Biggest college football stories of 2023: The Year of Deion Sanders; Pac-12 fades away

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College football in 2023 was in many ways the end of an era. 

With the four-team College Football Playoff entering its final hurrah and the Pac-12 conference disappearing in a flash, the 2023 college football season will be remembered for years to come. 

With the four-team College Football Playoff entering its final hurrah and the Pac-12 conference disappearing in a flash, the 2023 college football season will be remembered for years to come. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

In between rivalries that are set to go by the wayside as conference realignment takes hold, and star players jump from team to team via the transfer portal, a handful of stories stand out. 

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Let’s take a look at five storylines that gripped the sport during 2023.

Love or hate him, Deion Sanders was the talk of the sport in 2023.

"Coach Prime" burst onto the scene late in 2022 as the Colorado Buffaloes looked for a spark to jump-start the program after a 1-11 season.

His hire immediately put Colorado back in the national conversation after just one 10-win season over the last 21 years.

In February, Sanders pulled in the 21st-ranked class and a top-five transfer portal class, according to 247Sports. Sanders signed two five-star recruits, a first in the history of the program.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is shown before taking the field against Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on Sept. 23, 2023. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Throughout the spring and summer, Sanders’ methods for