Deion Sanders tells Colorado players to bask in new spotlight - ESPN

BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders wants his players reading all those stories about how good they are. He wants them soaking up every bit of the spotlight, too.

The Colorado coach isn't one to keep his players grounded. He prefers them flying high, which they are after upsetting heavily favored TCU last weekend and jumping into the AP Top 25 poll at No. 22.

The unconventional Sanders is proving to be a master motivator. He is all about not running from publicity, good or bad, but basking in it and taking «receipts» — his term for those who don't believe — if necessary.

«They [players] have seen that, 'Hey, man, all we have to do is win. You see all the attention that we're getting?' That has registered now,» Sanders said Tuesday as he prepares for his home debut at Colorado this weekend against Nebraska. «These young men, they know now that if we just ball out, we're going to get the love that we desire. And that's all they want. They want attention, focus, a little love and light. Ain't nothing wrong with that as long as they use it in the right way.»

Sanders has the Buffaloes smack dab in the center of the college football universe this week courtesy a 45-42 win at then-No. 17 TCU. Really, though, they were already there when he made waves by overhauling his roster — nearly 90 new players — and ruffling some feathers around the nation.

His revamped roster has certainly bought in. So, too, have some big names around the sports world, with the likes of Magic Johnson, Patrick Mahomes II and J.J. Watt taking notice on social media.

And so, too, have the oddsmakers, who adjusted the line on Colorado's win total from 3 1/2 at the beginning of the season, according, to 5 1/2 — a half-win shy from bowl eligibility.

The early