3 Deion Sanders mistakes that have cost Colorado a real shot at going to a bowl game

1. Not taking the Stanford game seriously and the second-half disaster

This was inexcusable. Not a lot can be determined as such in Sanders' first year as the head coach at Colorado, but that Stanford game... particularly the second half of it... Colorado was up 25-0 heading into halftime. The Buffaloes were 4-2, fresh off their first conference win of the season over Arizona State. Stanford is another team with a new head coach this season in Troy Taylor. Colorado had this...

Then, I don't even know what to say... Colorado somehow squandered a 25-point lead, as the Cardinal forced this game into overtime, all tied up at 36 through four frames. Stanford would put a game-winning field goal through the uprights in the second overtime period, winning 46-43 to improve to 2-4 (1-3) on the season. This was a short week at home for Colorado ahead of their bye week. Brutal...

A more mentally tough team would have held on to win this one. It would have been win No. 5 on the year for Colorado. They would have been 5-2 (2-2) on the campaign with five more shots to get one more win. Clearly, pretty much all of the air has been let out of the balloon like a whoopee cushion, but instead of it being hot air, it reeked of a fart. This is the loss that will inevitably define Colorado's year.

You can defend the other moves all you want, but this was coaching malpractice vs. Stanford for CU.