Father-and-son stories are great for nostalgia, and even though we want to make a college football game bigger than it is by talking about the sons of two NFL Hall of Famers competing against each other, Deion Sanders has other things on his mind.

Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes are hosting No. 8 USC on Saturday. He has two sons playing for Colorado, safety Shilo and quarterback Shedeur. His former teammate and on-field rival, Jerry Rice, has his son, Brenden, a former Colorado wide receiver who transferred to USC after the 2021 season — before Sanders arrived in Boulder.

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Deion and the Buffaloes have been the center of attention for college football since beating TCU in their season opener. But having the sons of two iconic football players on the same field Saturday immediately grabs the attention of those who love the back-in-the-day stories. It helps bring back all we remember about how two NFL GOATs competed in one-on-one matchups. The classic stroll down memory lane.

But Sanders isn’t worried about that this week. And honestly, in a game where college players are trying to make a name for themselves, we shouldn’t be, either.

But we are. Because we love to remember when. That’s how nostalgia works.

Sanders didn’t want to make the sons or his legendary NFL battles against Rice in the 1990s a storyline, as we found out during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. He is in coach mode. Everything else is secondary at this point.

“I don’t give a darn about that. I care about all my kids that have on a Colorado Buffalo uniform,” he said. “That’s what I care about.”

Of course, that’s the right thing to say. Now is not the time for him to reminisce over those days of playing cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys where he lined up in single coverage many times against Rice as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. (And can you imagine the practice sessions when they were teammates in San Francisco?)

Leave all of that to us. Those were great times.

Sanders is considered by many to be the greatest cover cornerback in NFL history, and Rice is generally considered the greatest wide receiver. It was a treat then, and yes, it’s still fun to relive their stories now that their children are college athletes.

Rice-Sanders duels were must-see TV for much of the 1990s. Sanders joined the Falcons in 1989 as the No. 5 pick in the draft. By then, Rice was already established as one of the best players in the league, having already won a Super Bowl and on his way to a second in the 1989 season.

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Being division rivals meant they got to know each other well.

The 49ers ruled the NFC West, and the Falcons were perennial losers, save for a 10-6 season in 1991, during Sanders’ time. The losses, however, didn’t dull Prime’s shine as he made it tough on Rice on the field.

“Ali needed Frazier and I needed Jerry Rice”@DeionSanders vs @JerryRice was must see TV every time. And turns out the best matchups were the ones we didn’t see.

The next chapter begins Saturday: Shilo Sanders + Brenden Rice when Colorado takes on USC.

— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) September 28, 2023

The rivals became teammates in San Francisco in 1994, and that season, Sanders won NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX convincingly over the San Diego Chargers.

Sanders then left San Francisco for Dallas the following season, making him and Rice foes again. Sanders’ joining one of San Francisco’s biggest rivals only added more attention to their matchups. Sanders and the Cowboys went on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

In a football sense, Saturday’s game won’t come close to resembling the multiple times the Hall of Fame fathers faced off. Shedeur runs Colorado’s offense, so he and Brenden will do their respective parts to see which team can score the most points. Assuming Shilo plays Saturday — he is viewed as questionable after Deion reportedly announced Thursday on the Buffaloes’ weekly radio show that he is dealing with a kidney issue — he, as a safety, won’t have many opportunities to line up directly on Brenden. Shilo doesn’t have the shadowing responsibilities of a cover corner like his father.

Brenden has 12 catches for 257 yards and a career-high five touchdowns for USC. He’ll definitely have the attention of a Colorado defense looking for better results after a 42-6 loss to Oregon last week. USC beat Arizona State, 42-28, last week, and USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy front-runner Caleb Williams carried the Trojans to the win. Rice caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

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USC gives Deion and his staff plenty to worry about. To him, why focus on history when the present is so much more concerning to his program? Family pleasantries can wait until the final whistle.

“I care about Mr. Williams, Caleb Williams, and that whole host of young men that’s coming,” he said.

The elder Sanders has been the talk of college football after leaving Jackson State for Colorado and leading the Buffaloes to a 3-0 start after a 1-11 campaign in 2022. Part of the story has been Sanders’ ability to balance being a parent and being a coach. He’s always recognized the importance of fatherhood.

But on Saturday, many of us will be about Rice vs. Sanders — both generations. Not just for the past memories, but also for what we might see on the field.

(Top photos of Shilo Sanders and Brenden Rice: Tom Hauck / Getty Images, and Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)