Colorado’s latest loss gave Paul Finebaum exactly the kind of image he thinks says everything about where Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes stand right now.
It came on a play that summed up the mess in Saturday’s 29-7 defeat to Texas Tech: quarterback Isaac Wilson, throwing from his own end zone, got picked off by linebacker John Curry for a touchdown. Colorado had already been dealing with an offense that keeps sputtering, and that mistake turned another rough night into the defining moment of a third straight loss.
“When the last image of a program’s last breath is your quarterback in his own end zone throwing a pick-six, it’s over,” Finebaum said on Saturday’s edition of The Matt Barrie show.
The numbers behind the slump are hard to ignore. Colorado is 2-3 and has scored 27 points across losses to Northwestern, Baylor and Texas Tech. Even switching quarterbacks from Julian Lewis to Wilson has not fixed the scoring problem.
Finebaum also circled back to his old skepticism about Sanders taking the Colorado job.
“But I never liked the move to Colorado. It just felt too far away from his core base. It just didn’t feel right,” he said.
“And I was completely wrong for a while because they bought into it.”
That last part matters because Colorado’s 2024 season changed the conversation for a while. The Buffaloes won nine games last year, which made the early doubt look off-base. Now the question is whether Sanders can build anything like that again after Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter moved on to the NFL.
Matt Barrie offered his own view of Sanders, saying he first met him in Atlanta while getting ready to call Colorado’s opener against Georgia Tech.
“He puts the players first. He lets them be them. He lets them market themselves,” Barrie said.
“But he’s also old school, Paul. He’s one of those guys that demands hard work.”
Barrie said Sanders is not the type to quit, but he also raised the idea of an “amicable divorce” down the line. Finebaum went even further, predicting an ending that could come “either gracefully or spectacularly badly.” Neither man said Colorado has made any move to change coaches, and both were talking about concerns, not any reported decision.
There is also the contract reality. Colorado extended Sanders through 2029 in March 2025.
On the field, the issue is simple: the Buffaloes moved the ball against Texas Tech, outgaining the Red Raiders 375-315, but they gave it away four times, including three interceptions from Wilson. That kind of imbalance leaves a defense with no margin for error.
“We’ve been horrible,” Sanders said after the game.
Colorado still needs four wins in its final seven games to reach six, starting with Utah. Finebaum thinks Sanders will be weighing his next move. For Colorado, the more immediate concern is the next snap.
In Other News...
Miami Fans Have Several Bye Week Games That Suddenly Matter
Miamis Week 6 off date gives the Hurricanes a little breathing room, but it also turns the schedule into a scoreboard-watching exercise. With the ACC still sorting itself out and the national picture taking shape, a handful of games suddenly carry more weight for Miami fans than they might have a month ago, especially when they involve familiar league rivals and teams with playoff ambitions.
Florida State at Louisville and North Carolina at Pittsburgh are among the ACC matchups worth tracking, while Stanfords trip to Notre Dame adds another layer to the conference race and the broader postseason conversation. Beyond that, games like Indiana at Nebraska, UCLA at Oregon and Georgia at Alabama could matter indirectly for Miamis standing and for how the College Football Playoff debate unfolds, which is part of the fun of an open week when a teams path can shift as much on the field as it does from afar. [Read more 🡒]
JJ Dunnigan Just Forced A Bigger Miami Secondary Decision
JJ Dunnigans showing at Clemson gave Miami another reminder that its secondary picture is still very much in motion. Even with questions about his health hanging over him, he came away with a notable interception and flashed the kind of speed that makes coaches look for ways to get him on the field. On the latest discussion from David Lake and DMoney, Dunnigans athleticism kept coming up as the sort of trait that can change a defensive back rotation in a hurry.
The bigger question now is how Miami sorts out the rest of that group, especially with Omar Thornton, Zechariah Poyser and Bryce Fitzgerald all part of the conversation about fit and role. Dunnigans case for nickelback has only grown stronger because of the way he showed up in a high-profile road game, and the staff will have to weigh his impact against everyone else in a secondary that still seems to be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Freshman May Have Changed A Key Offensive Line Battle
The left guard spot had been one of the quieter but more important questions for Miami heading into the Clemson game, and freshman Ben Congdon may have helped answer it. Congdon got the start and stayed on the field for 61 of 66 snaps, giving the Hurricanes a steady presence on the interior while the offense leaned on the ground game and found success running the ball.
Pro Football Focus gave Congdon a 54.7 pass-blocking grade and a 71.3 run-blocking grade, a decent snapshot of a young lineman who looked ready for a bigger role. Mario Cristobal praised both Congdons performance and his attitude after the game, which only adds to the sense that Miami may have found a real contender in a battle that was very much still open. [Read more 🡒]