Schedule change that Deion Sanders leaked is reportedly not happening

Dec 4, 2022; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks during a press conference at the Arrow Touchdown Club. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders leaked some information about Colorado’s schedule for next season that went viral this week, but it would appear Coach Prime jumped the gun.

During the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said Sanders told him Colorado will open their season against Arizona State in 2023. The Buffaloes are scheduled to visit Fort Worth to take on TCU in Week 1 on Sept. 2, which led to the conclusion that the ASU game must have been scheduled for Week 0.

A report from 247 Sports on Tuesday confirmed that the Pac-12 was trying to finalize a Week 0 game between Colorado and Arizona State. The media outlet’s Brandon Marcello was then told by a source on Wednesday that the idea has been nixed.

According to Marcello, the Pac-12 approached teams about the possibility of capitalizing on the hype surrounding Sanders’ debut at Colorado by scheduling a game between the Buffaloes and a conference opponent in Week 0. Arizona State is said to have “jumped at the opportunity,” but officials later decided against it.

Sanders (via Herbstreit) obviously did not pull the idea out of thin air. It would have made sense for the Pac-12 to try to have Sanders make his Colorado debut in Week 0, when only a handful of games are played. Sanders leaving Jackson State for Colorado was some of the biggest news of the year in college football. He is already taking some huge recruits with him.

For whatever reason, the Pac-12 could not make it happen. Maybe Colorado will try to find a different opponent for Week 0.