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Why Deion Sanders' $30 million contract is a bargain for Colorado

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Why Deion Sanders'  million contract is a bargain for Colorado


When the University of Colorado announced its decision to hire Deion Sanders as its next head football coach, there was no shortage of critics. Sanders’ only college coaching experience was a three-year stop at Jackson State University. His loud, no-nonsense approach led to an unprecedented 50+ players leaving the program within his first few months on the job. And Colorado was on the hook for his five-year, $29.5 million contract — the richest contract in school history — no matter how he performed.

In fact, the move was such a risk that Colorado didn’t even have the money to pay Sanders, with the school’s athletic director telling reporters he “wasn’t worried about it” but now needed to go out and raise the money from alumni and boosters.

However, they did exactly that, and less than two years after Sanders’ introductory news conference, everything has changed. There are still critics, of course. But Sanders has taken a team that won just one game the year before his arrival and turned it into a legitimate Big 12 title contender this season.

Colorado is 6-2 on the season, making the Buffs bowl eligible for the first time in nearly a decade. The team is also ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 college football poll, and wide receiver and defensive back extraordinaire Travis Hunter is one of the favorites to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.

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The combination of this success intertwined with Deion’s personality has brought the school more attention than it could have ever imagined. Colorado’s online team store sales were up 2,544% last year. The school’s social media accounts have added more than a million followers over the past two years, and the Buffaloes played in five of college football’s top 25 most-watched games last year, selling out every single home game.

This alone justifies Sanders’ five-year, $29.5 million contract — and the deal even starts to look like a bargain when you consider the downstream impact.

Deion Sanders has Colorado ranked 21st in the AP Top 25 and in contention for the Big 12 title. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Deion Sanders has Colorado ranked 21st in the AP Top 25 and in contention for the Big 12 title. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

You’ve probably heard that athletics are the front door to a university. The idea behind that phrase is that athletic success drives everything else, with increased exposure leading to more interest, more interest leading to more applications, more applications leading to more students, more students leading to higher tuition costs and, eventually, higher academic standards and an increase in revenue for the school.

This is known as the “Flutie Effect.” It started in 1984 when Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie successfully threw a Hail Mary on national television to beat the University of Miami. Boston College then saw a 20% jump in applications over the subsequent years, and there have been countless examples since.

Butler, for instance, saw a 40% increase in applications after their men’s basketball team reached the national championship game in 2010. Applications at Florida Gulf Coast jumped 27% after advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed in 2013, and the University of Alabama’s enrollment increased from 25,000 to 60,000 while Nick Saban was coach.

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The Flutie Effect often takes a few years to play out. However, Colorado has expedited this process by averaging 7.2 million viewers during its prime-time games last year.

As a result, the Boulder-based school received a record 68,000 applicants for fall 2024, a 20% increase from 2023. The school ended up extending offers to 51,000 students, and enrollment increased 3.4% year-over-year, from 37,153 in 2023 to 38,428 in 2024.

The typical counterargument to the Flutie Effect is that the impact is minor because schools have a limit on how many students they can accept. That’s technically true, but the problem with that thought process is that it discounts other things, like how heightened demand enables the school to raise academic standards, and, more importantly, the fact that some students are more financially valuable than others.

Take the University of Alabama, for example. Not only did enrollment increase from 25,000 students when Nick Saban arrived to 60,000 students when he retired, but the Crimson Tide have also fundamentally changed the composition of their student body.

Before Saban, the University of Alabama had three times more in-state students than out-of-state students. But today, that ratio has flipped, and Alabama’s student body now consists primarily of out-of-state students. It is an important distinction because those out-of-state students pay three times more in tuition than in-state students — $34,000 vs. $12,000 annually — which has helped Alabama collect billions in additional tuition.

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Colorado still has a long way to go before it can be included in the same conversation as Alabama, but the same rules apply. Colorado’s out-of-state students pay $43,600 in tuition compared to $14,000 for in-state students. And given that the school doesn’t have the infrastructure to add an additional 20,000 students, you can almost guarantee that Colorado’s admissions staff will start placing a premium on out-of-state students.

That will eventually make Deion Sanders’ expensive contract look like one of the biggest bargains in sports. Now, the school needs to ensure Sanders doesn’t leave for a bigger program by giving him all the resources he needs to compete at the highest level.



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Colorado weather: Up to 14 inches of snow forecast for mountains

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Colorado weather: Up to 14 inches of snow forecast for mountains


Snow started Monday night in Colorado’s mountains and will continue throughout the week, likely making its way into the Denver area on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Colorado’s mountain roads, including Interstate 70 at the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel and Berthoud Pass, were already snow-covered Tuesday morning, according to the weather service.

“With more snow to come throughout the day, a Winter Weather Advisory was issued for the Front Range Mountains,” forecasters said.

That advisory will be in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday for parts of Jackson, Larimer, Boulder, Grand, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park counties, including Rocky Mountain National Park. Additional snow accumulations between 6 and 14 inches are possible on Tuesday, forecasters said in the alert.

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As of Tuesday, the weather service’s snow forecasts included:

  • 2 inches on I-70’s Vail Pass, with up to 3 inches possible
  • 3 inches in Winter Park, with up to 4 inches possible
  • 4 inches in Eldora and on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, with up to 5 inches possible
  • 4 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 7 inches possible
  • 5 inches at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 7 inches possible
  • 6 inches on U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in RMNP, with up to 8 inches possible
  • 7 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins, with up to 8 inches possible
  • 9 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit of Colorado’s Park Range of the Rocky Mountains, with up to 11 inches possible

“Travel could be very difficult,” weather service forecasters stated in the winter weather advisory. “The hazardous conditions will impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.”



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Weiss keeps focus on job as Colorado AHL assistant, not historic promotion | NHL.com

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Weiss keeps focus on job as Colorado AHL assistant, not historic promotion | NHL.com


In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Sitting Down with …” we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week, we feature Kim Weiss, assistant coach of the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate. Weiss was named assistant for the Eagles on Jan. 16, joining Seattle Kraken assistant Jessica Campbell as the only women in the NHL or AHL to be a full-time assistant coach.

Kim Weiss doesn’t think about the history she’s made that often.

The 36-year-old is too busy with her duties that come with being the Colorado Eagles’ assistant coach, including breaking down 5-on-5 video — she was the team’s video coach prior to her promotion — presenting it to the team, pushing pucks and running practice drills.

“When the title change happened and the promotion happened, I left the office of the general manager (Kevin McDonald), and I got back to work,” Weiss told NHL.com. “In the moment you’re not really thinking about that kind of stuff, but obviously it’s an honor.

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“I’m especially grateful just because of my background. I didn’t play on a national team, I didn’t grow up in Minnesota or any kind of a hockey hotbed. So to get at this level and to have this legacy, for lack of a better word, from the place I’m from, a kid from Maryland that played Division III (hockey at Trinity College), it makes me even more proud to show people that you can get somewhere no matter where you start from. Then you add in being a female and all of that, I’m really proud of my journey and I’m proud of all the people who helped me along the way to get here.”

It’s been quite a ride for Weiss with the Eagles, who are second in the AHL Pacific Division. Last week, Weiss talked to NHL.com about her new duties, working with the Avalanche and more women in hockey.

So what was it like the day McDonald called you into the office to give you the news of your promotion?

“Honestly, it’s an affirmation of the work you put in. That’s what the GM said to me. Last season I had a different head coach (Aaron Schneekloth) and we had a different assistant (Dan Hinote) that both moved onto the NHL, and they both spoke highly of me to our GM in the summer and to our new head coach (Mark Letestu). Getting to know Mark this year and working for him, everything that he had heard of me got confirmed through the first few months of the year.

“I don’t exactly know how the process went about to change the title, but I think he went to Kevin, and I know Kevin said this to me, this line of, ‘You’re doing all the work that the assistant does, so why aren’t we calling you one?’ I’m already on the ice with the team and I run skill skates and scratch skates and present (video). I’m doing everything the assistant coach does; I just had a different title. So I really appreciate them just giving me the opportunity to kind of advance my career and keep doing what I love to do, which is coach hockey.”

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Letestu also had you run one of the practices earlier in the season. How did that come about?

“Every assistant got (that chance). The big thing coming in was, he had been an assistant coach before and he wanted to make sure we all had a voice and a say, and we weren’t just coming onto the ice for practice like, ‘Oh, here we go. Push some pucks. Put my track suit on for 20 minutes, push some pucks and jump off.’ He wanted to make sure we had the platform in front of the players.

“It started with our longest-tenured assistant coach, Tim Branham. It was nothing new or scary for any of us, but just a different dynamic. Not every staff allows their assistants to take full responsibility of a full practice. Then Derek (Army) took it and then the next week I took one.”



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How the Colorado Rockies Are Actually Building Its Opening Day Roster

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How the Colorado Rockies Are Actually Building Its Opening Day Roster


The Colorado Rockies are seeking the right balance and experimenting under their first full-year manager, Warren Schaeffer.

It’s a different Rockies roster compared to last season. There are new faces on the active roster for the start of the 2026 season. Having a team with youth and a mix of veterans can be a successful formula for the Rockies.

Knowing how the elevation affects things in Colorado, the Rockies will see which pitcher can thrive playing in Coors Field. Anything can happen this season.

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The Rockies Must Have A Roster That Can Stay Durable 

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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A Rotation of Veterans

Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta added several arms over 34, including Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano.

The fifth starter will be a competitive battle. The Rockies have options in who will win that fifth and final spot. Here is the prediction of the Rockies’ starting rotation:

  • Kyle Freeland
  • Michael Lorenzen
  • Ryan Feltner
  • Jose Quintana
  • Chase Dollander

Ryan Feltner has battled injuries. The 29-year-old suffered back spasms and shoulder injuries, preventing him from performing in 2025. He’s determined to have a breakout season. 

He had a lot of momentum in his final 15 starts of the 2024 season. Feltner posted a 2.75 ERA and finished with a career-high 162 1/3 innings. Feltner has been building his weight-room capacity and getting himself ready for the new season. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and produce.

Flexibility on the Infield

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The Rockies’ acquisition of Willi Castro was a smart move. We know the Rockies’ future at shortstop is Ezequel Tovar. However, the Rockies organization is being cautious. They want to make sure they have an extra body on hand in case something goes south. Castro is a former All-Star and a versatile defender. 

Eduoard Julien is known for playing second base, but he can also play first base if the Rockies need him there. It all depends on many situations and circumstances. Julien is one of the players on the Rockies roster who must prove his worth.

In terms of first base, TJ Rumfield is a front-office option to serve that position. He has the size, length, and youth to play the position. Rumfield is having an impressive start to the spring so far. 

Current Roster and Opening Day Prediction Lineup

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Ezequiel Tovar, SS 
Tyler Freeman, 2B 
Mickey Moniak, DH 
Hunter Goodman, C 
Kyle Karros, 3B
Jordan Beck, RF 
Brenton Doyle, CF
Jake McCarthy, LF
TJ Rumfield, 1B

The lineup can change overnight, and especially in the next few weeks. If, for some reason, Freeman can’t okay second base to start the season, then Castro is the leading man to take the spot. 



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