Things were a lot simpler in Boulder before Deion Sanders brought the "Prime Time" spotlight to not only the Colorado football program, but to everything University of Colorado-related.
The football team hit hard times in the Pac-12 era outside of the 2016 season, but the school was able to fall back on successful basketball programs on both the men's and women's side to cling to; with Tad Boyle bringing the Buffs to five March Madness tournaments in the Pac-12 era and JR Payne getting the women's team to back-to-back tournaments, including the 2023 Sweet Sixteen, in the last two years.
Payne still has her team winning and ranked No. 11, but Boyle's squad has lost nine games as of this writing and is in danger of falling from bubble status ahead of tournament play. Normally, a down-year, even with a possible No. 1 overall NBA draft pick (Cody Williams) on the roster, wouldn't be the end of the world at Colorado.
But Buffaloes Wire's Tony Cosolo assesses Boyle's seat as a hot one -- possibly to the point of reaching a boiling point and resulting in his firing this offseason if CU doesn't right the ship immediately.
"The Buffs do have an opportunity to make some noise to end the season, as only one of their final five regular season opponents has a winning conference record (Oregon)," Cosolo prefaced before saying, "Plus, the Buffs have three more games at the CU Events Center, where they’ve lost only once this season.
"Winning cures all and if Colorado can’t finish this season strong, Boyle’s hot seat may become too much to bear. In my eyes, Boyle’s future at Colorado may hang in the balance of these final Pac-12 games."
The last time Colorado replaced its coach was ahead of the 2011-12 season, their first in the Pac-12. With another conference switch coming at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic calendar, one has to wonder if Rick George will take the same route his predecessor, Mike Bohn, did as it pertains to Colorado basketball's leadership.
Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders can be a recruiting tool for next hoops head coach
Luckily, if the Buffs do decide to do something drastic with their basketball program, they now have one of the bigger brands in college sports with Sanders leading the charge on the gridiron. CU has never been more attractive to big-name coaches since an appearance from Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders, and/or Travis Hunter would inevitably bring eyes to their product.
Obviously, what Colorado football does shouldn't dictate anything about how the Buffs go about their business on the hardwood. But CU has committed itself to the "Prime Time" tagline, so if Boyle does get the ax, leveraging the hype Sanders has generated to land a big name feels on the table.