In November, fans delivered the smallest crowds of the Coach Prime era. Valid.

Chip the Buffalo joins fans waving their shirts in the air in the Folsom Field student section during Colorado’s 52-17 loss to Arizona on Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Maidson Kerest/Sko Buffs Sports)

It’s never a good sign when the opposing fans are louder than yours. It’s never a good sign when the most excited your crowd gets is for a streaker. That was Colorado’s fourth quarter Saturday. 

When coach Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder, he brought Folsom Field back to life. Fans packed the stadium full for the 2023 spring game, and have filled it to capacity 12 more times since. But with the national attention gone, and a season in the gutter, rows and rows of empty bleachers are starting to speak for a fan base that’s seen enough.

The Buffaloes (3-8, 1-7 Big 12) 52-17 beating from Arizona on Nov. 1 had 48,223 fans in attendance. It was the lowest of the Prime Era. By the third quarter, half remained. But like everything else with the 2025 Buffs, if you thought it couldn’t get worse, it could.

Saturday, just 43,348 people showed up for the team's 42-17 loss to Arizona State. And plenty were rooting for the Sun Devils. It broke the newly minted record by nearly 5,000. For most of the Prime era, claiming a student section ticket meant hate-watching a stick figure slowly cross a progress bar. The section didn’t look half full at its peak.

Most students had already headed home for Thanksgiving, but that's still no excuse. Last year's Oklahoma State game was played over the break and still drew 51,030 to the stands. In the end, 2025 saw sellouts against Georgia Tech, Wyoming and Iowa State, but it will be the lowest attended season since the team went 1-11 in 2022. 

Colorado started decent Saturday. The team led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter — a feat not accomplished since playing Iowa State. At the end of the second, they were hanging on, down 13-7. But the two-hour half still managed to be near unwatchable. 

The highlight — a theme throughout the game — was not on the field. It was a chain of Aflac-branded rally towels that began stretching across the student section. But security eventually stepped in and broke it up. Apparently, students lost their fun privileges after chanting religious slurs in September. 

Colorado briefly regained the lead in the third after quarterback Julian Lewis lobbed a 22-yard pass to receiver Omarion Miller in the end zone. Heading into the fourth, ASU was back up 21-17, but the crowd was actually dialed in. Then it all came crashing down.

A questionable decision by Sanders to put walk-on receiver turned running back Ronald Coleman into the game instantly backfired. Coleman fumbled, ASU recovered the ball, scored on the next drive, and that was the game. 

With 13:48 still left, two images from the loss three weeks prior returned to Folsom. A procession of fans filing out of the stadium, and a gaggle of shirtless men waving their shirts in the air. 

After two exciting years, it once again sucks to be a CU football fan. The attendance speaks for itself. Thankfully, the CU fanatics out there can still watch a team that wins. Women's soccer plays in the Sweet 16 Sunday at 11 a.m. MT.