I have no doubt that during his legendary NFL career, Deion Sanders enjoyed playing against John Elway more than Bubby Brister, Joe Montana more than Stan Humphries, Dan Marino more than Erik Kramer.

Game recognizes game, right? And iron sharpens iron?

You think he was excited to line up against a 4th-string rookie out of UTEP? He wanted Hall of Famers lined up across that field, each and every week.

It was no surprise, then, to have heard the brash and bravado coming out of Coach Prime the previous 2 weeks, with his team playing the cream of the Pac-12 crop in back-to-back weeks after a 3-0 start. USC? Oregon? Chump change.

You think Deion freakin’ Sanders is going to back down against a challenge? You must never have met Deion Sanders.

The man was built for moments like this, with all the world a stage, leaning in after every word.

Problem is, his team was not.

This was a 1-11 mess turned into a complete novelty, a collection of talent thrust into the same locker room in a way that has never been done.

So, whether he likes it or not, his Buffaloes should not be judged by the past 2 weeks but by the next 2.

*****

As much as Optimist Prime wants to hang with the Ducks and Trojans, Realist Prime knows that this year can’t be judged by how his burgeoning Buffaloes played against a pair of top-10 opponents.

USC and Oregon aren’t just leagues ahead of Colorado on the football field and in the talent department. The entire organizations have been better run and better financed for decades.

You don’t just take a team program that ranked among the worst in Power 5 football for 2 decades, infuse some resources into it and snap your fingers. College football does not work that way.

Truth be told, what Prime has already accomplished in Boulder is downright unfathomable. Beating TCU to open the season was transcendent. Following up with a win over Nebraska was cathartic. Topping that off with a comeback win against your in-state rivals in double-overtime was euphoric.

And losing at Autzen the following week to an Oregon team that now ranks 8th nationally is and should have been totally expected.

The final margin, 42-6? Maybe not so much. But it’s clear Colorado offensive linemen could barely hear themselves think against unquestionably the top home-field advantage in the Pac-12. You try drop stepping when it sounds like you’re inside a vacuum cleaner.

But after folding like hot sheets out of the dryer in Week 4 at Autzen Stadium — which, to be fair, could make even the toughest of competition wilt just a bit — the Buffaloes rallied to make Saturday‘s 48-41 loss to USC competitive. After falling behind 34-7, Colorado cooled down, settled its nerves and went on a 34-14 run to end the game against a top-10 Trojans squad and the reigning Heisman winner and favorite for a second straight, Caleb Williams.

And that’s largely without Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders, arguably Colorado’s 2 best defensive players (and maybe it’s best offensive player in Hunter, the 2-way sensation).

“They played their hearts out,” Prime said in his postgame press conference. “I addressed the team and told them I love each of them, coaches included, because they were resilient. They did not give up and they had multiple, multiple opportunities to give up. They fought to the end.”

They’re not there yet, that is clear.

But they can start to get there the next 2 weeks.

*****

If anything, judge the Buffaloes on their resiliency. After falling behind Oregon, 35-0 in the first half, Colorado basically played the Ducks for a draw in the second, with one score each, and a week later, the the Buffs completely dominated USC’s defense in the second half.

That alone is a win.

Well, a certain kind of win.

Now they need some real wins again.

And there are no 2 better places to find them than against Arizona State and Stanford, 2 other teams undergoing regime changes, though with nowhere near the success, speed or efficiency as the Buffaloes.

Win both, and Colorado has the chance to pull off the amazing and inch toward bowl eligibility in Year 1.

In Tempe, Kenny Dillingham pulled a mini-Prime and turned to the transfer portal en masse, to much lesser results and much, much less fanfare. The Sun Devils, who welcome the Buffaloes on Saturday, are 1-4 and coming off a 24-21 loss at Cal.

In Palo Alto, Troy Taylor has taken a more traditional, methodical approach to roster construction — whether by choice or academic limitations. The Cardinal are 1-3 and coming off a surprisingly close 21-20 home loss to Arizona, and they travel to Colorado in Week 7, the same week Washington and Oregon square off in Seattle.

That game represents the gold standard, 2 terrific teams, 2 terrific programs.

The exact club Optimist Prime wants to join.

The exact place Realist Prime needs to earn the right to join, starting these next 2 weeks.

“The team I imagined would have played 4 solid quarters,” he said after the USC game. “Being really physical, tough, definitive. Just make our mark and leave an impression. Not only on the opposing team, but the coaching staff, as well as our fan base. That’s what we want to do. I challenged them all week on what our identity is. I don’t know who we are from week to week. From practice to practice I do know, but we got to translate that into the games. So we’re still searching for our true identity.”