Colorado’s preseason outlook may be getting dragged through the mud nationally, but there’s a real case that this Buffaloes roster looks a lot different than the one outsiders are dismissing.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich made her feelings plain with an “absolutely not” when asked about Colorado’s College Football Playoff and Big 12 title chances, and CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford went with another 3-9 prediction. Even with that noise swirling, Deion Sanders brushed off the All-Big 12 Conference preseason snubs at media days with a smile and a “we don't care” answer. Sanders sounds convinced this group can surprise people.
And if you look past the headlines, it’s not hard to see why Colorado fans might be thinking bigger.
The Buffaloes went shopping in the transfer portal for players who built their names outside the Power Four. North Dakota State edge rusher Toby Anene and former New Mexico State defensive tackle Ezra Christensen are part of that haul, along with ex-Tulane edge rusher Santana Hopper, who brings College Football Playoff experience with him. On offense, Colorado landed the NCAA’s receiving yardage leader in former San Jose State wideout Danny Scudero, another player making the jump into a bigger spotlight.
That’s the theme here: Colorado is betting on overlooked talent. These are players who had to carve out respect the hard way, whether that was in the Mountain West, the American Athletic Conference or the FCS. They may not have arrived with the flash of blue-chip Power Four offers, but they’ve already shown they can produce.
The biggest swing, though, may be on the sideline. Sanders has already gone through Sean Lewis and Pat Shurmur at offensive coordinator, and now Brennan Marion gets the shot.
Marion has a track record of flipping offenses fast. At UNLV, he oversaw a unit that piled up 68 rushing touchdowns across two seasons, and both of those Rebel offenses finished no lower than second in the Mountain West.
He then helped transform Sacramento State’s ground game from 12 touchdowns in 2024 to 39 in 2025 while the Hornets averaged 262.6 rushing yards per game.
That makes Marion look like the right fit for a Colorado run game that has been begging for a breakthrough. He’s already brought fresh energy to Alabama transfer Richard Young and added his Sacramento State standouts Damian Henderson II and Jaquail Smith. His “Go-Go” offense is built to create mismatches and isolate playmakers, and it has already produced record-setting results at his last two stops.
Colorado’s roster also carries more recruiting punch than the critics may be giving it credit for. The Buffaloes have landed seven four-star recruits over the last two cycles, and two of them are expected to help immediately on defense: four-star edge rusher Domata Peko Jr., the son of former Colorado defensive line coach and 15-year NFL defensive tackle Domata Peko, and linebacker Carson Crawford, a Texas prospect from Carthage who brings length in the 2026 class.
The future class is drawing even more buzz. Colorado has already picked up four-stars Li'Marcus Jones, Gabe Jenkins, Jaiden Kelly-Murray, Dewey Young and quarterback Andre Adams in the 2027 group, giving Sanders’ program a wave of momentum that suggests bigger things may be coming in Boulder.
That recruiting push also reflects a healthier Sanders during this cycle. He missed most of the 2026 recruiting run while dealing with bladder cancer, leaving much of the heavy lifting to his assistants.
Colorado also adjusted its staffing by bringing in Darrius Darden-Box from Penn State and Rashad Rich, who previously recruited for Vanderbilt in the SEC. Those hires signal a shift away from Sanders’ all-NFL look and toward staffers with strong college recruiting backgrounds.
The schedule won’t do Colorado any favors, at least on paper. Brett McMurphy of On3/Rivals labeled the Buffaloes’ slate the toughest in the Big 12.
The opener comes in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, and while that Yellow Jackets defense struggled against the run, it should still give Marion’s offense an early test against a younger unit. After that, Colorado gets Weber State, Northwestern - which went 7-6 last year - and Baylor, where coach Dave Aranda is on the hot seat after a 5-7 season.
By the time reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech comes to Folsom Field, Colorado could be sitting at 3-1 or 4-0. If that happens, the Buffaloes would have a chance to make a loud early statement in Boulder and start pushing back on the national narrative.
In Other News...
Why Ben Finneseth Suddenly Matters So Much To Colorado's Bounce Back
At Big 12 football media days, Ben Finneseth made it clear Colorados reset is going to start in the locker room, not on a billboard. The veteran safety talked about player accountability and leadership as the foundation for a team trying to move past a difficult season, and Deion Sanders has pointed to Finneseth as one of the voices helping drive that message. For a program that has spent plenty of time under the microscope, the emphasis now is on a player-led mentality and finding a way to finish the kind of games that slipped away last fall.
Colorado also has a little extra edge heading into camp after being left off the preseason All-Big 12 team entirely. That kind of snub can become background noise quickly if a team starts winning, but the Buffs are still carrying the burden of proving they can handle pressure and close out tight games. Finneseths role matters because this is no longer just about talent or attention, it is about whether the group inside the building can set a standard that changes the way everyone else sees them. [Read more 🡒]
This Veteran Buff Is Starting To Feel Like A Future Staffer
Ben Finneseth has become one of those veteran Colorado players who seems to fit every layer of the program. Entering his sixth season with the Buffaloes in 2026 as a defensive back, he is not just part of the on-field mix anymore. He has also been active in the teams recruiting efforts, especially as Colorado has worked through the 2027 cycle and tried to build on the momentum it has created on the trail.
The Buffs have seen that class climb in the national and Big 12 rankings, a sign that the pitch is landing with more prospects than it did a year ago. Finneseths role in that process has only added to the sense that he is becoming more than a player in the building, and it is easy to see why some around the program view him as a name to watch once his playing days are over. [Read more 🡒]