Deion Sanders Deflects Speculation About Leaving Colorado for Texas A&M

First-year Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders swatted away any speculation about his interest in replacing Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M without directly saying no during Tuesday's press conference.

Sanders answered a reporter's straightforward inquiry—based on ESPN's Stephen A. Smith remarking that Sanders should be the Aggies' next coach—with a set of questions.

"Man, I want to win. I want to win a game," Sanders told reporters. "So you think I really do sit down and think about that kind of stuff? Like, what strikes me about that, about myself, that you guys really think I sit down and say, 'Oh, yeah, Stephen A., yeah.' C'mon, c'mon. I'm good. Like, we gotta win. Let's focus on this week."

Sanders and the Buffaloes' 3-0 start captured lots of attention from fans and celebrities. Some luster has worn off as the Buffaloes lost six of their last seven games, including last week's contest against Arizona.

Colorado's bowl game hopes depend on winning the next two games, starting Friday against Washington State and the season finale against Utah.

Sanders also said that parents aren't asking him about his job status with the Buffaloes, but he did use the press conference to simulate how he'd address doubts if they arose during the recruiting process.

"I tell them what I told them when they came: I'm here," Sanders said to reporters. "I tell them my mother's here, my sister's here, my dog is here, my daughter's here, three of my sons are here, my other daughter comes to darn near every home game. We're here. I get mail here. I pay taxes here. I don't hear that. Maybe our recruiting staff hears it, but I don't hear it. I'm too honest with parents. I'm going to tell them the truth."

Sanders signed a five-year deal for $29.5 million when he left HBCU Jackson State to coach at Colorado. While his salary is substantial, Texas A&M could afford to give Coach Prime a significant salary increase. Can the man who famously made a song called "Must Be The Money" turn down the bag if A&M comes calling?

That said, Prime is also right to focus on the present because it'd take a lot of work for the Aggies to sell hiring a coach during a losing streak.

"What I'm really happy about is football people who know football know what we're really doing here," Sanders said. "There's a lot of people that don't and think we're just losing. Nah, nah, nah. You gotta find a win in the midst of a loss. I love that football people understand what time it is without looking at their watches."

Colorado is a 4.5-point underdog against Washington State, according to Tuesday's odds on BetMGM Sportsbook. The over/under is 64.5. The Buffs are +160 on the money line and the Cougars are -190. A $100 wager on the Buffs would cash out $260 for a win.