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The Colorado Buffaloes were crushed 52-17 by the Arizona Wildcats, but no one felt the sting more than head coach Deion Sanders. The defeat not only cast doubt on Sanders' future in Boulder-it also jeopardized the trajectory of one of his most prized recruits, quarterback Julian Lewis.
The loss marked Colorado's second consecutive blowout. In Week 9, the Utah Utes dismantled the Buffaloes 53-7, intensifying scrutiny around Sanders and his leadership.
With a 3-6 overall record and a dismal 1-5 conference standing, Colorado sits in 14th place in the Big 12. With three games remaining, Coach Prime's best-case scenario is to finish the season at .500-though most analysts agree the campaign is already lost.
Despite recently signing a five-year, $54 million contract extension with an $8 million buyout clause, Sanders' job security is far from guaranteed.
Is the Sanders Era nearing its end?
While the Buffaloes continue to reel from their latest defeat, CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford weighed in: "I'm of the belief that Coach Prime's tenure is going to end somewhat gracefully with the Buffs."
Crawford elaborated, "Whether that's Colorado giving him an opportunity to step away after the season or perhaps negotiating a lesser buyout, if the brass in Boulder demands that he's fired, I think Deion Sanders needs to get to 2026."
He also emphasized that Sanders deserves time to recover from recent health issues and address the instability in his quarterback room-especially the situation surrounding Julian Lewis.
"We don't know if Julian Lewis is going to redshirt the rest of the season or if he could possibly transfer," Crawford said. "Deion Sanders kind of alluded to it Saturday night."
Sanders shoulders blame for Arizona debacle
The Arizona game was more than a loss-it was a meltdown. Sanders rotated through all three of his quarterbacks: freshman Lewis, Kaidon Salter, and Ryan Staub.
To make matters worse, Lewis exited the game with a hand injury, casting further doubt on his future with the program. Despite the chaos, Sanders took full responsibility.
"It's on me," he said. "Don't attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don't attack the players. Come at me."
Even more troubling, Sanders admitted he had no explanation for the blowout-deepening the crisis surrounding his leadership in Boulder.