Colorado head coach Deion Sanders isn’t a fan of his team playing games that start late into the night.

Speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference (starting at 9:00 a.m.), Sanders explained that he “doesn’t like” late-night kickoff times because they force the team to change its routine:

“You have to change the schedule. You have to prepare the kids because we train in the morning, so now we have to make body adjustments, time adjustments, sleep adjustments for our young men so they can get started pretty quickly. We hadn’t started yet. “We’re moving quickly on the night games because it turns our entire schedule upside down. We did better in the day games because of who we are, but we plan to make adjustments this week to ensure we get the right sleep and rest and are prepared for kick-off.

The time difference is particularly troubling for the Buffaloes this season since they are now back in the Big 12 after spending the last 13 seasons in the Pac-12.

Given the amount of attention Coach Prime has brought to Colorado, the football program is often aired in prime time. Five of the Buffaloes’ seven games this season have started at 7:30 p.m. ET or later.

Saturday’s game against Cincinnati at Folsom Field marks the second time in three weeks that Colorado has a 10:15 p.m. ET kickoff. This happened on October 12th when Coach Prime’s team lost 31:28 to Kansas State.

Colorado is in the Mountain Time Zone, so start time in the state is 8:15 p.m. MDT. But being an athlete also means being a creature of habit and developing a routine to ensure you’re in top shape – or at least close to it – when the game begins.

Sanders admitted that he “appreciates” his team putting games in the national spotlight because it means people are paying attention, even if it creates some preparation headaches as the week goes on.

You would never know that there were any concerns for Colorado so far this season. Sanders got the team off to a 5-2 start, already surpassing its win total for the entire 2023 season.

Colorado can become bowl eligible for the first time since 2020 with another win. The team will get a break after Saturday’s game with a bye next week before facing Texas Tech on Nov. 9.