As the 2024 college football season approaches, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has made his disdain for the media clear.
But there is at least one media member who still appears to be in Coach Prime’s good graces, as the Buffaloes received a single vote in the Associated Press’ Preseason Top 25.
While rankings are subjective — especially in the preseason — Colorado’s lone vote raised more than just a few eyebrows. After all, the Buffaloes are coming off a 2023 campaign in which they amassed a 4-8 record, losing eight of their final nine games, including each of their last six contests.
Even in the age of the transfer portal, making the jump from worst in Pac-12 to starting the season in the top-25 is quite the stretch. But we now know which voter has apparently determined that Coach Prime’s second offseason in Boulder has been that transformative, with College Poll Tracker revealing that Fox Sports’ Mike Hill ranked Colorado at No. 25 on his preseason ballot.
FOX Sports’ Mike Hill is still sippin’ on that Colorado Kool-Aid. 🦬🍹 https://t.co/hmGfGkwcVU pic.twitter.com/NxriWB0u2h
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) August 13, 2024
Hill’s ranking of Colorado was understandably graded as “extreme,” as was his No. 24 ranking of Liberty — although the Flames did receive 32 total points from voters. To make room for the Buffaloes and Liberty, Hill left No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 23 USC and No. 25 Iowa off his ballot.
Why would an AP voter use a vote on a team coming off a 4-8 season? Hill’s seemingly close relationship with Coach Prime appears to be the most obvious explanation.
According to his Fox Sports bio, Hill provided the voiceover for the audio book version of Sanders’ “Power, Money and Sex.” And as the Hall of Fame cornerback has reemerged as a lightning rod in the college football landscape, Hill has been one of his most vocal supporters.
This ain’t UNIQUE to Colorado & @DeionSanders Most coaches will be brutally honest w/a player. Maybe he wanted the kid to have SUCCESS elsewhere cuz he knew he wouldn’t be one of his guys. Even if u don’t like him, Prime has shown his love & compassion for these kids. https://t.co/ybTSVKRRWB
— Mike Hill (@ItsMikeHill) May 1, 2024
Does Hill’s apparent lack of objectivity when it comes to Coach Prime and Colorado compromise the integrity of the AP Top 25? Perhaps to a degree. But it’s also worth noting that the poll is comprised of more than 60 voters from a variety of outlets and regions, largely in an effort to negate such biases.
Ultimately, Colorado receiving a single No. 25 vote in the preseason poll won’t have any tangible effect on the 2024 college football season. That, however, doesn’t make Hill’s ranking any less egregious, as it’s hard to fathom a football argument to validate his vote for the Buffaloes.
