Of all the adjectives one could use to describe Colorado's loss to BYU, "awkward" would be way down the list.
Certainly behind words like disheartening and disappointing. Frustrating and discouraging would also rank well above awkward.
Colorado's loss to BYU on Saturday night was far from unexpected: the Buffaloes were a touchdown underdog at home and were not far removed from being physically manhandled by BYU in last season's Alamo Bowl. Colorado put up a much more competitive fight against the Cougars this time around, but it ended the same way, and how too frequently games have ended this season for the Buffs: with a loss.
Colorado dropped to 2-3 and is now 0-2 in Big 12 play. Their slim hopes of winning the Big 12 have faded. Bowl hopes are now tedious at best with a difficult schedule ahead for a team that just can't figure out how to get over the hump in close games.
It's frustrating for fans, the players in the locker room, and the coaching staff. It's awkward for Coach Prime, who continues to see a team he feels has more talent than others, but it's not showing up on gamedays.
"Sometimes when it seems like you had more talent but you didn’t quite win the game, it makes it feel somewhat awkward,” Sanders said in the postgame. We had opportunities, a tremendous amount of opportunities, but nevertheless, we didn’t cash in on it. Sometimes it felt like the moment was just too big for some of our athletes, and they’ve got to do something about that.
"We’ve got to do better, as a staff, as a team, and I’ve got to do better.”
Colorado's season is on the brink as Coach Prime continues searching for answers
It's getting late fast for Coach Prime and Colorado in 2025. With three losses before October, any hope of competing for the Big 12 and a spot in the College Football Playoff is no longer a realistic goal. The only realistic goal left is for the Buffs to get the six wins required to garner bowl eligibility.
And that's far from guaranteed now.
The remaining schedule is a gauntlet of quality Big 12 foes:
at TCU
vs. Iowa State
at Utah
vs. Arizona
at West Virginia
vs. Arizona State
at Kansas State
Even the most ardent of Colorado supporters would have trouble finding four more wins on that schedule.
A step back this season after last year's breakthrough wasn't unexpected. But missing out on a bowl game for the second time in Coach Prime's three seasons at the helm would be disappointing. It might also make for some awkward discussions about the direction of the program.