After losing their sixth game in a row, the Colorado Buffaloes (5-6) fired head coach Mike MacIntyre.
The Colorado Buffs started the season 5-0, but lost six straight games. MacIntyre was in his sixth season as head coach of Colorado with an overall record of 30-44.
Buffs Heady Start
Colorado made waves early in the season when they jumped out to a 5-0 record. They had a chance to challenge Washington early on for supremacy in the Pac-12. However, their season started to go off the rails with an ugly 31-20 loss in Los Angeles against USC.
The next week, Colorado tried to correct the ship against the top team in the Pac-12. However, undefeated #15 Washington dismantled them in Seattle 27-13.
Colorado tried to end their two-game losing streak with against Oregon State. Despite the game being Homecoming, the Buffs lost 41-34 in overtime. The losing streak continued with a 42-34 loss at Arizona.
The Buffs had no chance against #10 Washington State and were promptly blown out 31-7 in Boulder. The losing streak continued this week with a 30-7 drubbing against #21 Utah.
McIntyre’s record against Pac-12 teams slipped to a dismal 14-39.
Boulder Blues
After the Wazzu loss, reporters asked MacIntyre if he thought he would lose his job. A brash MacIntyre responded, “I don’t think my job is in jeopardy. But you’ve got to win games. I do know this: When I came here, this was the worst Power Five football program. A laughingstock of college football. When I went to San Jose it was the worst program in Division I football. And we turned that around. We came here and the gold helmet is not tarnished anymore.”
After the Utah loss, MacIntyre sounded more like he was pleading for his job in the post-game press conference.
“I had plenty of opportunities to leave,” said MacIntyre. ” You saw it before I got here. It was abysmal.”
The Utah loss was the final straw for Colorado officials. MacIntyre was dismissed less than 24 hours later.
On Sunday, Colorado athletic director Rick George told MacIntyre the bad news. He was officially dunzo. Kurt Roper, the quarterbacks coach, was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Broken Highways
The 2016 season marked McIntyre’s best season as coach of Colorado. The Buffs went 10-2 during the regular season and cracked the Top 10 in the rankings. Colorado won the Pac-12 South division after finally posting a winning record. Colorado lost the Pac-12 Championship game against #4 Washington 41-10. They faced #13 Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl, but were blown out by the Cowboys 38-8.
MacIntyre was named AP Coach of the Year for revitalizing Colorado’s football program. Colorado offered him a contract extension through 2021 that paid him $3.25 million a season.
The sensational 2016 season helped McIntyre land a couple of better recruits, however, the Buffs quickly regressed. They had been on a downslide since their high-water mark. They finished 5-7 after a disappointing 2017 season where the Buffs lost seven out of their nine final games.
When the Colorado Buffs jumped out to a 5-0 start, fans thought that MacIntyre was reliving the magic of the 2016 season. However, the reality sunk in quickly when the team lost their first game and everything imploded since then.
Good Times Around the Bend
Despite the six-game losing streak, Colorado at 5-6 are only one win away from bowl eligibility. The Buffs desperately need a victory over Cal on Saturday to stop the six-game skid and lock up a bowl appearance.
An away game at Cal is the last game of the season for Colorado. It’s do or die for the Buffs. The South Point Casino and Sportsbook in Las Vegas Cal opened as 12-point favorites over Colorado.