Colorado’s path to staying in the bowl picture runs straight through Stillwater, and the challenge waiting there is a brutal one. The Buffaloes arrive at 2-4 after four straight losses, needing a road win over Oklahoma State to keep their 2026 postseason hopes alive.
The quarterback situation has settled, at least for now, with Isaac Wilson in line to make his third consecutive start. He replaced a struggling Julian Lewis at halftime of Colorado’s last road game against Baylor, and the Buffs have stuck with him since. The results have been uneven: Wilson has thrown for 699 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions since taking over, and those giveaways have hurt.
Two of those interceptions stand out. One came on a pick-six in Colorado’s own end zone in the loss to then-No.
12 Texas Tech in Week 5. The other came against his former team, then-No.
11 Utah, when Wilson forced a late fourth-quarter throw that was picked off and set up a game-sealing touchdown for the Utes. Colorado still had one last chance and came up a hail mary short.
Now the Buffs need a cleaner afternoon from Wilson if they want any shot at hanging with Oklahoma State’s offense. The Cowboys are 4-2 and drew the most AP Top 25 votes of any unranked team in Week 8, collecting 128.
That offense runs through Drew Mestemaker, who has become one of the biggest names in the Big 12. ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has him as the top quarterback in the 2027 class and projected him at No. 2 overall in his latest mock draft. However you view that projection, it reflects the level of attention Mestemaker is bringing into this matchup.
Oklahoma State is averaging 329.5 passing yards per game, which leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally. That puts enormous pressure on Colorado’s defense, and the Buffaloes are framing the battle in the trenches as the key to slowing things down.
“[Our mentality is to] just really pressure the quarterback and make him uncomfortable,” said Colorado defensive lineman Dylan Manuel during his Tuesday presser. “Because when he has pressure in his face, he’s not really good.
He gets out of character. So just putting pressure on him, making him uncomfortable and not just letting him sit back there and dial us up.”
Manuel, Santana Hopper and a returning Lamont Lester Jr. are the names to watch up front for Colorado.
There’s also a chance the Buffs’ offense shows more life than it has against a Power Four opponent so far this season. Oklahoma State’s run defense has been a problem, allowing 151.2 yards per game on the ground, and Colorado’s running back room could be positioned to take advantage if the Buffs can get the ground game rolling. That wouldn’t just help Wilson; it could give Colorado its best offensive showing against a Power Four foe yet.
In Other News...
Colorado Risks A Bigger Problem If This Young Corner Stays Buried
Colorados secondary has been a moving target this season, and the cornerback spot has been one of the biggest reasons why. With several defenders rotating through and the group still searching for stability, there has been an opening for a young player to carve out a larger role. Mojo Williams Jr. looked like a candidate to do exactly that after showing promise in spring practice and the spring game, where he turned heads with his coverage.
Instead, his season has mostly been spent on the margins, with only a brief run of action in the Week 2 blowout of Weber State. That is where the concern starts for Colorado, because a player who flashed enough in the spring to earn attention can become a name other programs notice too if he is not used more now. For a defense already dealing with issues on the back end, the Buffs may be risking more than just depth if Williams stays buried. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Depth May Depend On One Late-Season Development
Colorados preparation for the Nov. 2 season opener has started to clarify the shape of Tad Boyles rotation, and it looks like the Buffaloes will lean on a familiar core of guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders and Ian Inman, plus forwards Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual and David Gomez. Even before the games begin, the roster balance points to a team that will need its returning pieces to carry the early load while the newcomers get a feel for the level and the pace.
Amir Jones, Rider Portela, Chase Hill and Eric Jacobsen are the freshmen most likely to occupy the end of the bench at the outset, contributing more in practice than in regular game action. The bigger question for Colorados depth may be how much Gomez can give right away as he works back from foot surgery, because his availability could shape how much flexibility Boyle has in the frontcourt once the season starts to get crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Cracks Down After Disturbing Student Section Incident
Oklahoma State is taking visible steps to tighten up the atmosphere in Boone Pickens Stadium after a disturbing incident in which two Cowboy Marching Band members were injured by objects thrown from the student section. The school is responding ahead of homecoming by shifting the band to a different part of the stadium and by adding more security and camera monitoring around the area where the trouble happened.
For Colorado, the change adds another layer to a road environment that should already be lively and charged. The matchup will now come with a different look in the stands as Oklahoma State tries to protect its band and send a message about behavior in the student section, while the details of the punishments handed down show just how seriously the university is treating the episode. [Read more 🡒]