Colorado keeps giving critics reasons to circle the wagons, but the Buffaloes are not out of answers yet.
Deion Sanders’ team has now hit a rough patch for the third time in four seasons, and the latest slide has only fueled the noise around Boulder. Sanders has drawn heat for his comments about quarterback play and the offense’s slow starts, and the online crowd has been quick to declare the roof is caving in. But Colorado still has enough in place to suggest this season is not finished.
The biggest difference from last year is on defense. That unit was a mess in 2025, giving up 30.5 points per game and struggling to pressure the quarterback or force turnovers.
This season, defensive coordinator Chris Marve has tightened things up. Colorado is allowing just 20.8 points per game so far in 2026, and the Buffaloes have leaned on gap control and a Big 12-best 43 tackles for loss to get there.
That kind of production shows up in the trenches, where Colorado has been able to hold its own more consistently. The challenge now is making sure the defense doesn’t have to carry too much of the load and wear down late.
There is also recent proof that Colorado can flip a bad stretch with one statement win. On Oct. 17, the Buffaloes hosted No.
22 Iowa State as the underdog and came away with a 24-17 win. Defense drove that result, with Colorado recording four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and keeping former Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht out of the end zone through the air.
That memory matters with No. 13 Utah coming to town next around the same time of year.
The Utes are a different kind of challenge entirely, especially with a defense that ranks first among Big 12 teams at 10.3 points allowed per game. Still, Colorado has already shown it can find a jolt in a game like this.
The offense is the part that has to catch up. The Buffaloes need steadier quarterback play, whether that comes from Isaac Wilson, Julian Lewis or someone else. That remains the clearest path to turning the season.
There is also some help potentially on the way after the bye week. Wide receiver Danny Scudero, the prized transfer from San Jose State, has not been healthy yet because of a foot injury. If he can get right, he could ease some of the burden on Joseph Williams and DeAndre Moore Jr., especially with defenses already keying on both.
Another San Jose State transfer, Vili Taufatofua, has also missed snaps and could give Colorado more depth up front, including a chance to slide inside and help lighten the load on defensive lineman Santana Hopper.
Colorado still has pieces worth believing in. The defense is better.
The running game has flashed. Williams and Moore have kept the passing attack afloat.
If the quarterback play stabilizes after the week off, the Buffaloes have enough to stop the panic from becoming the whole story.
In Other News...
Colorado Let A Big Chance Slip In Costly Four Set Loss
Colorados trip to Desert Financial Arena started with promise, as the No. 23 Buffaloes took the opening set from No. 11 Arizona State and looked ready to put a statement win on the board. Instead, the Sun Devils settled in and Colorado wound up dropping the next three sets, leaving the Buffs with a 10-4 record and a 2-3 mark in conference play after a match that felt very much there for the taking.
There were still individual bright spots for Colorado in the loss, with Peyton Neal reaching a career milestone on the defensive side and Jenna Ylivainio turning in another busy night at the net. Ylivainios production gave the Buffs some resistance as the match wore on, but the bigger concern is the one Colorado keeps trying to solve in league play: how to turn a good start into a full four-set performance against one of the conferences better teams. [Read more 🡒]
No. 24 Colorado Puts Its Home Streak On The Line Against Kansas
Colorados 3-0 win over Baylor did more than keep the Buffs rolling. It pushed the No. 24 team into the program record book with a new mark for consecutive home wins, and it also preserved a perfect 8-0 home record heading into an Oct. 11 visit from Kansas. The Buffs have been especially tough to break down in Boulder, stacking up eight shutouts already, with freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish collecting her fifth solo shutout in the process.
Kansas arrives with plenty of momentum of its own, having posted three shutout wins in its last four games and leaning on midfielder Jillian Gregorski to drive the attack. For Colorado, the challenge is as much about maintaining the standard it has built at home as it is about handling a Jayhawks side that has recently made life difficult for opponents. The matchup has all the ingredients of a test between a team protecting a streak and another trying to spoil it. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Bye Week Could Expose Problems Deion Sanders Must Fix
With Colorado on a bye, Deion Sanders gets a rare chance to step back and study the road ahead instead of worrying about the next snap. The Buffaloes are expected to keep a close eye on Utah, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, using the week off to gather a better feel for the opponents waiting in the weeks ahead. It is the kind of pause that can be valuable for a team still sorting out its own identity on both sides of the ball.
What makes this stretch especially useful is that each of those upcoming opponents offers a different kind of test, from offensive tempo to defensive pressure to the little details that can swing a game plan. Colorados staff is looking for clues on where the Buffaloes need to tighten things up, particularly in how they handle matchups on offense and contain them on defense. The bye week may be quiet on the schedule, but for Sanders it is also a chance to spot the problems that will matter most once play resumes. [Read more 🡒]