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...
K-State Faces An Early Gut Check In A Game That Could Turn Late
Kansas State gets a midday home test Saturday when Houston comes to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, and it has the feel of a game that could stay tight deep into the second half. The buildup around this one has centered on how the Wildcats match up with a Houston team that has shown enough to make the odds and the recent form worth paying attention to, especially with both sides bringing strengths that could play well in a close, physical game.
For Kansas State, the bigger picture is simple: this is the kind of early gut check that can shape how the rest of the week feels around Manhattan. The preview of the matchup points to a competitive night with injury news still part of the conversation and a slight edge going to Houston, so the Wildcats may need to be sharp from the start if they want to turn a coin-flip type of game in their favor late. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces A Huge Big 12 Test With Early Stakes Already Rising
Houstons trip to Manhattan stands out as one of the most intriguing Big 12 games of the week, even in a slate filled with eye-catching matchups. Kansas State gets the kind of early measuring-stick game that can sharpen the picture of where both teams really belong in the league race, while Houston arrives with a chance to show it can handle the week-to-week grind that comes with life in the conference.
The broader Week 6 board also gives this one extra texture, with Arizona at West Virginia, Iowa State at BYU, UCF at Oklahoma State, Kansas at Utah and Hawaii at Arizona State each carrying their own hooks. Still, the Houston-Kansas State game has a little more edge to it because early stakes are already starting to matter, and both sides can turn a solid performance into something bigger as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Recruiting Push Just Reached An Interesting New Place
Kansas States recruiting footprint keeps stretching beyond the familiar Midwest lanes, and Collin Kleins latest offer is another sign of how wide the Wildcats are casting the net. Linebacker Cortez Jones of Westlake High School in Georgia is now on the board, giving Kansas State a presence in a talent-rich state that routinely attracts Power Four attention. It also fits the broader pattern of a staff that has been active in identifying early targets and building relationships before the chase gets crowded.
Jones joins a growing list of prospects to hear from Kansas State, alongside names such as Noah Gigger, Jamison Mobley, Elijah Smith, Dailon Denkins, Julian Dwyer, Jekai Lee, Brady Reeves, Sloan Blackwell and Jerry Richmond. The varied list of schools attached to those offers shows just how competitive the Wildcats recruiting board already is, and it leaves open the next question: which of these early pushes will turn into a real momentum swing for Klein and his staff? [Read more 🡒]