Deion Sanders’ Colorado is struggling without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Their Big 12 opener against Houston on Friday highlighted the issues, as the Buffaloes fell 36-20 and looked thoroughly outmatched.Buff Stempede’s Oliver Hayes reported that when asked why his team underperformed after a solid week of preparation, Coach Prime blamed night games, saying that Colorado is a morning-practice team. But he also said the timing couldn’t be fully blamed.Fans were quick to mock Sanders’ for this weird explanation."That might be the worst excuse I’ve ever heard for losing," a fan said."What the f*ck," one said."They’re also college kids that have all of the energy in the world so, let’s go play some ball," a netizen said."This guy can’t be serious," a person said.On Friday, Houston dominated Colorado in nearly every aspect of the game, and many fans found Sanders’ reasoning hard to accept."prime trollin," one said."There is some validity to the idea, but then he should be practicing at night before night games, so his players are adjusted. Equally true, that is one hell of an excuse, it’s on him to get his team ready, regardless of very predictable circumstances that effect both teams," a fan said.Colorado opened the 2025 season with a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech on Aug. 29, then rebounded with a 31-7 win over FCS contender Delaware, before losing again to Houston. The challenges come after Sanders became one of college football’s highest-paid coaches this offseason, signing a five-year, $54 million contract.Deion Sanders is stunned by Colorado's loss to Houston Colorado has seen 74 players enter the transfer portal over the past two years, and the effects of an entirely new roster were evident in the Buffaloes’ 36-20 loss to Houston on Friday. The game began poorly for Colorado, starting with a punt that immediately swung momentum toward Houston.The Cougars raced to a 13-0 first-half lead and extended it to 19 points in the fourth quarter. Despite two strong offensive drives in the second quarter, the Buffaloes ultimately fell short, finishing 16 points behind.After the game, Deion Sanders expressed his shock at the defeat.“Right now, to be honest with you, I’m lost for words,” Sanders said (via CBS Sports). “Because there’s no way anybody could have told me that we were gonna come down here and get our buts kicked."When I’m talking about getting your buts kicked when we give up 209 yards rushing, that means we were out-physicaled. When we only gain 96 yards running the football, that means we weren’t physical.”Colorado will return home to face Wyoming on Sept. 20.