Colorado is being treated like a long shot in 2026, but the path to a Big 12 run may not be as far-fetched as it looks on paper.
Deion Sanders has spent the offseason reshaping the program almost from scratch. Colorado has turned over nearly the entire roster through the transfer portal, and the staff has changed too, with Brennan Marion hired as offensive coordinator and Chris Marve promoted to defensive coordinator. That kind of overhaul makes the Buffaloes tough to pin down, especially after a 3-9 finish in 2025.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich dismissed Colorado’s chances of making the College Football Playoff or the Big 12 title game, and that reaction makes sense at first glance. A new roster, a new coaching staff, and a young quarterback in Julian Lewis expected to start all point to a team still trying to find its footing. But the conference race may be a different story.
In ESPN’s Max Olson’s 26 simulations of EA College Football 27, Colorado won the Big 12 twice and earned a spot in the 12-team playoff both times. BYU and Texas Tech came out on top most often, but Colorado was part of a cluster of surprise contenders that also included Kansas State, Baylor, TCU, and Utah. The broader point is hard to miss: behind the top teams, the Big 12 looks deep and packed with parity.
Colorado’s roster additions are part of what makes the ceiling interesting. On offense, the Buffaloes brought in running backs Damian Henderson and JaQuail Smith, along with wide receivers Danny Scudero, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Kam Perry. Defensively, Colorado added more than 10 defensive linemen, plus linebackers Liona Lefau and Gideon Lampron, with defensive backs Justin Eaglin and Randon Fontenette also expected to play roles.
The schedule will tell the real story. Colorado’s Big 12 slate includes home games against Texas Tech, Utah, and Houston, along with road trips to Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Those are the kinds of matchups that will show whether Sanders’ team is simply rebuilding or actually capable of making noise in the league race.
The playoff route is another matter. An at-large berth is going to be a hard climb for any Big 12 team, and BYU being left out of the 12-team field after the 2025 season is the clearest reminder of that. Two losses appears to be the limit for an at-large team outside the SEC or Big Ten, and even then there’s no guarantee.
That said, Colorado’s bigger goal may not be the playoff right away after last season’s collapse. Sanders has said this is the best coaching staff he’s had in Boulder, and the real question is whether that staff can turn all this new talent into something cohesive.
The betting markets are not buying much yet. FanDuel Sportsbook has Colorado’s win total at 4.5, and the Buffaloes are tied for the second-worst odds to win the Big 12 at +10,000. Texas Tech sits far ahead of the pack at +105.
If Colorado does find a way to crash the title race, it would stand out as one of the season’s biggest dark-horse stories.
In Other News...
Purdue Just Landed A Nonconference Spotlight Game With Real Stakes
Colorados nonconference schedule is getting a real measuring-stick game, with the Buffaloes set to face Purdue in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 19, 2026. For Tad Boyle, its the kind of matchup that should tell his team a lot before Big 12 play begins, especially against a Boilermakers program that brings size, structure and the sort of national profile that can expose where a roster still needs work.
The setting only adds to the challenge, since this figures to be one of the more demanding games on Colorados 2026 slate and a showcase that will draw plenty of attention. It also carries a personal wrinkle for center Eric Jacobsen, who is looking forward to the trip and the chance to be part of a frontcourt battle that gives the night a little extra edge beyond the usual nonconference spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Three Colorado Camp Battles Could Make Or Break The 2026 Season
Fall camp is doing what it always does for a program still sorting itself out: forcing Colorado to turn practice reps into decisions. The Buffaloes are using August to trim a crowded depth chart at a few spots that can swing a season, with the nickelback job, both tackle spots and the defensive front all under the microscope as the staff works toward a clearer picture before the opener at Georgia Tech.
At nickelback, freshman Preston Ashley has emerged as a name to watch while Boo Carter has been moved outside and other transfers keep pressing. Up front, the tackle mix includes Georgia transfer Bo Hughley, Cal transfer Leon Bell and Rutgers transfer Taj White, with Phillip Houston and Larry Johnson III still in the conversation, and the defensive line has its own long list of contenders led by Santana Hopper, Ezra Christensen, Tyler Moore, Samu Taumanupepe and several others. The common thread is simple enough: Colorado does not just need bodies in camp, it needs answers, and it needs them soon. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Added Another Four-Star To A Rebuild Fans Desperately Need
Colorados rebuild along the offensive line got another boost with the addition of Dewey Young, a four-star prospect in the 2027 class who joins fellow lineman LiMarcus Jones in giving the Buffaloes some much-needed future heft up front. Young has been viewed as one of the better interior line targets in the cycle, and his commitment fits the broader push under Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to stockpile the kind of blockers that can change the look of the offense.
Rivals has Young as the Big 12s top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class, and while he is listed at left tackle in high school, the expectation is that he ends up at guard in college. That matters for Colorado because the staff is not just chasing talent, it is trying to build a clearer identity in the trenches, with Andre Gurode set to help guide the line room. For a program still trying to stabilize its front, landing another highly regarded piece there is the sort of development that can make the long view feel a little less distant. [Read more 🡒]