Kiz: It’s a tale of two coaches: Coach Prime and Coach Past His Prime. Deion Sanders has made himself right at home in Colorado, while Sean Payton often acts like he would rather be anywhere but here. The CU Buffs are desperately seeking two more victories to become bowl eligible, while two more W’s might well cost the Broncos a shot at drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 choice in the NFL draft. So who wins more games the rest of this season: Neon Deion or Sullen Sean?
Gabriel: The fact that you’re bringing this up at this stage in the proceedings is itself an indictment on the Broncos, Kiz. Even worse that I felt the need to actually consider the argument for each side. CU has five regular-season games left and the Broncos have 11. It shouldn’t be a tough call, particularly with Denver hosting a 2-3 Green Bay squad this weekend led by first-year starting QB Jordan Love, who has thrown six picks and two touchdowns in his past three games. And yet …
Kiz: Sanders is the new king of Colorado, while Payton has become the butt of internet jokes. Even when the Buffs blow a 29-point lead in a wretched loss to Stanford, the shine doesn’t come off Deion, playfully mocked on a hilarious “Saturday Night Live” skit featuring Kenan Thompson that poked fun at Prime’s unbreakable braggadocio. Meanwhile, back at Broncos headquarters, there isn’t anything funny, unless you’re amused by players elbowing their way out of this dumpster fire.
Gabriel: The vibes in Boulder and Broncos Land are … decidedly different. That’s for sure. Funny looking back at Payton saying he wanted his team to be “anonymous donors” in the offseason, both because that ended up being a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do situation and because you’d have to travel to the opposite end of the universe to find Sanders’ offseason approach. And yet here both are in mid-October with their respective offseason headline-making feeling quaint compared to the road ahead.
Kiz: Can you handle the truth? There’s a good chance the Buffs and Broncos will be favored only once in what’s left of their respective schedules: CU against Arizona on Nov. 11 and the Broncos versus New England on Christmas Eve. In the NFL, where parity can make parody of the betting line, I actually give the Broncos a better chance of winning two more games in 2023 than I do the Buffs. If that’s the case, Sean might have to quietly beg Deion to let his son Shedeur turn pro and ride to the rescue of the Broncos as their new quarterback.
Gabriel: Deion says Shedeur wants to be the No. 1 pick, though that’s more likely in 2025 than next spring. But what about, say, No. 5 this year and just a quick spin in the Maybach from dad? What a story that would be, eh, Kiz? You’d for sure have a new entry or two when you update your top 10 moments at The Post for your 50th anniversary commemorative edition in 2033. Congrats on 40, by the way. Heck of a run. In the here-and-now, I’m saying the Broncos win more games the rest of this year than CU, mostly because they have so many more chances. And, AFC West futility aside, I’m not sure Denver’s run after a Week 10 trip to Buffalo is more daunting than three top-25 teams and a trip to the Palouse.
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