A miserable season on the football field ended nearly two weeks ago for the Colorado Buffaloes, but the program lost again today when Cincinnati coach Butch Jones turned down the school’s offer to take over as head coach.

Jones received a counter offer from his current employer and may decide to remain as head coach of the Bearcats for a fourth season in 2013. He was also being listed as a candidate for Tennessee’s opening as of Thursday evening.

Where does CU go from here?

Colorado officials are likely to contact San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre or Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter, though DeRuyter has been a head coach for only one year and might not have the experience CU desires in its next head coach.

Athletic director Mike Bohn and his bosses have a list of targets that also could include former Cal coach Jeff Tedford, but its unclear if Tedford would have interest in the job. Earlier in Colorado’s search process, a source who had spoken to Tedford said the coach viewed Colorado as a difficult place to win. Tedford was fired at Cal three weeks ago after the Bears finished the season 3-9.

CU could also look to the NFL for a coach.

It is unclear if the media circus that has followed Colorado’s courtship of Jones ultimately scared him away, but it probably didn’t help.

The final act of that circus happened Wednesday when a Denver Post report based on an unnamed source said CU had hired Jones. The school and Jones quickly refuted the report

Jones has now talked with Colorado, Purdue and Kentucky this year about coaching vacancies. He also talked with numerous schools about coaching jobs last offseason and has decided to remain at Cincinnati through it all.

The five-year contract CU offered Jones was worth approximately $2.7 million annually and would have made Jones the highest paid coach in Colorado history.

It’s unlikely the Buffs would be willing to offer the same deal to other confirmed candidates for the job such as DeRuyter and MacIntyre.

The school is in the market for a football coach for the third time in the past seven years after athletic director Mike Bohn fired former coach Jon Embree nine days ago. The Buffs completed a 1-11 season being blown out by margins of 20 points or more in a majority of their games, which led to the coaching change.

This season was the worst in the modern history of the program, not just because of the team’s record but also because the offense and defense both finished at or near the bottom of major national statistical rankings. The Buffs were not competitive in most games.

Sources said Jones became the leading candidate for the Colorado job after Bohn reached out to multiple fellow athletic directors, several head-hunter consultants and sources in the NFL seeking suggestions. Jones’ name was consistently proposed by most of the people Bohn spoke to.

Jones visited Boulder on Monday with his wife, Barb, and interviewed for the job with a group of CU administrators and at least one booster on the suite level at Folsom Field. He also talked briefly with four CU players and toured parts of the campus and the Dal Ward Center.

At one point, food service workers helped hide Jones behind a food warmer to allow him to move from the club level at Folsom to the Dal Ward Center without being photographed.

When Jones extended his stay by several hours Monday night, it was seen a positive sign, but when he returned to Cincinnati he received the counter offer.

Cincinnati’s status as a member of the Big East Conference was assumed to be a concern for Jones because that league is losing members from its traditional geographical footprint and replacing them with schools from San Diego State to Central Florida.

Cincinnati’s need to upgrade Nippert Stadium was also believed to be an issue Jones wanted addressed. It’s unclear if school officials there have given him assurances about either of those issues or if Jones simply decided he is comfortable in his current job.

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