Deion Sanders rips Pac-12 over kickoff times

Sep 2, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks on the field before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders is not known for keeping his opinions to himself, and the Colorado coach let the Pac-12 have it over their late kickoffs.

The Buffaloes will kick off at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday against Stanford, the second time Colorado has been given that start time this season. The 8 p.m. local time start is not to Sanders’ liking, to say the least, going as far as to say “Thank God we’re not going to be in this conference.”

“Who makes these 8 o’clock games? That is the dumbest thing ever. It’s the stupidest thing ever in life. Who wants to stay up until 8 o’clock for a dern game?” Sanders said on his weekly coach’s show, via David Ubben of The Athletic. “What about the East Coast? Do they even care about ratings or anybody watching it?”

Colorado is set to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 in 2024. There is no reason to believe that move was motivated by start times, but for Sanders, it is an unrelated perk.

Sanders is demanding much more from his team after an underwhelming showing against Arizona State. The late kickoff may not help with that either.