, offensive lineman JB Shabazz, athlete Joel Wyatt, athlete Salesi Moa and Blair. More: Week 0 college football score predictions Following Blair flipping his commitment to Tennessee from South Carolina, Vols Wire looks at Southeastern Conference recruiting rankings. Tennessee was ranked No. 7 and moved up one spot to sixth in SEC football recruiting rankings. The Vols moved ahead of Florida. Updated 2026 football recruiting rankings for the SEC from Rivals are listed below. 2026 SEC football recruiting rankings 1. Georgia Bulldogs Total commitments: 31 Score: 93.058 Average rating: 90.70 Average NIL: $176K 2. Texas Longhorns Total commitments: 21 Score: 92.483 Average rating: 90.45 Average NIL: $187K 3. Texas A&M Aggies Total commitments: 27 Score: 92.471 Average rating: 90.81 Average NIL: $98K 4. Alabama Crimson Tide Total commitments: 21 Score: 92.231 Average rating: 91.14 Average NIL: $167K 5. LSU Tigers Total commitments: 18 Score: 92.187 Average rating: 91.84 Average NIL: $173K 6. Tennessee Volunteers Total commitments: 23 Score: 91.000 Average rating: 89.96 Average NIL: $117K 7. Florida Gators Total commitments: 19 Score: 90.989 Average rating: 90.54 Average NIL: $102K 8. South Carolina Gamecocks Total commitments: 14 Score: 89.358 Average rating: 89.77 Average NIL: $87K 9. Ole Miss Rebels Total commitments: 15 Score: 88.627 Average rating: 88.81 Average NIL: $61K 10. Oklahoma Sooners Total commitments: 17 Score: 88.477 Average rating: 88.48 Average NIL: $81K 11. Arkansas Razorbacks Total commitments: 27 Score: 87.755 Average rating: 86.77 Average NIL: $22K 12. Auburn Tigers Total commitments: 12 Score: 87.433 Average rating: 88.63 Average NIL: $84K 13. Kentucky Wildcats Total commitments: 15 Score: 87.311 Average rating: 87.49 Average NIL: $30K 14. Vanderbilt Commodores Total commitments: 18 Score: 87.222 Average rating: 87.09 Average NIL: $17.3K 15. Mississippi State Bulldogs Total commitments: 28 Score: 86.601 Average rating: 85.66 Average NIL: $12.9K 16. Missouri Tigers Total commitments: 10 Score: 84.944 Average rating: 87.39 Average NIL: $21K Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
