There's little faith left in Boulder following Colorado's embarrassing 53-7 road loss to Utah on Saturday. Colorado fans are ready to flip the page and start talking about next season as the 3-5 Buffaloes still have four games remaining.
That lack of faith has stretched to the oddsmakers, too. Colorado, which is 3-2 at home this season with the two losses coming by a combined 10 points, finds itself as an underdog against a middle-of-the-pack Arizona team this weekend.
According to FanDuel, Arizona is a 5.5-point favorite over Colorado as of Monday morning.
Right after the upset win over Iowa State before the bye week, you could have probably expected that spread to be flipped the other way. It's not like the Wildcats are a powerhouse. Arizona is just 4-3 and 1-3 in the Big 12 in their own right, with their lone conference win coming over lifeless Oklahoma State.
That's how damaging to the perception of the team the loss to Utah was. Colorado went from a pesky underdog with bite, one many thought could be a popular spoiler down the stretch run of the season, to a perceived bottom-feeder that should be nearly a touchdown underdog in their own stadium to an opponent that isn't anywhere close to being a Big 12 contender themselves.
Deion Sanders and Colrado are in desperate need of a bounce back win
It'll be the ultimate test for Deion Sanders to determine whether or not his team still has fight left in them this weekend against Arizona. Colorado is good enough to beat Arizona at home. But last weekend's embarrassing defeat could have ripple effects that completely tank the remainder of the season.
Can Coach Prime show his coaching chops and get his team to refocus? Nothing has changed about the remaining goals for this team. They can still get to bowl eligibility, which was the only realistic goal heading into last weekend in Salt Lake City anyway.
To make that goal a reality, Colorado can't lose at home to Arizona to drop to 3-6. That would mean the Buffaloes would have to win their final three games - two of which are on the road - in order to reach the needed six wins to garner a postseason invite.
A loss would further send Colorado to the depths of despair, and perhaps raise some uncomfortable questions about the direction of the program.