Colorado’s next trip to the November calendar now comes with a national spotlight.
The Buffaloes will face Arizona State at 5:30 p.m. MT, and the game will air on ESPN2, according to the Big 12’s announcement. That sends Colorado into Tempe under the lights for its first November matchup, with another important league test still on deck before then.
For Colorado, the timing matters because the team is trying to stop the slide before it gets any deeper. The Buffaloes are coming off a second-half collapse against Oklahoma State on Oct. 24, a result that pushed their losing streak to five games. They still have Kansas State in Boulder on Oct. 31 before turning to Arizona State.
The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are set up to meet Colorado with a very different rhythm to their season. ASU opened with a 70-7 win over Morgan State, then took a 48-20 loss to Texas A&M.
After that came a 24-17 win over Kansas, a 55-19 setback against Baylor, a 30-12 victory over Hawai'i and a 53-25 defeat at Texas Tech. On Oct.
24, Arizona State beat Kansas State 28-17.
Before Colorado arrives, though, ASU has another challenge waiting in BYU. The Cougars are coming off an overtime loss to UCF on Oct. 24 that knocked them out of their No. 2 ranking. Arizona State enters that matchup at 4-3 and sits ninth in the 16-team Big 12.
Colorado is in a much tougher spot. The Buffaloes remain the only winless team in conference play at 0-4, and the current run has already put their postseason hopes in a difficult place. Colorado has now lost five or more games three times in the Deion Sanders era, and the last two teams that hit that mark finished without a bowl game.
ESPN’s FPI gives Colorado just a three percent chance to get to six wins the rest of the way in 2026. It also gives the Buffaloes a 0.3 percent chance to run the table and finish 7-5. The model lists Colorado at zero percent for everything else, including the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth.
Kansas State comes into this week at 4-3 overall and 1-3 in Big 12 play, but the Wildcats still have a 77.2 percent chance to reach six wins. For Colorado, though, the immediate task is simpler: find a way to end the losing streak against KSU before the Arizona State date even arrives.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Season Problem It Cant Ignore
Kansas States season took another rough turn with a 28-17 loss to Arizona State, a defeat that left the Wildcats 4-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The problems were familiar and hard to ignore: the run game never found a rhythm, and the defense had just as much trouble slowing the Sun Devils on the ground, making it a frustrating afternoon for a team trying to stabilize under first-year coach Collin Klein.
There was at least some reassurance in the quarterback situation, where backup Jacob Knuth handled relief duties well after Avery Johnson was injured. Even so, the bigger concern is starting to define this team, because Kansas State cannot keep leaning on spot fixes while the same issues keep surfacing on both sides of the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Be Headed Into Colorado With A Risky QB Plan
Kansas State heads into its trip to Colorado still sorting out the most important position on the field, and the picture is far from settled. Avery Johnson, who had made 32 consecutive starts before missing the last game, is dealing with a neck and shoulder injury, while backup Jacob Knuth is also working through ankle issues. Coach Collin Klein has made it clear there is no guarantee either quarterback will be ready, leaving the Wildcats in a spot they would rather avoid this late in the season.
If both veteran options are sidelined, Kansas State could be forced to turn to one of its younger quarterbacks, Dillon Duff or Blake Barnett. Both have spent parts of the year recovering from injuries themselves, which only adds to the uncertainty around how the Wildcats will manage the position against Colorado. For a team trying to keep its offense on schedule, the next few days will determine whether this is a temporary hiccup or a much bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Heads To Colorado With A Growing Problem It Can't Ignore
Kansas State heads to Colorado still sorting through the fallout from a loss at Arizona State, and the timing is not ideal. The Wildcats are trying to keep their season on track for bowl eligibility, but the trip to Folsom Field comes with a new layer of uncertainty because starting quarterback Avery Johnson is dealing with an injury and there is no clear return date yet.
That leaves the Wildcats in line to lean on Jacob Knuth again if Johnson cannot go, which only sharpens the pressure on a game they need to have. Colorado enters with a losing streak, but the Buffaloes have been more competitive lately, and on the road that is exactly the kind of test Kansas State can ill afford to mishandle while the quarterback situation remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]