Colorado knows how fast a promising start can turn fragile, and that’s exactly why the Buffaloes’ next two games matter so much.
Deion Sanders’ team is 2-0 after surviving Georgia Tech and rolling past Weber State 52-21 behind a historic performance from freshman quarterback Julian Lewis. Now comes a stretch that will tell a lot more about Colorado than the first two weeks did: road games at Northwestern and Baylor, with three road trips packed into the opening four weeks.
The Northwestern trip is the kind of game Colorado cannot let slip away if it wants to stay on a bowl track. The Wildcats are coming off a seven-win season that ended with a bowl win, but this is still the sort of matchup a bowl-caliber team has to handle. A win would send Colorado to 3-0 before the Buffaloes head to Baylor for their Big 12 opener.
Baylor is no pushover, either. The Bears opened with a 17-16 loss to Auburn, then beat Prairie View A&M 44-3. If Colorado can win in Waco, it would not only pick up its first conference victory, it would also bring the Buffaloes home unbeaten.
That’s where the math starts to get interesting.
If Colorado drops both games, it would be 2-2 entering October and would need to split its final eight Big 12 games just to reach bowl eligibility. If the Buffaloes go 3-1 through these first four games, they would still need three wins the rest of the way.
But a 4-0 start would change the whole conversation.
With five of Colorado’s final eight games at Folsom Field, the path to six wins would look much more manageable. At that point, the bigger question wouldn’t be whether the Buffaloes can get to a bowl. It would be how far they can go.
There’s a reason that question carries weight in Boulder. Colorado fans have already watched a fast start turn into a season-long crash.
In 2023, Sanders opened his first year in Boulder with a 45-42 win at TCU, then followed it with home victories over Nebraska and Colorado State. The Buffaloes were 3-0, nationally ranked and the biggest story in college football. Bowl hopes looked real.
Then the schedule tightened up.
Colorado was blown out 42-6 at Oregon, though that result was easier to brush off. Ducks coach Dan Lanning said the Buffaloes were “fighting for clicks” while Oregon was “fighting for wins.”
The Buffaloes nearly pulled off a comeback against USC before falling 48-41, and even then the energy around the program kept building. They were still competitive against eventual Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
A road win at Arizona State pushed Colorado to 4-2 and left the Buffaloes needing just two more wins to become bowl eligible.
They never got them.
The slide started with a 46-43 double-overtime loss at Stanford after Colorado blew a 29-0 halftime lead. Then came a 28-16 loss to UCLA, where Shedeur Sanders was sacked seven times by a pass rush led by future first-round draft pick Laiatu Latu.
Close home losses to Oregon State and Arizona followed, then a 56-14 nationally televised beating by Cam Ward and Washington State. Sanders was injured and sat out the season finale against Utah.
Colorado finished 4-8, losing its final six games and eight of its last nine.
That’s the backdrop for what happens now. The Buffaloes have already shown they can get off to a fast start. They’ve also shown how quickly that can disappear.
In Other News...
Hope Leyba Is Giving Colorado Another Reason To Believe
Hope Leyba has given Colorado plenty to smile about early in the season, and her latest outing only sharpened the sense that the Buffaloes have another proven finisher leading the way. The senior forward was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after delivering a hat trick in Colorados 6-0 win over Denver, a performance that reminded everyone how quickly she can change a match when she finds space in front of goal.
It was her fourth career Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honor and her first this season, another sign that Leyba remains a central figure for Colorados attack. She also moved to 83 career points, which puts her fifth on the programs all-time scoring list, and gives the Buffaloes even more reason to keep watching how high her final chapter can climb. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Is Still Holding Back On Julian Lewis For Now
Julian Lewis breakout against Weber State gave Colorado a fresh look at what the future could hold at quarterback, but Deion Sanders is not in any hurry to change the plan. The Buffaloes coach pointed to Lewis limited experience at this level and framed the young quarterbacks growth as a process, not a sprint, even as his recent play has given the offense a new jolt of energy.
Lewis is already starting to show the kind of leadership that matters beyond the box score, too, whether it is taking the offensive line out to eat or leaning into the daily work that comes with being the face of the position. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion has praised Lewis arm strength, while also stressing that the next step is sharpening the habits and details that separate a talented quarterback from a fully trusted one. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Faces An Early Reality Check In Its First Real Road Test
Colorados trip to Northwestern arrives as an early measuring stick, the kind of September road game that can tell you a lot about where a team really stands. Deion Sanders Buffaloes are unbeaten in the eye test of a young season, but the numbers have been a little more cautious, with advanced projections and betting markets leaning slightly toward the Wildcats. ESPNs Football Power Index has Colorado 50th nationally and still gives the Buffs a 59.8 percent shot at reaching a bowl game, which is fine company for a team still trying to establish its identity.
Evanston adds another layer to the test, because this is not just a change of opponent but a change of setting, with weather and stadium conditions potentially shaping how cleanly Colorado can play. The matchup comes in the Buffaloes third game, so there is still time for a bounce-back or a statement either way, but this is the first real road exam and it should reveal whether Colorado is simply surviving early or actually built to handle the kind of games that tend to define a season. [Read more 🡒]