'The Prime Effect has died down': Why Deion Sanders' hot seat isn't cooling down anytime soon (Part 1)

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series entitled "Deion Sanders' hot seat isn't cooling down anytime soon"

When the Colorado Buffaloes come off of the bye week to face No. 12 Utah, there will be a milestone that explains perfectly what's going on in Boulder.

The last time Deion Sanders' team defeated a Big 12 Conference opponent was over a year ago. The Buffs took down then No. 22 Iowa State on October 11th of last year. Since then, Colorado has lost seven straight in Big 12 play. After getting beaten by Texas Tech last Saturday, Sanders told reporters to write the truth about Colorado football.

This is really the finale for Coach Prime. Colorado is struggling to win games under Sanders and the problems keep stacking up year after year. Last year, there was a quarterback controversy with all three signal callers getting involved at some point during the season. Now, Colorado’s opening game starter is on the bench. Utah transfer Isaac Wilson took his place, but it didn't look that good against Baylor's defense.

Coach Prime also told reporters Colorado's problems boiled down to one singular position. Everybody has safely assumed he's talking about the QB room. At this point, what should Sanders and his staff do? There's no going back to Lewis, who has reportedly checked out, according to sources. It's an unfortunate situation for the former five-star, who missed his window to transfer elsewhere.

"I'd love for Julian Lewis to come here and tell you what happened. I didn’t bench him. It didn't happen like that. Julian Lewis didn't play, so I won't go there," Sanders told reporters. "I'm not going to say nothing derogatory about the kid."

To say the Prime Effect has died down is an understatement. The hype years of 2023 and 2024 were the height of the program. You can't sugarcoat this any longer. This is not a rut and the spotlight on the program isn't coming back. Trying to rebuild the culture over and over again with a roster full of transfers hasn't worked for Colorado.

Last week, Sanders made the decision to dismiss three players from the program for reportedly laughing after the loss to Northwestern. Sanders went from that to throwing his quarterback room under the bus. Not to mention, the teams' play call sheet, including the first 16 scripted plays, somehow got left at the team hotel in a bar area before the Texas Tech game. Everything seems fine in Boulder.

Check out part two of the series.

Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial: Day 1 from inside the courtroom

Colorado football reportedly spending $20 million for 2026 roster

Tempers flare in Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial: Day 2 

John Darjean takes the stand in Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy trial: Day 3