Rich Rodriguez and the West Virginia Mountaineers kept their bowl game hopes alive with a win to push them to 4-6 with two games remaining. A Week 11 loss for the Colorado Buffaloes has fans asking a big question about their team and head coach, Deion Sanders.
What’s Next for Colorado and Deion Sanders?
It’s been a tough year for Colorado and Deion Sanders, for many different reasons. Health concerns affected Sanders’ ability to be with the team, and also had people concerned for his future health. He’s dealt with several health issues in his coaching career, and some are wondering if that’s affecting his effect on the team.
We knew that Colorado was going to take a step back this year. Losing Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter (among other NFL talent) left major holes on both sides of the ball, and this staff didn’t bring in guys that would instantly replace those departures.
The Buffaloes kept some games close, but the wheels fell off recently, and the West Virginia loss eliminated them from bowl eligibility. So, what’s next? That’s a great question. Two losing seasons in the three that Sanders has been in Boulder mean he needs to prove himself going forward.
For Colorado, a lot of its future might hinge on Julian Lewis. The quarterback position has been a rotation throughout most of the year, which hasn’t helped with the consistency in terms of production. Lewis looked decent against the Mountaineers, but this year might have confirmed that letting Sean Lewis go was a mistake.
Remaining West Virginia Football Schedule
- at Arizona State
- vs. Texas Tech
Meanwhile, West Virginia can still salvage bowl eligibility from what appeared to be a lost season. According to the PFSN College Football Playoff Meter (FPM), the Mountaineers have a 5.7% chance of winning out. It won’t be easy, as their remaining schedule includes two of the better teams in the conference, including the top team: Texas Tech.
West Virginia hasn’t looked clean consistently, but they appear to have found their quarterback of the future in Scotty Fox Jr. He’s put together a few solid performances this season, and the Mountaineers hope that experience, combined with a full offseason, means good things for the team in 2026.
Even if Rodriguez can’t guide his team to a bowl game, there’s plenty of positivity to carry into the following year. If this staff can continue to build this roster and develop the talent, the magic that Rodriguez had in his first tenure with this team should return as well.
