Why West Virginia trip is most important of Deion Sanders' Colorado tenure

Saturday's road trip for the Colorado Buffaloes is shaping up to be the most important game of the Deion Sanders era in Boulder.

Not that a visit to the West Virginia Mountaineers means much in the grand scheme of bowl season. Colorado and West Virginia both enter the Big 12 matchup with a 3-6 mark and both are considered long shots to qualify for a bowl appearance. 

However, for Sanders, this game isn't about the postseason. It's about keeping his appearance as a difference-maker in Boulder as a reality.

Deion Sanders' record doesn't match his hype

For all of the pomp and circumstance that has followed Sanders into Colorado, the results arguably haven't been worthy of the spotlight. In his third season overseeing the Buffaloes, he has a 16-18 record and one bowl appearance.

Arguments can be made that CU's football program was in tatters when Sanders arrived on the scene before the 2023 campaign. However, it can also be argued that, outside of the donor and ticket revenue and television exposure drawn to Boulder over the last two-plus seasons, the Buffaloes aren't any closer to joining college football's elite than they were before Coach Prime.

Sanders is certainly feeling the heat after back-to-back blowout losses where his Buffaloes have been beaten on the road at Utah and at home by Arizona by a combined score of 105-24.

He has limited media availability for his players and coaches in the wake of the ugly losses, saying, "I have a fatherly spirit. And I have an overseer spirit. I'm trying to shield my guys from certain things that may harm them. I know the temperature of the room. I know if they can’t handle this."

We'll see on Saturday in West Virginia if they can handle the criticism and can turn the narrative around after embarrassing losses that have plenty around Colorado wondering if the Coach Prime experiment has run its course. That's a tough question to ask after CU gave Sanders a five-year, $54M contract extension this offseason, making him one of the highest-paid football coaches in the country.

Does Colorado have anything left this season?

If there's still life left in Boulder this football season, we will know on Saturday with new quarterback Julian Lewis, a five-star recruit who got his first prolonged taste of college football in mop-up duty against Arizona, getting his first start. Lewis debuts as a starter with a new play-caller (Brett Bartolone) taking over after Pat Shurmur was stripped of the duties following the Utah loss. 

It's a combination that Sanders is counting on to work in Morgantown, and it could be an uphill climb with West Virginia installed as a 6.5-point favorite on BetMGM.

The changes on offense are also something that Sanders had to do to potentially keep Lewis in Boulder longer than this season. Playing behind two other quarterbacks throughout the season, Lewis might have been heading for a redshirt season under the best circumstances. Now, under perhaps the worst, Lewis may test the transfer portal this offseason if things don't go well the rest of November.

If Lewis gives CU the best chance to win now, will Coach Prime burn the freshman's redshirt season to start him for the final three games of this season? 

Like everything else, it's a complicated question in Boulder. It's also one that needs answers if Sanders wants to prove he can turn CU into a consistent national power. The clock is ticking for Coach Prime ... and not just on the 2025 season.