After a 2-0 start that included a thrilling comeback win on the road at Georgia Tech in the opener, there was some optimism in Colorado about the 2026 season. A 41-7 loss at the hands of Northwestern on Saturday took all the wind out of the Buffaloes' sails, and they returned to Boulder searching for answers.
As they get set to begin their Big 12 conference season on the road against Baylor on Saturday, Deion Sanders confirmed in his press conference on Tuesday that some unnamed players were dismissed from the team after the loss at Northwestern.
"It's a few guys that are not on the team anymore," Sanders said.
Sanders' press conference began with veteran defensive back Ben Finneseth apologizing on behalf of the team for the viral clip of Colorado players talking about Northwestern's stadium and atmosphere being "like a library" prior to the loss. While the disrespect of an opponent frustrated Sanders, he confirmed the dismissals were not about an isolated incident, but a pattern of behavior that he felt he didn't correct enough last year and wasn't going to let fester again in 2026.
"It's never one [thing]," Sanders said. "Those guys could tell you, I'm the most loving and giving and forgiving man you could ever meet. But when you start being conduct detrimental to the team, that will set us back in things that you're doing that you don't care about the team -- you care about you. I have a problem with that, and a year ago, I didn't put my foot down in it enough. It lingered a little bit, then it imploded. I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that anymore."
The players who were dismissed will be known when the Buffaloes release their full roster for Saturday's game against Baylor, but Sanders clearly feels he let the team get off the rails last year and is trying to nip any team-wide issues in the bud.
This week's game against Baylor is pivotal for their hopes of avoiding the Big 12's basement. After their visit to Waco, Colorado comes home for an extremely difficult two-game stretch against ranked opponents Texas Tech and Utah, and a loss at Baylor would have them staring down a 2-4 start in the first half of the season.
