​The Colorado Buffaloes host Kansas State this week following five straight losses. Most of them have not been in close games. Despite the bleak outlook, Sanders has been more reserved and less combative than he has been in recent years. He was asked how he is reacting differently to a situation that feels like a repeat of 2025.“Pain is pain,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said. “We have different young men on this team. A lot of those guys are winners. We just haven’t gotten it together to do what the expectation is to do. I don’t know. But it’s the same heart feeling.”What’s wild is Sanders has lost his fire. After Colorado beat up FCS opponent Weber State, Sanders was upset with his team for not running up the score. Coach Prime doesn’t care about that now and would settle for a win. Sanders refused to settle for mediocre with his Colorado football team last month. Now there’s nothing because of a lack of consistency happening. While Sanders and the Buffs are coming off a 3-9 season, this year is looking to be a carbon copy. Is Coach Prime trying to “iron out the wrinkles” or has he checked out?“I’m not here just to have a winning season,” Sanders told reporters after the Buffaloes’ last win. “I want a winning season, but I want bigger than that. We’re here to win it, man. That’s our goal, is to win, not just to compete.” Those dreams of making the postseason have faded away quickly. This feels like the program is sitting at a crossroads again under Sanders. Since a 9-4 season in 2024, Colorado has truly fallen flat. The Buffs beat Georgia Tech by one point in a contest they very easily could have lost. Even Sanders was disappointed with Colorado’s performance against FCS opponent Weber State. Now at 2-5, the Buffs have no room for error and need to win out for a bowl bid. Sanders had clearly established the standard that he wants to set in Boulder. But that has taken a back seat to knowing no change is coming. Colorado has flipped the roster multiple times with over 170 new players during the entire traditional recruiting cycle. When does the bigger conversation about locking down a culture come into play? Coach Prime and staff might be working together toward this for the first time. Keep in mind, he’s working with a set of new coordinators who have less adequate experience compared to those who they replaced. But this is where making adjustments matters in the course of a season.Colorado faces Kansas State on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on TNT.