There’s reason for some guarded optimism around Colorado heading into 2026, even after a 3-9 finish in 2025. Deion Sanders has brought in new coordinators on both sides of the ball - offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and defensive coordinator Chris Marve - and the roster has been reshaped enough to make the Buffaloes look like a team that could hang around in the Big 12.
The oddsmakers still aren’t buying in. FanDuel Sportsbook has Colorado at 4.5 wins for 2026, which leaves bowl eligibility sitting there as a possibility, but far from a sure thing. For Sanders, the path forward comes with three major questions that will decide whether this rebuild starts to move in the right direction.
The first one is at quarterback, where Colorado is trying to move on from former Buffaloes signal caller and current Cleveland Brown Shedeur Sanders. That was always going to be a tough act to follow, and the position never settled in 2025. Sanders opened the season with Kaidon Salter, then Julian Lewis and Ryan Staub both got chances as the offense searched for a spark.
Now the expectation is that Lewis takes over full time in 2026. He’ll have Isaac Wilson and Kaneal Sweetwyne behind him, but the job appears to be his. As a true freshman, Lewis played in four games, completed 55.3 percent of his passes, and finished with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
He won’t be working with the same supporting cast, either. Colorado’s new receiver group is led by transfers Danny Scudero, Kam Perry, and DeAndre Moore Jr., giving Lewis a fresh set of targets and giving the Buffs some of the optimism surrounding the roster. The question is simple: can he show he’s the right quarterback for Colorado?
A lot of the roster buzz comes from the transfer portal, and Sanders clearly targeted players with proven production. Scudero arrives after leading the nation with 1,297 receiving yards last season. On defense, Randon Fontenette brings a résumé that includes 24 starts in two seasons at Vanderbilt, along with 125 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
At the same time, there’s a bigger question hanging over how Sanders wants to build this program. Will he keep leaning on the portal, or is Colorado starting to move toward a different model?
The recruiting trail suggests a possible shift, with the Buffs landing 10 commitments in June and July. Rivals has Colorado’s class at No. 42 nationally and No. 4 in the Big 12.
Marve’s first season running the defense comes with a glaring problem that has to be fixed fast: the run defense. Colorado was hammered on the ground in 2025, ranking No. 135 out of 136 teams while giving up 222.5 rushing yards per game. Only Eastern Michigan was worse, allowing 232 rushing yards per game.
The pieces are there to try to stop the bleeding. New linebackers Liona Lefau and Gideon Lampron are expected to help clean things up in the middle, while the defensive line will be under the microscope all season. Transfers Ezra Christensen, Dylan Manuel, and Lamont Lester Jr. are all expected to play major roles there, but the real question is which newcomers will emerge as the leaders and how much depth Colorado actually has up front.
In Other News...
Brennan Marion Just Sent A Message Colorado Fans Have Been Waiting For
Colorados rushing game has been a work in progress, and Brennan Marion has made it clear he intends to change that. The Buffaloes offensive coordinator has been pushing to lift a ground attack that finished near the bottom of the Big 12, and his background suggests he has a plan worth watching. Marion has already shown at previous stops that he can help turn around a run game, which is part of why his arrival carried real expectations for a unit that needs more consistency.
A viral scrimmage clip offered a glimpse of how direct Marion is being with his backs, and it also seemed to resonate with Deion Sanders. Richard Young is among the players Colorado hopes can fit into Marions Go-Go offense, which is expected to lean more heavily on two-running-back looks and a deeper rotation of ball carriers. For a team trying to build a tougher identity on offense, the message from the sideline was hard to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Toughest Stretch Could Define Coach Primes Rebound Year
October already looks like the month that will tell the story of Colorados 2026 season. The Buffaloes have a brutal run of Big 12 games coming up, with Texas Tech, Utah, Oklahoma State and Kansas State all waiting in the same stretch, and a bye week offering only a brief pause in the middle of it. For a program trying to reset after a major offseason overhaul, that kind of slate is going to test how quickly the new pieces can come together.
The challenge is made even steeper by the company Colorado is keeping at the top of the league. Texas Tech enters as the defending Big 12 champion and the clear favorite, while Utah and Kansas State also sit near the top of the odds board, which leaves the Buffs facing a month where they are likely to be underdogs in every game. With 43 transfers and new coordinators Chris Marve and Brennan Marion in place, October may end up being less about style points and more about whether Coach Primes rebuilt roster can hold up when the schedule gets unforgiving. [Read more 🡒]