Ranking the 5 college football coaches with the most to prove in 2024

4. Deion Sanders, Colorado

It wouldn't at all be accurate to say that Deion Sanders is on the hot seat in Colorado. His arrival in Boulder brought unprecedented attention to the Buffs football program, to the point that Colorado was a national phenomenon in September.

That excitement quickly faded, though, as Coach Prime's early success gave way to a desultory final two months of the season. Colorado started 3-0, but stumbled to a 4-8 finish that was marked by bad defense and one of the worst offensive lines in the country.

Sanders has been masterful at hyping up his program, and for a school like Colorado that hasn't had a football identity in a long time, his arrival has been a godsend. It's important to remember that Colorado was only 1-11 in 2022, so even four wins represents a big leap forward. The next step is reaching a bowl game.

With the Pac-12 effectively being disbanded, Colorado will be returning to the Big 12 in 2024. Even with Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC, the schedule figures to be formidable, with few easy wins in sight.

It's imperative that Colorado continue improving because momentum is a fickle thing. Sanders has taken the Buffs from a college football also-ran and given them legitimate cachet, but if they go into the Big 12 and get killed, the bloom will quickly come off the rose.

The Big 12 is deep, but there are no dominant powerhouses at the top. If Sanders can do half of what he says he can, they could fill that power void within the next few years. It'll be fascinating to see if they take that next step this year.