Colorado’s offense is a mess. A 1-2 record and an average of 23.7 points a game speak for themselves. For what it’s worth, though, without Shedeur Sanders orchestrating the passing game and Travis Hunter blowing up defenses, no one predicted them to repeat 2024. But at the same time, no one expected them to be where they are after week 3. It’s only natural now that head coach Deion Sanders is forced to face one fundamental concern.  

It hasn’t got to do with late-game clock management or the quarterback shuffle that has seen no resolution. Instead, OC Pat Shurmur might just want to revisit those plays. Because whatever the Buffs are delivering right now spells one thing: predictability. College coaches are calling it out, and the scoreboard is silently screaming ‘Colorado may need an identity’. But Coach Prime says he is not a believer. 

“I don’t care what kind of car we pull up in, long as we pull out of here with a W, I’m good. So I don’t really get into the identity thing, not whatsoever,” he said when asked if identity comes first or winning. Well, with the way things have proceeded, the Buffalos have neither.

When Sanders, Hunter, and the three receivers packed away Colorado’s nation-leading passing game with them, Coach Prime was forced to find a balance for 2025. He went on to add running back talent, with new transfers DeKalon Taylor and Simeon Price, and declared they were going to ‘run the darn ball and get physical.’ But Shurmur and the rest haven’t got the formula right just yet.

Houston head coach Willie Fritz didn’t hold back last week. He called Colorado’s scheme flat-out repetitive, pointing out that no matter which QB is under center, the same plays are being rolled out. “You look at the plays that were called, and just the little bit I’ve been watching, you know, and you’re right, they played all three guys this past game against Delaware. I think it’s kind of similar to what they’re running. They’ve got an offense. Maybe one guy will do a little bit something different than the other, but it’s an offense that they run.”

The Houston coach who spent the summer breaking down Colorado’s game plan, offense, and kicking game has been presented with a pattern: run, bubble screen, and punt. Against Houston, the Buffs ran the ball six straight times on first downs. They also punted six times and turned over twice. Two weeks earlier, it was nine rushing games on opening 13 first-downs.

The lapse has been evident enough for another coach to pick on it even without playing against them.

On September 16th, Wyoming’s HC Jay Sawvel piled on the same issue: “I don’t know that they alter their offense dramatically between each one. It may obviously be a little different focus, but we got to get ready for multiple different things.” In simple terms, Colorado’s playbook isn’t shifting even with three different quarterbacks.

Kaidon Salter brings the experience, Ryan Staub has the chemistry with Shurmur, and Julian Lewis boosts some fresh legs. Yet, the Buffs are an open book, and everyone’s reading the last chapter before it’s even written.

They’re 100+ in the nation in total offense at just 334.3 yards per game. Their passing attack, the heart of Prime’s showtime brand, has crashed down to 210.3 yards a game, ranked 82nd. Even their third-down stat — 37.21% — looks decent until you realize it’s mostly short gains, nothing that flips field position or controls tempo. They can’t run the ball, can’t protect the QB, and can’t string drives together without a mistake or a dropped pass. 

So once again, what does Coach Prime want his team to look like?  Just a row of Ws. Ask him about identity, and he will say, “I don’t even know what that means!”

Whatever may be his decision, the coach needs to start getting things right. Colorado has been bullied by Power 4 teams so far, and it’s only September. The Buffs face their next test in Saturday night’s showdown against Wyoming. Colorado is favored by nearly two touchdowns at home, but Vegas odds can’t fix an identity crisis. Wyoming comes in 2-1, with a defense that will be licking its chops at Colorado’s soft O-line.