Deion Sanders gives his thoughts on Caleb Williams after Colorado's close loss to USC

Great recognizes great here. Deion Sanders may be the greatest cornerback in NFL history, but he is now fully focused on rebuilding the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder. The Buffs have suffered back-to-back losses to commence conference play, but nobody really thought they would have a chance vs. Oregon in Autzen and USC at home. Well, if not for Caleb Williams, maybe CU could have won here?

Williams completed 30-of-40 passes for 403 yards, six touchdowns and an interception in the Trojans' narrow road victory at Folsom. Colorado may have lost 48-41, but Sanders' son in starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders certainly helped up his own in this one. He completed 30-for-45 passes for 371 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Undeniably, Williams has set the bar.

So when talking postgame with the college football media, Sanders said that Williams "is a flat-out baller" and that it was a pleasure to compete against Lincoln Riley's team. "That was fun for me."

Colorado could get back into the win column next week when the Buffaloes travel to Arizona State.

USC can already achieve bowl eligibility with a home victory over Arizona next Saturday night.

Deion Sanders speaks highly of Caleb Williams after Colorado's USC loss

This was one of the better games of the Week 5 slate. While it was not the least bit shocking to see Alex Grinch's USC defense once again wet the bed, who honestly saw Colorado play up to USC's standard in this one? Colorado may have flipped its roster ahead of Sanders' first year at the helm, but USC is arguably the best team in the Pac-12. Colorado might only be top-half at this point in time.

What I like about Sanders' comments about USC are that he understands fully Williams is well on his way towards becoming an NFL superstar like Sanders himself. He also appreciates the complexities, better yet, the balance of Riley's offense. Colorado is far ahead of schedule nearly halfway through Sanders' first season at the helm. This game was of the measuring stick variety, a lesson if you will.

Overall, this is one of those games where the loser has to feel better about itself than the winner. We did get another one of those in the Power Five on Saturday afternoon, with No. 1 Georgia nearly being upset on the road by unranked Auburn down on The Plains. Coaches like Sanders and Hugh Freeze certainly know what they are doing, but they have no answers for stars like Williams or Brock Bowers.

Colorado may not be in the business of moral victories, but to take USC the distance is impressive.