BOULDER, Colo. — Multiple sources have told Denver7 that the University of Colorado will part ways with football coach Mike MacIntyre effective at the end of this season.
MacIntyre has spent six years as the head coach at CU, posting a 30-43 record. The Buffaloes have qualified for one bowl during MacIntyre's tenure -- a 38-8 Alamo Bowl loss in 2016 to Oklahoma State.
The Buffaloes have lost five games in a row this season, including Saturday's 31-10 defeat to Washington State. Sitting at 5-5 overall, the Buffs must win one of their remaining two games against Utah or California to qualify for a bowl game. MacIntyre has three years and roughly $10 million remaining on his contract.
Late Monday night, Denver7 spoke with an associate athletic director at CU who could not confirm the news.
On Tuesday morning, Athletic Director Rick George issued the following statement:
"We do not comment on speculation or unsubstantiated rumors with anonymous sources. Let me just say I have made no decisions regarding the future of the football program.
As I've stated in the past, we continually evaluate all aspects of all of our 17 intercollegiate sport programs."
At a Tuesday news conference, MacIntyre said he met with George two weeks ago and said George gave him "100 percent support."
"I haven't talked with Rick about it today. I know nothing about any of it," he said. "I am pretty sure I will speak to Rick [George] this afternoon. I don't know what I will hear from Rick. ... Losing five in a row is tough, it's not good. It's a tough situation, no doubt about it."
"We have had a little bit of storm the last few weeks. We have lost some close games. We talked about life. We are walking into the storm together," MacIntyre added.
He called the talk surrounding his job "chatter" and said his and the team's focus was on the football left to be played.
"If you pray about it, don't worry about it ... I love this football team. You win a football game and a lot of this goes away," MacIntyre added.
Several CU players also spoke about MacIntyre's job status at the news conference.
"[MacIntyre said] those rumors were out there, We need to stick together and play football. He let us know there were rumors coming around and to focus on Utah," said senior safety Nick Fisher.
Junior quarterback Steven Montez said the team was trying to put the rumors out of mind.
"I will keep what is said to the team private. At the end of the day it doesn't change how we feel about each other as players and this season," Montez said. "We are going to go out there on Saturday and play our best. At the end of the day we are here to play football."
What began as a special season with wins over Colorado State and at Nebraska spiraled in Pac 12 play. The Buffs entered the Top 25, and were promptly smothered by Southern California 31-20 in Los Angeles. A competitive loss at Washington, 27-13, followed. The Buffs were not expected to win either game. But a bowl bid seemed secure when CU raced to a 31-3 advantage against Oregon State early in the third quarter on Oct. 27.
Oregon State entered the game with a 22-game road losing streak and as a 24-point underdog. The Beavers rallied, winning 41-34 in overtime as most of the Folsom Field homecoming crowd had left believing the lead was safe. It is considered the worst loss in MacIntyre's tenure. He called it a "gut-wretcher."
Needing a victory to salvage the season, CU, dealing with multiple key injuries, fell at Arizona then were squashed by Washington State 31-10 last week. The Buffs have two games remaining, hosting Utah at home on Saturday before finishing at Cal on Nov. 24.
MacIntyre, hired after his success at San Jose State, entered this year with one winning season in his previous five at Boulder. In 2016, he achieved his greatest success at CU, leading the Buffs to a 10-4 record.
