The bye week gives Colorado a chance to breathe, but it doesn’t change the math. The Buffaloes are 2-3, they’ve dropped three straight, and Deion Sanders still needs four wins from the final seven if bowl eligibility is going to stay in play. With three ranked opponents still on the schedule, the margin for error is thin.
Colorado has four games left at Folsom Field, which matters. So does the fact that the Buffaloes have scored just 27 points during the losing streak. That kind of dry spell turns every matchup into a stress test, even the ones that look manageable on paper.
The best remaining shot comes against UCF. The Knights built a 17-0 lead at Houston before falling 27-17, a game that showed both their early punch and their trouble closing.
“Everything was going our way for three quarters,” coach Scott Frost said after the game.
UCF is 3-2, and Colorado gets the Knights at home in what looks like the softest landing spot left. But “softest” is doing a lot of work there. The Buffaloes can’t let their season hinge on one game, and they’ll need enough offense just to stay within striking distance if UCF starts fast again.
Arizona State sits near the bottom of the list too, even with the trip to Tempe making life harder. The Sun Devils were hammered 55-19 at home by Baylor, a result that exposed real issues on defense. Coach Kenny Dillingham has since handed play-calling duties back to offensive coordinator Marcus Aroyo, and that reset gives Colorado another reason to keep this one in the winnable tier.
Baylor beat Colorado as well, which at least gives the Buffaloes some frame of reference. Arizona State is 2-2, but Colorado should expect a team trying to clean up its own mess by the time this one arrives.
Kansas State is a tougher ask. The Wildcats are 3-1 under first-year coach Collin Klein, and quarterback Avery Johnson gives them stability. They lost 31-26 at Cincinnati, which at least shows they can be pushed, but Kansas State has also taken the last two meetings with Colorado.
Still, this one lands at Folsom Field, and home field helps. Cincinnati’s win over the Wildcats also hinted at a path for Colorado: Kansas State allowed two opposing running backs to top 100 yards, so the Buffaloes would be smart to test that run defense instead of living and dying with tough throws. If they can keep moving the chains, they can also keep Johnson on the sideline.
Cincinnati itself presents another dangerous road trip. The Bearcats were 4-0 before getting hit 34-7 at Arizona, but the ground game remains a real concern. Running backs Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabbeach both topped 100 yards against Kansas State, and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire’s pre-loss assessment still hangs over that matchup.
“Cincinnati is a really good football team. They’re running the ball really well at a high level,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said after facing Colorado. That comment preceded Cincinnati’s loss.
A November trip to face that rushing attack is no small feat. Colorado would need to slow the run early and force longer passing downs, because falling behind on the road would make everything harder.
No. 22 Houston is also a serious obstacle.
The Cougars are 4-1, with their only loss a 28-26 game against Texas Tech. Quarterback Conner Weigman ran for three second-half touchdowns in Houston’s comeback win over UCF, another reminder that Willie Fritz’s team can recover if the opening script goes sideways.
Colorado gets Houston at home, but the timing is tricky: it comes on a short week after Arizona State. The Cougars also beat the Buffaloes 36-20 last season, and this year’s version brings a clear goal-line problem for Colorado to solve, especially with Weigman’s ability to keep the ball. A decent first half won’t mean much if the Buffaloes can’t finish drives of their own.
No. 18 Oklahoma State ranks even higher on the difficulty scale.
The Cowboys are 3-1 under first-year coach Eric Morris and already own a 39-31 win over then-No. 6 Oregon.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 win at West Virginia, which tells you plenty about the kind of passing game Colorado will see in Stillwater.
That Oregon result is the big marker here, and the West Virginia game backs it up. Oklahoma State has already shown it can beat a highly ranked opponent, and it has done it with an offense that travels.
The hardest assignment of all comes first. No. 12 Utah is 4-0 under first-year coach Morgan Scalley and has allowed just 41 points across four games.
Quarterback Devon Dampier has accounted for 34 touchdowns in 2025, including 10 on the ground, which means Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve has to account for both the arm and the legs. Utah’s defense has been stingy, Dampier has been efficient, and that combination makes this the least forgiving place for Colorado to restart after the bye.
Dampier put the pressure in plain terms before the season.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure for us coming into this year, but nothing we can’t handle,” he told Joe Coles of the Deseret News.
Colorado’s extra week to prepare ends right there, with the toughest game on the slate waiting immediately.
In Other News...
Houston Is About To Face The Stretch That Defines Everything
Houston is staring at the kind of stretch that can redefine a season in a hurry. The Cougars have put themselves in the thick of the Big 12 race, and the next run of games will go a long way toward showing whether they can stay there. With conference positioning so tight, every week now feels less like a checkpoint and more like a referendum on where this team belongs.
The road ahead is unforgiving, with a trip to Kansas State, a home date with Oklahoma State and then another tough road test at Utah. Those three games will shape not just Houstons standing in the league, but also its broader case in the College Football Playoff conversation. For a program trying to turn momentum into something bigger, this is the part of the schedule that tells the truth. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Defense Finally Showed The Identity Big 12 Play Demands
Houstons defense finally looked the part against UCF, limiting the Knights offense and bringing a level of physicality that has been harder to sustain through Big 12 play. Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong said there were still some early mistakes to clean up, but the overall performance gave Houston something it has been searching for: a cleaner, more forceful identity on that side of the ball.
Latreveon McCutchin was central to that effort, delivering an interception while also handling quarterback-spy duties in a game that featured several key defensive plays. The Cougars also generated multiple sacks for the first time since the Oregon State game, a sign they may be starting to translate activity into disruption at the line of scrimmage, and they will try to carry that into next weeks matchup with Kansas State. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Heads To Kansas State With One Big Test For Conner Weigman
The No. 22 Cougars head to Kansas State on Saturday carrying some momentum after bouncing back from their loss to Texas Tech with a pair of wins. It is another Big 12 measuring-stick game for Houston, and the focus stays squarely on Conner Weigman, who has given the offense a steadier feel as the Cougars try to keep climbing in the league race. Kansas State, meanwhile, comes in looking to recover from an unexpected loss in Cincinnati after being favored.
For Houston, the challenge is as much about settling into a rhythm as it is about the final score. Weigman has already shown enough this season to make the Cougars believe they can travel and score with anyone, and the betting profile around both teams suggests this could be another game with points to spare. Still, Saturday feels like the kind of spot where Houstons quarterback has to deliver against a sturdy Big 12 opponent if the Cougars are going to leave Manhattan with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]