On Saturday in Salt Lake City, The Utah Utes will be taking on Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes squad.
Both teams have taken a hit as of late as Utah has lost three out of their last four and fallen out of the rankings, while Colorado has lost five straight. However, the Utes are heavy favorites, and Sanders has not been shy about discussing just how good of a coach he thinks Kyle Whittingham is.
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Sanders made sure to show his respects to Utah's coach, going as far as to call him a legend.
"He's a legend, he's a darn legend," said Sanders. He's a guy I truly respect, I truly admire, I truly glean from afar. I don't really know him personally, I met him once at the Pac-12 meetings, but he's a darn legend, man. His consistency and persistence speaks volumes. I love what he's doing. I love what he's doing with that program."
Whittingham has received a fair share of praise this season, with Urban Meyer calling him the best coach in college football, and younger coaches like Kenny Dillingham expressing that they want to build their program in a similar manner.
Saturday's matchup will be a tale of two methodologies when it comes to roster construction, as Whittingham has focused more so developing the players he's recruited while adding in transfers here and there, whilst Sanders has built his role nearly entirely through the transfer portal. The biggest weakness for Colorado is the trenches, which happens to be one of Utah's strengths.
The Utes are favored by 22 points and there are questions if Sanders' son and star quarterback, Shedeur, will be able to go. If he is unable to go, Colorado's quarterback room is left with a freshman and juco walk-on who has completed 7-of-19 for 82 yards and a pick in their limited playing time.
Assuming Sanders stays in Boulder, and Whittingham doesn't walk away anytime soon, the two will continue to get acquainted as both programs are heading to the Big 12 in 2024.
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