Deion Sanders didn’t try to dress it up. Colorado’s latest skid hurts, and he knows it.
With the Buffs sitting at 2-5 overall and dead last in the Big 12 at 0-4, the pressure is building fast around a program that has lost five straight. Colorado hosts Kansas State on Saturday, and while the Wildcats arrive with their own quarterback issues, the Buffs are trying to stop the slide after a 57-24 loss at No. 24 Oklahoma State.
That defeat stood out for the wrong reasons, especially on defense. Two weeks earlier, Colorado had at least shown some fight in a 27-24 home loss to then-No.
11 Utah, but last week’s performance was a major step backward. Backup Isaac Wilson is expected to start again at quarterback for Colorado after Julian Lewis suffered a “medical emergency” midweek.
Wilson has been the starter for the last three games after Sanders benched Lewis following a 23-13 loss at Baylor.
Kansas State’s situation has also shifted the board a bit. The absence of Avery Johnson and backup Jacob Knuth helped move Colorado to a 1.5-point favorite heading into the weekend.
On Monday, Eli Whitney of the Boulder Daily Camera asked Sanders how he’s dealing with this losing streak compared with the ones Colorado has already gone through in 2023 and 2025.
“Pain is pain,” Sanders said. “I hate losing because I don’t consider myself one.
We have different young men on this team, and I think a lot of those guys are winners. We just haven’t gotten it together to do what the expectation is to do, which is not good.
We’ve gotta fix that; I’ve gotta fix that… It’s the same hard feeling. It’s tough, it really is tough.”
The numbers around Sanders’ tenure are getting harder to ignore. He is 5-15 over Colorado’s last 20 games, and four of those losses have come by 30 points or more. He is under a $54 million contract with the Buffs through 2029.
What happens next is murky. It’s unclear whether Colorado would even consider moving on from Sanders during the season, and doing that would create its own problems inside the program given the expectations that came with his arrival. The more likely point for a real evaluation comes after the season, when the school can decide whether to keep Sanders in place or look elsewhere.
That could mean a hard look at the future of the staff, including offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brennan Marion. A sixth straight loss Saturday would only intensify those questions.
In Other News...
Kansas State Now Faces A Big 12 Future Without Brett Yormark
Brett Yormarks decision to step away after helping steer the Big 12 through a dramatic stretch leaves Kansas State looking at a conference future shaped by someone elses hand. Since taking over in August 2022, Yormark has been a central figure in the leagues rapid changes, from finalizing major media rights deals to helping expand the conference to 16 teams, while also locking in tournament extensions and sponsorships that gave the Big 12 more stability and reach.
For Kansas State, the timing matters as much as the news itself. Yormark will remain in place through January 2027, which means the Wildcats will still see him around as the league keeps moving through this transformed era, but the bigger question is what comes next once that chapter closes. Big 12 leadership praised his work and leadership during a period of major growth, and now the conference has to figure out how to carry that momentum forward without the commissioner who helped define it. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Heads To Colorado With A Quarterback Problem Fans Feared
Kansas State heads into its October 31 trip to Colorado with the kind of quarterback uncertainty no team wants this late in the season. Injuries have clouded the position for the Wildcats, leaving the offense in a fragile spot at a time when every possession matters, especially with another Big 12 test looming on the road.
Colorado has dealt with quarterback changes of its own and still brings plenty of questions into the matchup, even if the Buffaloes showed some fight in a close loss to Utah. Both teams have had issues with turnovers and inconsistency on offense, which only adds to the sense that this one could hinge on which side handles the chaos better. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Is Sending An Early Recruiting Message For Kansas State
Kansas State is already planting seeds for the future, and early recruiting coordinator Collin Klein is making sure the Wildcats are in the conversation with some of the youngest prospects in the pipeline. The latest round of offers has stretched into the 2028 class and beyond, including linebacker Ak Mekaowulu out of McKinney Boyd High School in Texas, along with a growing list of players at multiple positions as the staff keeps casting a wide net.
For Kansas State, these early offers are as much about relationships as they are about evaluation. The Wildcats have been active with players such as Israel Johnigan, Ashton Tayler and Jayden Stephens, signaling that Klein and the staff are working well ahead of the usual recruiting calendar to establish trust with future classes. It is still very early, but the message is clear enough for anyone watching how Kansas State wants to build its next wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]