It’s game week in Boulder, and you could cut the tension in Colorado’s locker room with a butter knife. Just 3 days out from the season opener against Georgia Tech, Coach Prime didn’t walk into practice with his usual swagger — he stormed in. And what followed wasn’t a pep talk. It was a sermon, a scolding, and a shot of reality wrapped into one. He was talking about one word: discipline.

Deion lost his cool at the Colorado training facility on August 26, and it wasn’t just for show. “Guys that are coached at the highest level and played at the highest level… what’s the common denominator? Guys that we have that worked and played at the highest level.” He thundered. “Work and consistency. The definition — discipline. This is the thing that if we don’t attain quickly, we’re going to get our butts kicked. You guys are taking this word for granted.” It was classic Prime: raw, unfiltered, and delivered like a preacher who’d had enough of watching his congregation nod off. He wasn’t wrong either. Colorado coughed up over 90 sacks in the last two seasons, and missed assignments were a weekly theme.

What Sanders was really doing was pulling the fire alarm before it’s too late. “The ability to consistently control your impulses to pursue long-term goals… What’s your long-term goal? To go what? To go pro.” His message was blunt: your talent might get you recruited, but only your discipline will keep you paid. And the Buffs? They’ve been allergic to discipline lately. Mental lapses, penalties — all the little things that separate bowl teams from Big 12 punching bags.

The Colorado front-seven is already wired to eat. They led the Big 12 in tackles for loss and sacks last season, flexing just enough muscle to keep games respectable. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter steps in at QB, bringing 5,800 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards of experience. Still, even he can’t ball out if the line doesn’t block or if his new receivers quit mid-route like Sanders called out in practice.

The problem isn’t talent — Colorado has plenty. The problem is that talent has been sloppy, and sloppy football loses you a big-time games you should win. “You got some players just don’t want it. Believe them, please,” Sanders told his staff. Translation: stop babying underachievers, reward the dogs who grind. And if that sounds harsh, remember this is a coach who just signed a five-year, $54 million extension while adding Byron Leftwich and Marshall Faulk to his staff.

Sanders isn’t yelling in March. He’s yelling in the week of the opener. Colorado sits at +20,000 for the natty and +1600 for the Big 12 crown, so Vegas isn’t buying the hype. Analysts project 6–7 wins. That’s not terrible, but it’s not what Sanders came for. This season is about proof of concept: can the Buffs play grown-man football without Shedeur and Travis Hunter carrying the water? If they can’t, expect more fire and brimstone from Sanders.

Colorado Buffaloes vs Georgia Tech: a quick preview

The 2025 college football season opens under the Friday night lights at Folsom Field, and Boulder is buzzing. Colorado vs. Georgia Tech isn’t just another Week 1 game — it’s a first-time matchup, and it’s got the ESPN primetime slot at 6 p.m. MT. The Buffs are slim underdogs (3.5–4.5 points), but Coach Prime has a chance to flip the script early. Fans can hit the Pearl Street Stampede and Buffs Fan Fest before gates open at 4 p.m., though they better remember the clear-bag policy and no re-entry rules.

All eyes will be on Kaidon Salter. The Liberty transfer was officially named starter just days before kickoff, and the man’s résumé speaks volumes: nearly 6,000 passing yards, 56 touchdowns, and wheels that can burn linebackers for 2,000 rushing yards. His dual-threat playmaking is exactly what Colorado needs to keep defenses honest.

On the flip side, Georgia Tech isn’t pulling up to Boulder as some pushover. Head coach Brent Key brings back 18 starters from a squad that went 7–6 and grabbed a second straight bowl bid. That’s called continuity, and Colorado doesn’t have much of it after losing Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Tech’s QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes are both top-10 preseason picks at their positions, giving the Jackets one of the nastiest backfield duos in the nation. If Colorado thinks this is a warm-up, they’re in for a rude awakening.