"Bad record but a good team" - Paul Finebaum humbles down his Colorado approach amid Coach Prime and co.'s Kansas loss

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has presided over an impressive season for the Buffaloes, leading his team to an 8-3 record and bowl eligibility for the first time in eight years. The Buffs still have a slim chance of making the Big 12 championship game, but the 37-21 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in Week 13 of college football now puts their postseason fate in the hands of other teams.

On Thursday, one of Sander's biggest critics before the season began, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum was conciliatory during the "Paul Finebaum Show" when reviewing the Buffs' loss to the Jayhawks.

"I'm not that surprised by Colorado," Finebaum said on the Paul Finebaum Show. "They exceeded expectations this year. I think overall, they've had a fantastic year. They played a really good team the other day. Bad record, but a good team that is ascending at the right time."

The back and forth between Paul Finebaum and Coach Prime started during a pre-season segment of ESPN's "First Take" when the analyst rubbished the Buffs' chances of making the college football playoffs.

“Anyone asking whether Deion Sanders and Colorado are close to the playoffs simply doesn’t understand the reality of the road,” Finebaum said. “They’re not going to the playoffs this year, and I’m not sure Deion is ever going to get them to the playoffs, because I don’t think he has the patience to stay at Colorado long enough."

Coach Prime on Paul Finebaum's constant attacks and criticism

After the Colorado Buffaloes went on a three-game match winning streak, Paul Finebaum reversed course on Coach Prime and his team, but the Buffs coach was not having it, blasting the analyst on an episode of the "Outta Pocket with RGIII" podcast in August.

"He (Finebaum) talking 'bout us," Coach Prime said. "How can we be irrelevant and you talking about me? Every time I turn around somebody's sending me a quote that you talkin' 'bout me. I know what he's doing, and I'm proud of him that he's smart enough to understand that this generation and this thought process and the way we communicate on sports it's different, and he's a dying breed."

After Coach Prime led the Buffs to a dominant 48-21 road win against the UCF Knights in Week 5 of college football action, Paul Finebaum finally admitted during an appearance on the "Matt Barrie Show" that he had been wrong to target the charismatic Colorado coach with his pre-season comments.

"As someone who has been very critical of Deion Sanders, I have to say he has managed this team quite well in spite of all the bullets and all of the attacks and all of the criticisms, some of it coming from me," Finebaum said. "I give him enormous credit ... They're back to being a legitimate story for the first time."

Paul Finebaum's latest comments about Colorado suggest that he had changed his perspective, praising their performance after the Buffaloes have battled impressively in the Big 12.