Deion Sanders didn’t spend much time sugarcoating what Colorado is walking into this weekend.
Fresh off the bye week and back in front of reporters Tuesday, the Buffaloes coach made it clear that the challenge posed by No. 11 Utah sits at the top of the list, even with No.
10 Texas Tech ranked higher in the AP Top 25 Poll and the Red Raiders drawing plenty of attention in the Big 12. Sanders said his team is staring at what he considers its toughest matchup of the season when Utah comes to Folsom Field on Saturday.
Sanders had plenty of praise for Utah coach Morgan Scalley, and he didn’t hold back on the respect factor.
"He (Scalley) was a dog when he played, he was an unbelievable coordinator. Now he's a tremendous head coach.
Utmost respect, utmost respect. . . . He's replacing a legend, man.
That's not easy, and he hadn't missed a beat," Sanders said.
He then turned to the Utes themselves, describing a defense that comes at opponents from every direction and thrives off the pressure created by Utah’s offense.
"Gonna be a daunting task, offensively, there. They get after it there defensively, they get after it there there.
They really feed off of, because they scoring points offensively, so the defense is pinning their ears back, they're going at you, they blitz and they're coming from North, South, East and West. And they're really a darn good football team, probably the best team we're gonna face this season," the Colorado coach continued.
The matchup comes after Utah dropped its game against Texas Tech before the bye week, and it will be the second ranked opponent to travel to Boulder and face the Buffaloes. The numbers only reinforce why Sanders is bracing for a rough night.
Utah is averaging 42.8 points per game on offense and owns the best scoring defense in the Big 12, allowing just 13 points per game. Colorado’s offensive issues have only added to the concern, and the Buffs may have trouble generating much regardless of who lines up at quarterback.
That quarterback situation has been unsettled from the start. Julian Lewis opened the season as Colorado’s starter, but the staff turned to Isaac Wilson in the loss to Baylor.
Freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne has also seen action, completing eight of his 12 pass attempts so far this year. Sanders said Wilson will be starting again instead of Julian Lewis.
The betting market is reflecting the gap, too. DraftKings Sportsbook lists Utah as a 15.5-point favorite, with Colorado sitting at +525 on the moneyline and Utah at -720. DraftKings also has Colorado’s team total at 16.5 points, a tough number to look at when the Buffaloes have averaged just 9.0 points per game over their last three games.
In Other News...
Colorado Faces A Familiar Isaac Wilson Problem Against Utah
Isaac Wilsons move from Utah to Colorado has added a little extra edge to an already interesting matchup, and Utah coach Morgan Scalley didnt sound like someone surprised by the challenge ahead. Scalley praised Wilsons arm talent while also stressing the basic truth of the sport: it takes more than one player to win a game. With Wilson and cornerback Jason Stokes Jr. both set to line up against their former school, the Buffaloes are dealing with the kind of familiar crossover that can make a regular-season game feel a little more personal.
For Colorado, the intrigue goes beyond the roster links and into how much Utah already understands about the players it helped develop. Scalleys comments made clear that the reunion angle only goes so far, since both sides know this is still about execution, not nostalgia. Even so, when a quarterback and a defensive back arrive from the same program and end up staring down their old teammates, the matchup naturally carries a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Tennis Finally Has The Depth For A Real Regional Push
Colorados tennis team heads into the 2026 ITA Mountain Regional Championship at BYU from Oct. 13-17 with a level of depth it has been building toward for some time. The Buffaloes will travel with seven players and enter the event near full strength, a setup that gives them more options in both singles and doubles than they have had in past regional runs. Coaches have been upbeat about how the group has prepared, and the bracket reflects a team with enough quality to contend across multiple matches.
Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo give Colorado a seeded doubles tandem, while Yukiko Ikedo is the lone Buffalo in the qualifying singles draw and six teammates are already set for the main draw. For a program trying to turn promising pieces into a regional push, that kind of balance matters because every round can shift the path toward nationals. The question now is not whether Colorado has enough players to compete, but how far that depth can carry them when the tournament begins. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Is Betting On Isaac Wilson In A Brutal Spot
Deion Sanders is sticking with Isaac Wilson at quarterback coming out of the bye week, and the move carries a little extra weight for Colorado as it heads into one of its most awkward matchups of the season. Wilson, a transfer from Utah, got his first start for the Buffs and showed both sides of the ledger, helping the offense find the end zone while also struggling with the kind of mistakes that can quickly tighten the leash on a new starter.
Now the next stop is even more complicated, with Colorado set to face Utah and Wilson expected to lead the offense against the program he just left. Julian Lewis and Kaneal Sweetwyne are waiting in the wings, but for the moment Sanders is betting on Wilson to steady things and keep the job as the Buffs try to navigate a tough stretch with familiar faces on the other sideline. [Read more 🡒]