Why Four Could Be a Lucky Number For Coach Prime

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Why Season Four Could Work Out Well For Coach Prime

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This weekend, the United States celebrates what has been referred to as the nation’s semi-quincentennial … or sestercentennial … or even quarter millennium.

In any event, Happy 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence!

In the past 50 years since our nation’s bicentennial, CU has had 11 head football coaches. From that group, of those who took over the team after 1976, only five made it to Year Four as the leader of the Buffs.

This fall, Coach Prime will make it six.

How did Coach Prime’s predecessors do once they had a few years under their belts in Boulder?

Well, of the last five long-tenured coaches at CU, only Dan Hawkins, who went from 5-7 in 2008 to 3-9 in 2009, kept going backwards. Bill McCartney and Mike MacIntyre had breakout seasons in Year Four, while Gary Barnett made his move in Year Three:

• Bill McCartney’s team went from 1-10 in 1984 to 7-5 in 1985;
• Rick Neuheisel’s team went from 5-6 in 1997 to 8-4 in 1998;
• Gary Barnett’s team went from 3-8 in 2000 to 10-3 in 2001; and
• Mike MacIntyre’s team went from 4-9 in 2015 to 10-4 in 2016.

Year Four will be a make-or-break season for Coach Prime. Is there room for dramatic improvement like those seen by McCartney, Barnett and MacIntyre?

Let’s look back at dramatic turnarounds made by previous CU head coaches, and see if we can find the secret sauce …

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Bill McCartney

• Record first three seasons at CU … 7-25-1; 4-16 in Big Eight play
• Record in Year Three … 1-10; 1-6
• Record in Year Four … 7-5, 4-3

The turnaround for the Buffs in 1985 was remarkable. CU finished the 1985 season with a Freedom Bowl bid – the Buffs’ first bowl game in nine seasons. Colorado also broke a then a school record string of six straight losing seasons. The six-win improvement from one win to seven earned CU the NCAA’s Most Improved Team Award.

What was it in Bill McCartney’s fourth season which allowed him to double his personal conference win total, and his personal win total overall, in just one season?

In a word … “Wishbone”.

Coach McCartney dramatically shifted CU’s offensive strategies, and the move paid off. In 1984, Colorado had finished dead last in the nation in rushing, so the switch to the wishbone seemed like an odd choice.

“Make-A-Wish Bone” chirped the critics. The pro-style offense used by McCartney’s first three Colorado teams had led to numerous passing records. A host of receivers, including record-setters Jon Embree and Loy Alexander, were back for the 1985 season. The move seemed a desperate act by a desperate team.

Then again, the Buffs had won a total of only 14 games in the past six seasons.

What could it hurt?

Colorado went from 105th in the nation in rushing to 9th, while dropping from 16th in the nation in passing to 105th. Tight end Jon Embree had led the team in receptions in 1984, with 51 receptions. In 1985, Embree again led the team in receptions … with 10.

But it all worked. All four of CU’s regular season losses were to teams ranked in the Top 12 in the nation, while CU’s wins were often by comfortable margins, including wins over Big Eight rivals Missouri (38-7), Iowa State (40-6), and Kansas State (30-0).

The 7-5 record posted by Bill McCartney in 1985 helped set in motion CU’s return to the national stage. After six straight losing seasons, the Buffs would not have another losing season for another 12 years.

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Gary Barnett

• Record first two seasons at CU … 10-13; 8-8 in Big 12 play
• Record in Year Two … 3-8; 3-5
• Record in Year Three … 10-3; 7-1

Not much was expected out of Gary Barnett’s 2001 team. The Buffs had regressed to 3-8 in his second season in Boulder. The “Return to Dominance” slogan Barnett had adopted when he returned to CU after a successful run as the head coach at Northwestern sounded more like a cruel joke than a rallying cry.

Coach Barnett’s 2000 team was not dissimilar to Bill McCartney’s 1984 team, in that the Buffs were pass heavy on offense (32nd in the nation in passing; 80th in rushing). The Buffs had played five ranked teams in 2000, losing all five. CU opened the 2000 season with four losses, including a 28-24 loss in the opener to CSU in the opener … and never recovered.

But Barnett was undeterred. Another of his slogans, “Belief Without Evidence”, was on display at the Big 12 media days prior to the 2001 season.

At a meeting of Big 12 coaches in Dallas in July, Barnett was asked if he felt his team could rebound and be considered as a dark-horse for the league title.  “Naw, we’re better than a dark-horse,” Barnett replied.  “We’re a contender.  We fully expect to be back in Dallas on December 1st (for the Big 12 Championship game).”  Barnett conceded that his prediction would raise some eyebrows, suggesting, “Now that’s a sound bite.”

Barnett carried his bold statement a step further, taking senior captains Andre Gurode and Michael Lewis, who were on hand for the media event, on a tour of Texas Stadium, site of the league title game, before returning to Boulder.

Then the Buffs made Gary Barnett a prophet.

Running backs Chris Brown, Bobby Purify and Cortlen Johnson ran all over the Big 12 opposition. CU finished the 2001 season averaging over 228 yards rushing per game – 8th in the nation.

After a season-opening hiccup loss to Fresno State, the Buffs rattled off five straight wins, including wins over three ranked teams (No. 24 CSU; No. Kansas State; and No. 25 Texas A&M). The season’s highlight, of course, was the 62-36 dismantling of No. 2 Nebraska, with Chris Brown rushing for six touchdowns. An upset 39-37 win over No. 3 Texas in the Big 12 championship game – in Dallas – was icing on the cake.

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Mike MacIntyre

• Record first three seasons at CU … 10-27; 2-25 in Pac-12 play
• Record in Year Three … 4-9; 1-8
• Record in Year Four … 10-4; 8-1

Colorado football made the unlikely move from “Worst to First” in 2016. After a decade of losing seasons – the longest stretch in CU history – the Buffs not only climbed out of the basement of the Pac-12 South for the first time in their new conference, but won the Pac-12 South title.

While the improvements on offense were significant in the fall of 2016, the advances on offense were not as dramatic as those seen by the McCartney and Barnett teams, MacIntyre’s Buffs moving up to 67th in total offense in 2015 to 47th in 2016). Rather, MacIntyre’s fourth team went from 4-9 to 10-4 on the backs of the defense, which went from 85th nationally in total defense in 2015 to 19th in 2016.

The secret sauce for the 2016?

Seniors.

In the distant past – you know, a decade ago – teams still relied on senior leadership. The 2016 team had any number of senior leaders, including quarterback Sefo Liufau on offense, together with a deep and talented defensive backfield.

A tough loss on the road to No. 4 Michigan cost the Buffs some early momentum – and Sefo Liufau for several starts – but a stunning last minute win over Oregon on the road the following week set in motion a memorable season. Back-to-back home wins over Washington State and Utah to close out the regular season (both opponents ranked No. 22 when the Buffs played them) propelled a CU team which had finished 4-9 the previous season into the Top Ten in the national polls.

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So … What will it take for Coach Prime to make a similar move in 2026, his fourth season at Colorado?

Like Coach Barnett’s 2001 team, the Buffs are going back to relying on the ground game.

Like Coach McCartney’s 1986 team, the Buffs are completely reworking the offense to get there.

This offseason, Coach Prime hired Brennan Marion as his new offensive coordinator. Marion has brought fireworks everywhere he has gone:

• 2022 at Texas: Longhorns finished in the Top 25 nationally in scoring (34.5 points per game);
• 2023 at UNLV: Rebels finished in the Top 25 nationally in scoring (34.4 points per game); scoring over 40 points in a school-record six games;
• 2024 at UNLV: Rebels ranked 14th in the nation in scoring (36.2 points per game; averaging 251.2 yards rushing per game);
• 2025 at Sacramento State (as head coach): Hornets averaged 33.8 points per game, leading Sac State from a 3-9 record in 2024 to a 7-5 record in 2025.

Last season, Colorado averaged 125.6 yards rushing per game, and averaged scoring 20.9 points per game.

If the Buffs were to double their rushing average per game, and up its point total by over ten points per game … do you think Coach Prime’s win total in Year Four will go up?

And what to take from the “Worst to First” team in Mike MacIntyre’s fourth season?

As noted, experience was the key to the 2016 team’s success. The Buffs had a roster filled with senior leadership – a team which was tired of losing.

It’s a different era, but CU in 2026 does have overall roster experience. In terms of total snaps played by its roster, Colorado ranks 24th in the nation, with 26,384. In terms of career starts, the Buffs ranked 14th in the nation, with 389.

While it will be up to the coaching staff to bring the roster together, the experience is there.

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Bill McCartney’s team went from 1-10 to 7-5 by installing a new offense.

Gary Barnett’s team went from 3-8 to 10-3 by leaning heavily into the running game.

Mike MacIntyre’s team went 4-9 to 10-4 relying on senior leadership.

Coach Prime’s team this fall is installing a new offense, will be leaning on the running game, and relying on an  experienced roster.

Perhaps Year Four of the Coach Prime era will work out better than the pundits are predicting …

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This post, about the Spring/Summer game, from the 2026 Season, is filed under Article.
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