The addition of Colorado to the Big 12 Conference should make Kansas football even more fun to watch.
Colorado, a founding member of the original Big Seven along with the Kansas Jayhawks, is joining the Big 12 again after spending more than a decade in the Pac-12, effective in 2024.
The school was unhappy with the Pac-12’s media rights deal and the instability of the conference. That’s when Commissioner Brett Yormark swooped in — rather, when the Buffs did so.
CU reached out to the Big 12 in hopes of uniting, and they immediately welcomed them with open arms. The details are being reviewed, but it is all but a lock that we will watch them compete against Kansas in the season that ensues this one.
Now, basketball has never been Colorado’s strong suit. KU has an all-time 75.6% win percentage (124-40) when facing the Buffaloes. Appearing once in the NCAA Tournament across the past seven years also doesn’t bode well for their prospects as a basketball school. But they’re joining the Big 12 for football, and after all, football is the money-maker in college sports.
Colorado football will be must-see television when the season begins in September. AD Rick George hired Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders to become their new head coach in December 2022. “Prime Time” led Jackson State to back-to-back SWAC titles in his first-ever coaching gig.
READ: KU football position breakdown for 2023: Offense
Deion hasn’t necessarily been in the headlines for all the right reasons. More than 50 players entered the transfer portal since he was hired to coach in Boulder. He’s put together a cluster of players, a good portion who have never played with each other in their careers. His coaching and recruiting styles are unorthodox, to say the least.
Let’s make one thing clear — I don’t believe the Buffs will be good this year. It will take several years for them to climb out of the bottom of the barrel. Deion might not even turn the program around. Despite his out-of-the-ordinary tactics, though, one thing you can’t call him is intriguing. And that is exactly what the games between CU and Kansas football will be.
Unlike the basketball series, Colorado leads Kansas in all-time football records (42-25-3). The Jayhawks can bridge that gap if the two schools play in 2024. KU’s football program has improved its play significantly, but the only way they can truly put themselves on the map is by winning games against teams who already have an excess of national recognition in the sport.
Two teams, both looking for nationwide respect, squaring off in an interconference matchup. That in itself should be thrilling. Even the history between KU and CU adds another compelling backstory to the matchup.
This is not only good for Kansas. It’s good for the entire conference. If we’re being honest, the Big 12 needed some more pizzazz. Schools like BYU don’t necessarily fill out the entertainment aspect of things. The move is yet another step for the conference to be mentioned with the likes of the SEC or Big Ten in football.
Colorado is back where they belong. It’d only be right if they and the Kansas Jayhawks give the fans some more outings to remember.
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