Colorado’s path to a bowl game in 2026 already looks like it will be decided by a handful of swing games.
As July arrives and Coach Prime gets set to meet with reporters next Tuesday to kick off Big 12 Media Days, the Buffs sit in that tricky middle ground: not quite a sure thing, not quite a team you can dismiss. The most sensible preseason read puts Colorado somewhere between 5-7 and 7-5, with 6-6 the cleanest forecast before camp opens.
That’s not a knock. It’s the shape of a schedule that doesn’t offer many freebies and is loaded with games that could go either way.
The opener against Georgia Tech stands out immediately. It’s too early to call it the whole season, but it’s hard to ignore how much a win would change the tone.
Start 1-0, and the rest of the schedule looks a lot friendlier. Start 0-1, and the climb to six wins gets a lot steeper.
Colorado should handle Weber State, though it’s not the kind of game to treat casually. Devin Brown brings real experience from his time at Ohio State and Cal, and he’s back close to home in a system he already knows well from high school. That doesn’t make Weber State a favorite by any stretch, but it does mean the Buffs are facing more than just a placeholder opponent.
The trip to Northwestern feels like another game Colorado probably has to win if it wants to make bowl math easier later. Nobody’s hanging a banner for beating Northwestern in September, but those are exactly the kinds of road games that separate 6-6 from 5-7.
Once Big 12 play starts, the margin for error shrinks fast. Baylor looks like a difficult assignment. Texas Tech, with Brendan Sorsby no longer in the picture, feels a little less daunting than it did recently, but it still isn’t the kind of game Colorado can coast through.
The middle stretch is where the concern really starts to build. Utah, Kansas State, and Arizona State all look like games where the Buffs could play well and still come up short.
One win out of that group is possible, and probably necessary. Two would be a big ask right now.
Then comes the back end of the schedule, where Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF could end up deciding whether Colorado is headed toward late December or left sorting through what went wrong. The Buffs likely need two wins from those three. Take all three, and 7-5 or better becomes realistic.
Here’s how the preseason game-by-game picks break down:
Georgia Tech: Loss
Weber State: Win
Northwestern: Win
Baylor: Loss
Texas Tech: Loss
Utah: Loss
Oklahoma State: Win
Kansas State: Loss
Arizona State: Loss
Houston: Win
Cincinnati: Loss
UCF: Win
That adds up to 6-6, which feels about right for July. It’s not a panic forecast, and it’s not a rosy one either. It’s just a fair read on a schedule that leaves Colorado little room to breathe.
The Buffs don’t need a miracle to get back to a bowl. They need to take care of Weber State, cash in on the winnable Big 12 games, and steal one result that changes the whole mood of the season.
Georgia Tech won’t decide everything. But it could shape how the rest of Colorado’s year feels from the jump.
In Other News...
Jalen Ramsey Just Validated What Deion Sanders Is Building At Colorado
Colorados offseason overhaul is starting to sound like more than a personnel move. With Brennan Marion taking over as offensive coordinator and Chris Marve stepping in on defense for the 2026 season, Deion Sanders has assembled a staff that blends NFL experience with proven college ideas, and that kind of mix is already changing how the program is viewed from the outside. A leadership retreat visit from Jalen Ramsey only added to the buzz, giving the Buffaloes another high-profile voice pointing to the appeal of what Sanders is building.
Ramseys presence mattered because it underscored the shift in energy around the program, one that is tied as much to coaching credibility as to talent acquisition. Colorado has spent the offseason reworking both sides of the ball, and the new structure carries the feel of a program trying to separate itself from the pack by giving players a more professional environment and a clearer strategic identity. For a team still trying to turn recruiting momentum into sustained success, that kind of validation is the sort of thing that can echo well beyond one visit. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Faces Another Big Recruiting Test In Colorado Backfield
Colorados pursuit of three-star running back Kylan Bobo has become the latest recruiting subplot to watch as July approaches, with the Buffaloes trying to keep momentum going in a backfield they have worked hard to stock. Colorados offensive scheme and its recent recruiting push have both helped make the program an attractive option, and the staff has clearly put itself in position to matter in a race that also includes Arkansas and Memphis.
Prediction models have leaned heavily toward Colorado, but the real answer will have to wait until Bobo makes his commitment decision on July 1. For the Buffaloes, the timing matters even more because they are still looking to add stability to the running back room in their 2027 class, and landing Bobo would give this recruiting run another important lift. [Read more 🡒]
Coach Prime Just Gave Colorado Fans The Update They Needed
Deion Sanders long absence from much of the 2025 offseason left Colorado with plenty of uncertainty, but the Buffaloes have spent the spring and summer building around his return for 2026. The staff looks different too, with Brennan Marion in as offensive coordinator and Chris Marve elevated to defensive coordinator, while the roster has been bolstered by transfers and the retention of quarterback Julian Lewis.
There is also real momentum on the recruiting front, where Colorado has positioned itself with one of the Big 12s top classes for 2027. After a year defined as much by medical concern as football, Sanders being back on the sideline changes the tenor of everything in Boulder, and the next question is whether all those offseason moves can translate into the kind of season the program has been trying to set up. [Read more 🡒]