Brent Key vs Deion Sanders Might Be The Most Intriguing Coaching Matchup Of Week One

Both Brent Key and Deion Sanders are heading into year three and both coaches have done a good job in building back their respective programs. Sanders had Colorado in the conversation for the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff last season while Key has back-to-back bowl appearances for Georgia Tech in his first two seasons. Both coaches are going to go against each other for the first time and during his weekly press conference, Key talked about what it would be like going against Sanders on Friday night:

"Yeah, well, coaching against him is the same as coaching anyone else. You know, we're focused on what we have to do and what we have to go up there to be successful. But I think the time leading up to so it's probably the cool thing. It really is. When you grow up, an avid sports fan in the Southeast. And I was a huge football fan, a huge fan of baseball. And obviously, my team was the Braves growing up in Birmingham. So to see him be able to perform and play at both sports is such a high level. It was just the coolest thing because there were two guys then that were doing it. It was him and it was Bo Jackson. And those were the two guys that I wanted to be like when I grew up. So I obviously couldn't hit a curve ball and then went fast enough to play corner or running back. So here I am."

Sanders was a two-sport professional standout in Atlanta, as an All-Pro cornerback for the Falcons (1989-93) and two-time National League champion outfielder with the Braves (1991-94).

Colorado will be a challenge

Georgia Tech is going to be playing in a tough atmosphere on Friday night and going against a strong football team. Colorado has a big offensive line and an experienced front seven that led the Big 12 in sacks last season. On Sunday, Key talked about the Buffaloes in detail:

"No, I mean If you're asking if there's an advantage from playing as team last year this year, not at all, you've got to make your best assumptions out there. But when you look at their defense, they have a lot of guys back. They have a lot of guys back. I think it's seven or eight guys that started on the defense last year, the dozen or so that-- they're in the two deep from last year But the thing I really see is when you have 20 guys on defense that are juniors or seniors, that you've got-- That's really the same thing. They have that same advantage with the leadership and the older people who've been through the ", regardless if it was there or not.

They have a lot of guys back on D. And their defense coordinator, I mean, Robert Livingston, I believe, he has done a fantastic job there in one season. You're just really changing the direction of their defense and how they play. Been in the NFL10 years previously. And then offensively, where they do, we are expecting more new guys coming in. Talk about it being free agency. I mean, their offensive coordinator's been in the NFL for 20 years. Pat (Shurmur) has been a head coach for four, been an offensive coordinator in the league for 20 plus years. So he's going to know how to be able to get those guys in the right position and play together. They're big up front, they're going after size and mass. They might be, if not the biggest, one of the biggest offensive lines in the country. And I'm talking every level, they're massive. So it's a challenge just going to play a really good football team. That's the challenge. Whoever they roll out there, we've got to be able to go out and defend it or attack it."

Georgia Tech vs Colorado kicks off on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.