Colorado’s 2026 football season comes with plenty of unanswered questions, and the Buffaloes open it with a trip to a familiar place for Deion Sanders. CU kicks off Sept. 3 in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, the city where Sanders began his dual professional sports career with the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons.
That Atlanta backdrop has not been kind to him in the past. The capital of Georgia has a 0-2 record against Sanders dating back to his coaching days at Jackson State.
Sanders has also reshaped his staff again, bringing in Brennan Marion as offensive coordinator and Chris Marve as defensive coordinator ahead of the 2026 season. After flipping the roster a fourth time since Sanders delivered his famed Louis Luggage speech in Boulder, Colorado enters the year trying to answer a bigger question: can the Buffs win a bowl game for the first time in 22 years?
Here’s a look at Colorado’s 2026 schedule, including dates, times and TV information:
Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Sept. 12 vs. Weber State, 3:30 p.m.
ET, ESPN+
Sept. 19 at Northwestern, 7:30 p.m.
ET, TBA
Sept. 26 at Baylor, TBA, TBA
Oct. 3 vs. Texas Tech, TBA, TBA
Oct. 17 vs. Utah, TBA, TBA
Oct. 24 at OK State, TBA, TBA
Oct. 31 vs.
Kansas State, TBA, TBA
Nov. 13 at Arizona State, TBA, TBA
Nov. 21 vs. Houston, TBA, TBA
Nov. 28 at Cincinnati, TBA, TBA
Dec.
5 Big 12 Championship, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
In Other News...
Colorado Defense May Have Found An Immediate Difference Maker
Lamont Lester Jr. wasted little time making his presence felt for Colorado, turning in a breakout night against Georgia Tech with three sacks. One of them came at a pivotal third-quarter moment, ending a drive and giving the Buffaloes a jolt from a defensive newcomer who looked anything but new to the stage.
Lester had already shown the mindset for this kind of performance in a previous podcast interview, describing himself as relentless and intent on dominating while continuing to improve. He also pointed to the coaching he received at Monmouth and said confidence and preparation were central to his development, which is exactly the kind of foundation Colorado will be hoping translates into more immediate impact. [Read more 🡒]
Former Colorado Defender Just Added Real Emotion To The Georgia Tech Opener
Ahead of the season opener, Georgia Tech defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas put a little extra edge into a matchup that already had plenty of built-in intrigue. Thomas, who spent time at Louisville and Colorado before transferring to Atlanta, is giving the Yellow Jackets some help on the defensive line after a career that included a stint under Deion Sanders with the Buffs and a run of production that made him a meaningful addition for his new team.
Thomas also made it clear the opener carries more than ordinary first-game stakes for him. In a social media post, he expressed a desire for revenge against his former school, turning a nonconference matchup into something more personal and giving Colorado another layer to think about as it gets ready to open the year against a player who knows the program from the inside. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados 2026 Offense Hinges On One Huge Question
Colorados offense for 2026 is already taking shape around a familiar kind of optimism, with Deion Sanders entering another season and new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion charged with keeping the unit moving in the right direction. The early read points to quarterback Julian Lewis as the most important piece, after a promising freshman season that set him up to be the expected starter and the centerpiece of whatever Marion wants to build.
Joseph Williams also looms as a possible difference-maker at receiver, giving the Buffaloes at least one more name to watch as the offense comes into focus. Still, the bigger question is whether Lewis can make the leap from promising young quarterback to true driver of the attack, because for Colorado, the answer may define how much Marion can open things up in his first year calling the offense. [Read more 🡒]