Colorado’s latest problem isn’t limited to the scoreboard.
After the Buffaloes’ 41-7 loss at Northwestern, the confusion around three player dismissals spilled into the open, and Colorado’s official messaging only made it messier. The issue isn’t academics - that has been one of the brighter spots in the Coach Prime era, with CU repeatedly announcing record-setting GPAs. Most recently, the school said the department posted back-to-back semester GPA records, and the football team turned in its best spring GPA at 3.004.
This time, the questions are about communication.
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Deion Sanders said three players were no longer with the Buffaloes, but he did not name them. When BuffBlitz publisher Brian Howell asked CU’s communications staff about it, the response was, “Officially, any potential roster changes have not been finalized. An updated roster will be released later in the week.”
That answer did not line up neatly with what was visible elsewhere. Saturday’s Baylor press-box roster, according to BuffStampede’s Leo Rivera IV, showed no cuts. A manual comparison of earlier printed rosters with Colorado’s online roster information also turned up no recent differences that would identify the three players.
Earlier in the week, Uncle Neely said on his podcast with Chico Cleveland that he and Chico knew which players were involved. He later confirmed all three played defense.
When Sanders was pressed again during his postgame news conference at Baylor on Saturday, he still would not identify them. He also took issue with the question itself.
“ Who wasn’t here today? ” Sanders said. He asked whether reporters were asking other schools about players who had left their teams, then added, “I don’t call any names, and I’m not going to [throw] any team or school up under the bus.”
Sanders also wondered aloud whether reporters had used a search firm to figure out the names. He said dismissing players for conduct detrimental to the team had happened “every year.” But he never addressed why CU had told Howell the roster changes were still being finalized, or why the Baylor press-box roster showed no obvious removals.
It’s possible Sanders was reacting to wider social-media chatter, not just the question in front of him. What isn’t in doubt is that reporters asked him directly, and he refused to give the names.
The whole episode also raises a bigger question about who inside Colorado was actually in the loop. Tim Brando recently talked about how the role of college sports information directors has changed, saying they now have to go through operations staff to reach head coaches and describing a setup where communications people can have less influence and less direct access to decision-makers.
That doesn’t prove what happened at Colorado. But it does leave an awkward possibility: CU’s communications staff may not have known which players Sanders had dismissed when it said the changes were not finalized, or the football operation may have left them out of the conversation entirely.
If the staff knew the dismissals were final, then the university’s statement and the unchanged press-box roster both need explaining. If it didn’t know, then Colorado’s communications team was operating without full information on a major move from its own head coach.
And that leads to the question that lingers over all of it: does Uncle Neely have better access to personnel information than Colorado’s Athletic Communications Department? Right now, it certainly looks that way.
In Other News...
Colorado Just Turned Baylor's QB Problem Into A Bigger Big 12 Story
Julian Lewis spent part of the Baylor game on the sideline after Colorado went to Isaac Wilson at quarterback, a move that instantly turned the Buffs most watched position into the biggest question hanging over the week. Wilson finished 12-of-25 for 156 yards and a touchdown, while Deion Sanders made clear afterward that Lewis is still very much in the mix and that the room has stayed supportive through the change.
Now Colorado is heading toward a bigger decision before Texas Tech, with Wilson, Lewis and Kaneal Sweetwyne all still in play. For a team trying to find its best offensive rhythm in the Big 12, the quarterback conversation is no longer just about one game or one player. It has become the kind of week-to-week choice that can shape how the rest of the season looks. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Is Facing A Colorado Conversation Fans Never Expected
Colorados early-season stumble has put Deion Sanders in the same uneasy conversation usually reserved for coaches on the hottest seats. The scrutiny around the Buffaloes is only growing after a rough stretch, and the broader picture around college football makes the moment feel even sharper, with other high-profile coaches such as Mike Locksley, Greg Schiano and Lincoln Riley also drawing increased pressure as losses pile up and tougher games loom.
For Sanders, the disappointment is not just about one result but about how quickly expectations can shift when momentum disappears. Colorado still has games ahead that will test whether the program can steady itself, and for a fan base that never expected this kind of discussion so soon, the bigger question is whether the season can be steered back before the noise around the job gets any louder. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Fans Face A Tougher Price To See Texas Tech
The next big home date at Folsom Field is also turning into one of the pricier ones for Colorado fans. When Texas Tech comes to Boulder for a Big 12 matchup, the secondary market is already showing tickets starting around $100, while official prices run from $100 to $303, a reflection of how much attention this game is drawing well before kickoff.
A ranked opponent tends to do that, and Texas Techs No. 11 status is a big part of the equation. Add in the games tie-in to Colorados Homecoming and Stripe Out events, and this one carries a little extra buzz for a late-season home crowd, even if the cost of getting in makes the walk up the hill a tougher sell. [Read more 🡒]