Many eyes will be on Boulder, Colorado on Thursday night, and that’s exactly how Travis Hunter wants it.

After being the talk of the town in the off-season last year, Deion Sanders led his Colorado Buffaloes to a wild 3-0 start before a disappointing finish, losing eight of their last nine games.

But Coach Prime is still on the sidelines. His son, a likely early pick in the NFL Draft, is the quarterback and Hunter is a two-way superstar.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Colorado’s Travis Hunter plays pass coverage against Arizona at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Sanders deserves credit for taking a team that went 1-11 in 2022 and winning three games last year. And he deserves credit for putting the Buffaloes back on the college football map. But for Hunter, it’s not about “hype” anymore.

“It’s not hype anymore, it’s just expectations. We know we’ve got to go out there and win,” Hunter told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “We know we’ve got to put in the work. This offseason, that’s all we’ve been focused on — putting in the work, getting stronger, gaining weight, getting better lines, getting better guys so we know we can go out there and be comfortable competing.”

College football fans will get a glimpse into all the offseason work the Buffaloes have been putting in on Thursday when they host North Dakota State. And just like last year, Colorado’s games will be watched everywhere.

Is that extra pressure? Sure. But Hunter doesn’t mind.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter vs. Arizona at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. (Jamie Schwaberow/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

TRAVIS HUNTER EXPLAINS WHY PLAYERS ‘CAN’T HANDLE’ PLAYING FOR COLORADO’S DEION SANDERS

“We know there’s a lot of eyes on us. But we’re just going to go out there and work. We know we’re going to be seen, so we’re just going to go out there and work and try to be the best we can be for each other,” Hunter said.

“I shine brighter when the lights are on. There’s never anything wrong with people looking at me. I just go out and work.”

The Buffaloes entered their first game last season as 22.5-point underdogs to TCU, which had just won a national championship game. Colorado won the game and rose to No. 18 in the country.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter on the field against Arizona at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, Nov. 11, 2023. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But the ending left a bad taste in the mouth, and Hunter knows how they can do better.

“We’ve got to win more. We’ve got to win the clutch games where we lost by seven or less,” he said. “We’re there. We just have to finish those games right away. Our record could have been changed so easily.”

Kickoff is on Thursday at 8:00 PM (ET).

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.