There’s been a lot of talk about Deion Sanders since he took over as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023.
What there has not been much of, to the chagrin of Buffs fans, is winning football.
Colorado went 4-8 in Coach Prime’s first season, starting 3-0 with wins over the TCU Horned Frogs and Nebraska Cornhuskers before finishing the year 1-8. The Buffs are 1-1 so far in 2024, narrowly defeating an FCS opponent in North Dakota State before falling to Nebraska in Week 2, 28-10.
Optimistic fans were hoping to see Colorado contend for a spot in the College Football Playoffs, but at this point even getting to a bowl game would be a win for the Buffs – and if they are unable to do that, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum thinks the two sides could be heading for a split.
“This thing feels like it’s heading for a disintegration,” Finebaum said Wednesday on Get Up ESPN. “I wouldn’t call it a divorce because frankly they need him more than he needs them, but at some point I think Deion Sanders is going to say, ‘I gotta get out of here and go someplace else.'”
The same issues that plagued the team last year – no protection up front, lack of playmakers defensively, off the field distractions – have not gone away in the early part of the 2024 season.
Colorado’s remaining schedule is not conducive to getting the five more wins necessary to make a bowl game. After a road tilt against in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday, the Buffs host Baylor to start Big 12 play.
Four of their final eight games are against ranked opponents, while three of the other four games are on the road.
If Colorado is unable to improve on last year’s 4-8 record, coach Prime could look for a new opportunity and leave the Buffs scrambling to pick up the pieces in Boulder.