Coach Deion Sanders once vowed he was coming to change the Colorado Buffaloes football culture.
Four seasons in, and some fans are growing restless in the Coach Prime era. Especially now amid the Buffaloes' five-game losing streak that features the 57-24 meltdown against Oklahoma State on Oct. 24.
Fans hoped to see way different results compared to Sanders' predecessor, coach Karl Dorrell. But this troubling 20-game stat surfaced following the Cowboys loss.
Coach Deion Sanders Following Similar Path
Colorado matched the tailend of the Dorrell era here.
As mentioned by On3/Rivals Colorado insider Brian Howell, the Buffaloes' last 20 games under Sanders now mirrors the final 20 of the Dorrell era.
Colorado went 5-15 overall in the last 20 contests under the former UCLA coach. All before Dorrell officially got fired after the 2022 season. And in that span, Dorrell's Buffaloes teams sustained four losses by 30-plus points. Among those contests were the 41-10 rout at the hands of Air Force on Sept. 10, 2022, then getting routed by Minnesota 49-7 the following week. Dorrell eventually got replaced in the last seven games by Mike Sanford.
But as for Sanders' Colorado teams? Those Buffalo squads also have endured four losses by 30 or more points. And not just limited to the debacle in Stillwater.
Colorado took a 34-point loss earlier in the 2026 season against Northwestern, losing 41-7. The 2025 season witnessed two more embarrassing losses against Utah (53-7 on Oct. 25) and Arizona (52-17 on Nov. 1). So the Oklahoma State result became the fourth such 30+ point loss.
Same Inconsistency Plaguing Colorado
Dorrell's final Colorado teams became marred with inconsistent quarterback play, lack of dynamic playmakers on offense, and a defense that surrendered too many points.
This version of the Buffaloes has witnessed some familiar, unsettling trends on the field. Starting with the play behind center.
Colorado has yet to find a true, consistent starter after shuffling through quarterback Julian Lewis and Isaac Wilson. The latter has taken over the quarterback reins in the last three games. Yet Wilson is 0-3 overall as a starter and is plagued by bad ball security.
Wilson has thrown more interceptions at seven versus touchdowns with six. He also coughed up a costly fumble during the start of the third quarter of the Oklahoma State game, which later saw the night snowball from there. Lewis, however, hadn't established consistency in moving the ball down the field either and also had his share of turnovers.
Other Major Colorado Issues Surfacing
Colorado's struggles aren't just limited to underachieving quarterback play, though.
The running game hasn't looked consistent since the 2-0 start, including backs losing the football too (evident in the Northwestern game). The offensive line has shown protection breakdowns as well in allowing six sacks of Wilson and eight of Lewis (CU has allowed 15 sacks total across seven games).
It additionally doesn't help Colorado that there's depth issues at key spots. While wide receiver Joseph Williams is putting together a fine season, he hasn't had much help outside of DeAndre Moore. Defensive lineman Santana Hopper is carrying the trenches too, despite operating in a thin interior line room. Constant penalites also have marred the Buffaloes.
Colorado now owns a three percent chance to win finish 6-6 per ESPN FPI (Football Power Index).
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