Deion Sanders, Colorado Have Drawn Estimated $90.55M in Media Coverage, School Says

The University of Colorado announced Friday that media coverage of the football team this season under head coach Deion Sanders has exceeded $90 million value.

According to Olivia Doak of the Daily Camera (h/t Yahoo Sports), University of Colorado spokesperson Steve Hurlbert said the school ran a report to determine the "equivalent ad value" of Colorado's media coverage this season, and it totaled $90.55 million.

Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano commented on the football program's economic success thus far, saying:

"CU Boulder has been the epicenter of the national sports world, which has provided unprecedented exposure for our university across the country. I am impressed by the excitement that has permeated campus, which is less quantifiable but certainly as important as record-setting merchandise and ticket sales."

Through only three games, Fox's Big Noon Kickoff has been in Boulder twice, and ESPN College GameDay emanated from the CU campus once.

The networks' interest in Colorado is understandable, as last weekend's Rocky Mountain Showdown between the Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams was watched by 9.3 million viewers.

Per Doak, that made it the fifth most-watched college football game in ESPN history, and the most-watched late-window college football game of all time on ESPN.

Sanders' arrival has also coincided with significant increase in ticket sales, university donations and merchandise purchases.

Colorado sold out of season tickets for the first time in 27 years, donations are up from $50.8 million in the 2022 fiscal year to $52.7 million in the 2023 fiscal year, and team store revenue is on pace to be up 892 percent compared to last year.

The Buffs went just 1-11 last season, but under Coach Prime, they are already 3-0 in 2023 and are ranked No, 19 in the nation.

Sanders announced his arrival at the FBS level with a huge Week 1 upset, as Colorado went on the road to beat the reigning national runner-up TCU 45-42.

The Buffaloes followed that up with an easy home win over Nebraska, followed by a come-from-behind, double-overtime win against Colorado State last week.

Much will be learned about whether the Buffs are for real over the next two weeks, as they face No. 10 Oregon on the road on Saturday, followed by a home game against No. 5 USC next weekend.