Colorado's three-game losing streak has brought Deion Sanders into the hot-seat conversation, with the Buffaloes entering their bye at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12. Saturday's 29-7 loss to Texas Tech intensified scrutiny of a program still struggling to build on the successful anomaly of the 2024 season.
Colorado has not even hinted at a coaching change or publicly declared Sanders' job in jeopardy, but fans are pressuring Coach Prime for three reasons this week.
An expensive buyout
Sanders is 18-24 in four seasons at Colorado, a record that draws greater scrutiny under a contract paying about $10 million annually. Following a 9-4 season in 2024, Colorado finished 3-9 in 2025 and now needs a substantial turnaround to regain postseason momentum.
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estimates that firing Sanders after this season would cost roughly $26 million, making any dismissal expensive and not guaranteeing better results for the Buffaloes.
Deion Sanders wasn’t interested in sugarcoating Colorado’s recent offensive struggles. pic.twitter.com/tMEAbzYV4R
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 4, 2026
The offense lacks dependable answers
Colorado scored 34 combined points against Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Texas Tech this season, leaving Brennan Marion's offense facing questions about its direction. Replacing Julian Lewis with Isaac Wilson against Texas Tech resulted in three Wilson interceptions and another week of quarterback uncertainty.
Sanders oversees coordinator hires and quarterback development, putting the onus on his staff to build an offense that can sustain drives and score points. Chris Marve's defense has recorded 43 tackles for loss, tied for third nationally, making the lack of offensive support increasingly costly.
Discipline is raising leadership questions
A reported lost-playbook incident and recurring on-field mistakes have invited scrutiny towards Coach Prime's preparation and staff accountability. Colorado also confirmed the dismissals of Jah Jah Boyd, Justin Eaglin and Paul Omodia following the Northwestern loss.
The player dismissals are a major step in Coach Prime's attempt to change things, but the accumulation of disciplinary concerns and organizational failures is putting his leadership under scrutiny. His program will need visible improvement in execution and accountability to quiet that criticism.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Three reasons Deion Sanders faces hot-seat pressure
