Fansided

Colorado coaching search: 5 ideal candidates to replace Mike MacIntyre

By Brad Berreman

MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies prepares to enter the field before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 1, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies prepares to enter the field before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 1, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Mandatory Credit: David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

Mike MacIntyre has indeed been let go, so here are five candidates to be the next head coach at Colorado.

Colorado needs a new head coach and it could be one of these five guys.

Five straight losses were not enough for Colorado athletic director Rick George to make a definitive statement on the future of football coach Mike MacIntyre early last week, however vague his comments were. But a 30-7 loss to Utah on Saturday was the last straw.

The loss clinched no better than a .500 record for the Buffaloes this season, after a 5-0 start and a top-25 ranking, with bowl eligibility on the line against Cal on Saturday. Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper will serve as the interim head coach for that game and a subsequent potential bowl game.

MacIntyre won AP Coach of the Year in 2016, as Colorado went 10-4 and went to the Pac-12 title game. But over his other five seasons, his record was 20-40, with a 6-38 mark in conference play.

George has, however optimistically, said he wants a coach with personality who will bring some buzz to the program. A $10 million buyout due to MacIntyre may limit the search to a degree, but here are five candidates to be the next head coach at Colorado.

5. Eric Bienemy, Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator

Bienemy fits the mold of a “distinguished alum”, as a running back on Colorado’s 1990 national title team who went on to play in the NFL. But he has also built a coaching resume, predominantly as a running backs coach, and he’s in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bienemy was offensive coordinator for two seasons (2011 and 2012) at Colorado under MacIntyre’s predecessor Jon Embree, with national rankings of 92nd and 119th respectively in those seasons. But serving under Andy Reid since then has surely broadened his understanding of schemes, adjustments and such, and the promotion to offensive coordinator when Matt Nagy left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears is a strong point in Bienemy’s corner.

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