BOULDER — Any time you lose by 46 points, you evaluate everything.

That’s what Deion Sanders has been doing this week after his Colorado team suffered its biggest defeat of his tenure.

“You check everything in the house,” Sanders said. “You start off with yourself, to make sure you’re putting in the time and the necessary efforts that you need to, and the knowledge of the game that you can extend to the staff, as well as the players. 

“Now, you go down and you check all the coaches to make sure what’s being taught is the right thing, it’s the right way and they’re checking the efforts of the young men and we’re watching enough film to make sure we’re doing the right thing, we’re calling the right thing and we’re putting them in the proper situation. 

“Then, you go down and check the young men and make sure they’re doing their jobs and that they want this. Did we choose the right men? Do we have the right collection of young men in the locker room?”

Bingo.

If Coach Prime is looking for one singular answer to why his Buffaloes are 3-5 overall and 1-4 in Big 12 play heading into this Saturday’s matchup (5 p.m. FS1) against Arizona, that last part of his telling quote this week is the part to examine.

Now in year three of Sanders’ tenure, CU is 16-17 since he took over. The Buffs are on their way to a second losing season in the Coach Prime era. Over half of those 16 wins came in 2024.

What was different about last year? Well, you can’t even say Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders because both of them were healthy for the majority of the four-win season in 2023. 

It was the pieces around them that were better. 

This year, it’s not just the lack of star power at the top of the CU roster, but the supplementary pieces aren’t close to the level that they were last fall.

Half the starting lineup — 11 spots combined between the offense and defense — has been filled for the majority of this season by transfers. Outside of a couple of offensive linemen and one defender in safety Tawfiq Byard, the newcomers have been underwhelming.

There’s no bigger position to miss on in the transfer portal than quarterback, and it just feels like the Buffs haven’t hit with veteran Kaidon Salter, who won a lot of games at Liberty but just hasn’t been able to find any consistency at CU.

Among 14 qualified quarterbacks in the Big 12, Salter ranks dead last in passing yards per game. He’s second last in passing efficiency with the second fewest touchdowns and the fourth most interceptions.

Instead of immediately handing over the reins to five-star freshman Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis, the Buffs opted to bring in Salter, and it just hasn’t worked out.

“Everyone wants the quick fix,” Sanders said. “I understand that. I don’t have patience because I want things done right now, because I’m used to putting in the work, and you want the results from the work you put in. It don’t oftentimes work like that.”

What Sanders has also learned about this latest transfer class is that it’s not just about talent. The perfect mix in the locker room is quality players that also love the game — something last year’s team had. But beyond the love of the game, Sanders feels there’s no excuse for college athletes to not give it their all anymore, something that has become an issue with this year’s team.

“Last time I checked, we’re getting a check to do this,” Coach Prime said. “Let’s give it your absolute all. Make it your hobby. Make it personal. Make it have some feeling in it that you want to be successful. I’ve never done nothing in my life that I just wanted to compete. I’ve always wanted to win, and I’m trying to get that across. Everything you do in life, you gotta want to win, man. I don’t care if we’re walking to the cafeteria. I’m gonna be one step quicker. I gotta get there faster. 

“I want to embody that every darn day and I want that to bleed off into these young men. (With) a plethora of them, it’s happening and I like it. But it’s not happening as expeditiously as I want.”

That, right there, is why the Buffs are where they are heading into the final month of the regular season — in danger of missing a bowl game. 

5 Games to Watch

No. 1 Ohio State vs. Penn State (10 a.m., FOX)

The last time the Nittany Lions won in Columbus was 2011, with an interim coach. Now, that Penn State team was simply better than an Ohio State team that won just 6 games that season. But this season, a few weeks after James Franklin’s stunning firing, can Penn State do the seemingly impossible and take down the No. 1 team in the land? Probably not, but it would be poetic for the Nittany Lions to get over the hump against the Buckeyes without Franklin. 

King’s pick: Penn State +18.5

No. 20 Texas vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt (10 a.m., ABC)

What a world we live in. Vanderbilt is visiting Texas, and it’s the Commodores who are a higher-ranked team than the Longhorns — and have a legitimate claim to be the favorite in Austin. Arch Manning seems set to play for Texas and he’s played much better in recent weeks, but this will be a tough task for a Longhorns team that can’t afford another loss if it wants to make the College Football Playoff.

King’s pick: Vanderbilt +3.5

Kansas State vs. No. 13 Texas Tech (1:30 p.m., FOX)

Winners of three of their last four, the Wildcats have seemingly turned their season around in the Little Apple. Now, Chris Klieman and K-State have a chance to play spoiler in the Big 12 with heavy favorites to win the conference title, Texas Tech, coming to town. The Red Raiders have the best defense in the Big 12, but the Wildcats have scored 41 and 42 points, respectively, in their last two games.

King’s pick: Texas Tech -7.5

No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (5:30 p.m., ABC)

Anyone who said the 12-team playoff era was going to diminish the importance of the regular season didn’t take games like this one in Knoxville into account. It’s essentially a playoff elimination game between a pair of two-loss SEC teams still hoping to get an at-large bid. The vaunted Oklahoma defense didn’t show up last week at home against Ole Miss and now has to face an explosive Tennessee offense led by quarterback Joey Aguilar.

King’s pick: Tennessee -2.5

No. 24 Utah vs. No. 17 Cincinnati (8:15 p.m., ESPN)

ESPN’s “College GameDay” is in Salt Lake City for an epic conclusion to the first Saturday in November. The Bearcats are 5-0 in Big 12 play and somewhat stunningly sit atop the standings at Halloween, but this is the biggest test yet for coach Scott Satterfield and his team. Utah is fresh off a blowout win over Coach Prime’s Buffs and eager to prove losses to Texas Tech and BYU were flukes. 

King’s pick: Cincinnati +10.5

King’s YTD record ATS: 26-19 (5-0 last week)

King’s Top 5 Heisman Candidates

1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

The UCLA hype train came to a screeching halt last week in Bloomington. Mendoza and the explosive Hoosiers offense put up 56 points and the star quarterback only needed 15 completions to put up another 168 yards and three touchdowns while cruising to victory.

2. Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M

With over 300 total yards and four total touchdowns, Reed helped the Aggies dominate LSU and end Brian Kelly’s tenure in Baton Rouge. Under the direction of offensive coordinator Collin Klein (a top candidate for the Colorado State head coaching job), Reed has flourished this season and is the biggest reason Texas A&M looks like not just the best team in the SEC, but also a national championship contender.

3. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State

The Buckeyes were off last week, but it’s still impossible to ignore what Sayin has done in his first season at the helm of the Ohio State offense. He put up just under 400 yards and four touchdowns in his last game against Wisconsin and now has a chance to add to his season stats against a Penn State defense that has struggled for weeks.

4. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

In danger of a second loss of the season, Simpson orchestrated two straight touchdown drives to give the Crimson Tide a comeback win over South Carolina. Simpson and wide receiver Germie Bernard have become of the best offensive duos in the country and they continue to display the difference within the Alabama team since Week 1 to now.

5. Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is 8-0 for the first time since 1966 and King is the biggest reason why. The old school quarterback is powering his way through the line of scrimmage and into the hearts of college football fans across the country. He had arguably his best game of the season last week against Syracuse, totaling nearly 400 yards of total offense with five total touchdowns.