- NCAA. Deion Sanders goes too far and prompts more backlash amid Colorado's sputtering start
- NCAA. Deion Sanders risks his reputation and reveals Colorado's biggest problem amid slow start
It is safe to say that the Colorado Buffaloes are not handling their slow start to 2024 all that well. After a slim five-point win over North Dakota State to begin the new season, Colorado went to Nebraska and lost heavily, 28-10, in a game that showcased the Buffs' weaknesses for a national audience.
Head coach Deion Sanders might be starting to feel the heat. He has barred a local columnist from asking him questions in press conferences, and the national sports media is starting to fall out of love with Coach Prime's methods. Meanwhile, one of Prime's "enemies" on TV is fanning the flames amid Colorado's tough start to 2024.
Paul Finebaum predicts ugly divorce between Deion and Colorado
ESPN's longitme college football analyst Paul Finebaum drew Sanders' ire this summer by calling Colorado an "irrelevant" program, and the criticism has continued since the Nebraska loss on Saturday. Finebaum on Wednesday cast a grim prediction for the Colorado coach's future, saying that it feels as if Coach Prime's rebuild is "heading for a disintegration."
"At some point, I feel like Deion Sanders is going to say, 'I gotta get out of here,'" Finebaum said on "Get Up."
Sanders is in the second year of a five-year contract to coach Colorado. The deal pays him nearly $30 million total and can be renegotiated after 2025. That timing is critical, as Deion's son Shedeur and his best all-around player Travis Hunter will make the leap to the NFL in 2025 -- leaving Coach Prime without two foundational players.
It remains to be seen whether the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee can turn things around after nine losses in his first 14 games as Colorado's coach. But Sanders' NFL career showed he can succeed under immense pressure -- and Saturday's matchup with Colorado State gives him a chance to right the ship entering Big 12 Conference play.