To further prove your point: TCU beating CU on opening weekend will get them as much, if not more credit, than winning at Houston in Week 3.
As "bad" as people view CU (especially on CB), it's still considered a P5 program with a good history (even if the glory days were 20 years ago and beyond); a P5 program that still has the local/financial backing to pay Deion and drop a ton of NIL money in the portal.