Head Coach Mike MacIntyre Officially Out At CU; Roper Named As Interim

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - The University of Colorado Boulder has parted ways with Mike MacIntyre, the school's head football coach for the past six seasons, according to multiple reports. The Buffs have lost six straight games after winning their first five games of the 2018 season.

Last week, when asked if his job was on the line given the recent losing streak, MacIntyre responded: "I don't think my job is in jeopardy. But you have to win games."

The team made it officials minutes after reports were filed.

CU Athletic Director Rick George issued a statement on Tuesday about speculation over MacIntyre's tenure with the team.

"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." 

The team fell to Utah on Saturday, 30-7.

"I want to thank Mike for six seasons of hard work and dedication to the program, both on and off the field," George said in a news release on Sunday. "There's no doubt that the 2016 season was magical, and it appeared we were headed back to taking our place among the nation's elite.  However, analyzing the direction of the program over the last two years, I felt this is the necessary time to make a change."

MacIntyre helped lead the Buffs to a Pac-12 championship game berth in 2016. He also was named AP Coach of the Year. In his six seasons, he and the Buffaloes garnered a 30-44 record.

"I wanted to see more consistency with winning seasons. Mike had an amazing 2016 season, and we really hoped that kind of achievement would be continuous, but unfortunately that didn't happen," George said during a news conference on Sunday. "So I will immediately begin the process of seeking a new head coach. I want to move quickly, but I also want to be very thorough to ensure that we get this football team back to national prominence."

"MacIntyre has $10.3 million remaining on his contract, which runs through Dec. 31, 2021.  If he obtains new employment in the National Football League or as a collegiate head coach, CU's contract obligations will be reduced by his new salary amount. The athletic department will make monthly payments from its budget over the course of next three years; none of the funds will come from tuition money, taxpayer dollars or the campus general fund," the news release stated.

Kurt Roper has been named the interim head coach for the Buffs' final game against California Golden Bears. CU hired Roper as the quarterbacks coach in January of 2018.

Roper previously served as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina. He also worked with MacIntyre for six years when they both coached together at Mississippi and Duke.

Some former players under the Coach Mac era responded to the news.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)