The NCAA’s new football calendar could reshape one of the defining habits of the Deion Sanders era at Colorado: the January roster overhaul.
For the Buffaloes, that winter churn has become part of the routine. But beginning in 2027, the transfer window that fuels so much of that work would shrink from 15 days to 10, forcing Colorado to move faster when it tries to rebuild again.
The FBS Oversight Committee approved a package Friday that also would create two offseason practice periods totaling 21 on-field practices and push the start of the 2027 season to the Thursday of what is now Week 0. The Division I Cabinet still must give final approval at its Oct. 6-7 meeting before the changes can take effect Jan.
- Under the proposal, the 2027 regular season would run over 14 weeks, keep 12 games and include a second bye.
Colorado has leaned harder on the portal than almost anyone. Sanders brought in 66 new players for 2026, and the January window has been central to replacing major pieces while also stacking another incoming class.
That makes the shorter portal period especially relevant in Boulder. Colorado already had 33 scholarship players in the portal before former left tackle Jordan Seaton joined them, and losing five days means less time to sort through needs, line up replacements and finish the job before the clock runs out.
The new setup rewards teams that arrive with a clear plan. Sanders has essentially rebuilt the roster every winter since arriving in 2023, so the prep work before the window opens figures to matter even more.
There is a tradeoff, though, and Colorado stands to benefit from it. Instead of the current 15 spring practices, teams could get 21 on-field practices split across two offseason periods, with neither period lasting more than five weeks and the total stretching across no more than seven weeks.
That matters for a staff trying to install Brennan Marion’s GO-GO offense and Chris Marve’s defense at the same time. Colorado entered 2026 with only five returning starters, so every extra rep helps a rebuilt group get on the same page before camp begins.
But the calendar shifts that help in the spring come with a tighter squeeze in August. Preseason camp would be cut from 25 practices to 21 over a 27-day window, and schools would also have to set aside at least nine voluntary weeks when required activities are off limits.
The 2027 season start would also change the rhythm of the sport nationally. Colorado already opens on a Thursday at Georgia Tech this season, and in 2027 that same Thursday timing becomes the league-wide kickoff point before the regular season wraps up the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The extra week brings a second bye, which could be valuable in a Big 12 schedule that can send Colorado across several time zones in the same year. Recommended changes to off-campus recruiting are also headed to the Cabinet in October.
That recruiting piece ties back to the transfer window, and Colorado has been pushing harder into high school recruiting too. Marion said Sanders remains deeply involved in the evaluation process.
“Prime has been involved in every recruiting decision,” Marion said. “He’s watched every guy and verified with his eyes to make sure it's the right player coming into the program.”
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Opener Turns On One Unsettling QB Unknown
Colorados season opener against Georgia Tech brings a quarterback matchup with more uncertainty than polish, and both sides are leaning on players who have not yet had much time to settle in. The Buffaloes will turn to redshirt freshman Julian Lewis in their new Go-Go offense, a scheme built to put the quarterback on the move, while Georgia Tech counters with sophomore Alberto Mendoza, a transfer from Indiana who is stepping into his first start with the Yellow Jackets.
The intrigue is not just who can make the cleaner throws, but who can survive the chaos that comes with so little proven game tape. Lewis enters with limited college experience, and Mendoza arrives after spending a season behind his brother Fernando Mendoza, so both offenses are asking a lot from quarterbacks still trying to define themselves. For Colorado, the question hanging over the opener is whether that youth helps the Buffaloes unlock something fresh or leaves them exposed against a Georgia Tech team built to make quarterbacks work for everything. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Added A Quiet Offensive Weapon For Its Young Quarterbacks
Colorado quietly added another layer to its offensive staff in January when AJ Smith arrived as an offensive analyst, giving the Buffaloes a veteran voice with a background that stretches from high school football to college, the XFL and the UFL. For a program still shaping the future around young quarterbacks, Smith brings more than just coaching reps. He has spent years building tools designed to help signal-callers learn faster and process more efficiently.
Deion Sanders has already pointed to Smiths professional play-calling experience and his work in quarterback development technology as part of what makes him useful in Boulder. Smith has helped develop a virtual reality system and a quarterback analytics platform called Modern Football, the kind of behind-the-scenes work that can matter most when a young QB room is trying to speed up its growth. The full impact may take time to show, but Colorado clearly sees value in adding a mind built for both teaching and innovation. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Lewis Now Carries Colorados Biggest 2026 Question
Danny Scuderos move to Boulder gives Colorado another piece for an offense that badly needed more help after last seasons struggles. Under Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, the Buffaloes have been trying to reshape the receiver room with transfers, and Scudero joins a group that will be judged not just on talent, but on how quickly it can mesh in Marions Go-Go offense.
Julian Lewis is the name that hangs over all of it. The young quarterbacks development will go a long way toward determining whether Colorados offense can take a real step forward in 2026, and the additions around him are meant to make that path smoother. Scudero and the other newcomers raise the ceiling, but the bigger question remains how much Lewis can grow into the job once the ball is in his hands. [Read more 🡒]