Colorado’s Oct. 3 meeting with No. 11 Texas Tech is getting the spotlight treatment, and the Buffaloes are set for a 5:30 p.m. MT kickoff on FOX in what should be one of the season’s biggest nights at Folsom Field.
That timing matters for a lot of reasons. It gives Coach Prime’s team a primetime stage, and it also sets up the kind of atmosphere Colorado wants for its homecoming game. The Buffs have already announced a black-and-gold stripe-out to mark the university’s 150th anniversary, and a nighttime kickoff only adds to the edge of a packed house.
Texas Tech looks like a real problem for Colorado, too. The Red Raiders could still be unbeaten when they arrive in Boulder and, if things hold, they’ll be carrying the kind of Big 12 frontrunner buzz that makes this one feel like a measuring-stick game. If Colorado gets there at 3-1 after beating Baylor to open conference play, the Buffs would have plenty of momentum of their own.
The quarterback matchup adds another layer. Colorado redshirt freshman Julian Lewis has held the job through the first three games, and even after a rough Week 3 showing against Northwestern, that doesn’t appear likely to change.
Lewis has completed 102 of 173 passes in seven career appearances and five starts for 1,247 yards and 10 touchdowns against two interceptions, with both picks coming last week against Northwestern. This season, he has 658 passing yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 63.3 completion percentage.
Texas Tech’s situation is more complicated. The Red Raiders have been rotating junior Will Hammond and fifth-year senior Thomas Castellanos, who was reinstated to college football midway through this season.
Hammond has been the primary starter, while Castellanos has come on in key run-downs. With Hammond still rehabbing a torn ACL, the two-quarterback setup has helped keep him healthy while also forcing defenses to sort through different looks.
For Colorado, this is the kind of game that can tell you a lot. If Lewis wins the quarterback battle and the Buffaloes handle Texas Tech, it would be a sharp rebound from the blowout loss in Week 3 and a strong springboard into the rest of the Big 12 slate.
And there’s no long wait after that. Colorado gets a bye week following the Texas Tech game, then turns its attention to its next major challenge: No.
15 Utah. If the Buffaloes can hold up under the lights against the Red Raiders, they’ll have two full weeks to get ready for that one with a lot more confidence.
In Other News...
Micah Hudson's Slow Start Is Becoming A Real Texas Tech Concern
Texas Tech has been getting plenty of answers from Kenny Johnson at the X receiver spot, but the same cannot be said for the Z position. Through the early part of the 2026 season, the Red Raiders have gotten just six combined catches for 61 yards from the three players listed there, leaving a noticeable void in an offense that needs production across the board.
Micah Hudsons slow start is the biggest reason that spotlight has lingered. The junior and former five-star recruit has managed only three catches for 44 yards in three games, still searching for the kind of breakthrough season many expected when he arrived. For a Texas Tech passing game leaning on Johnson as its leading receiver, the question now is how long the Red Raiders can keep waiting for Hudson to turn promise into production. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Got An Early Answer On A Key Defensive Newcomer
Texas Tech got an encouraging first look at Trey White on Sept. 18, when the defensive newcomer made his debut after recovering from knee surgery just three weeks earlier. White wasted little time getting involved, finishing with two tackles and a sack in the victory against Houston, giving the Red Raiders an immediate glimpse of how he can fit into the rotation once he settles in.
White was part of a broader defensive reset in the game, with safety Brenden Jordan also making his season debut and transfers Jamond Mathis and Davin Martin logging their first starts. Jordan and linebacker Ben Roberts paced the defense with 10 tackles apiece, a sign that Texas Tech is still sorting out its pieces but may be finding answers in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Darrion Williams Just Gave Texas Tech Real Hope For Next Season
A McLennan County judge gave Darrion Williams and 30 other players a temporary reprieve this week, keeping them eligible to play while their lawsuit against the NCAA moves forward. For Texas Tech, that matters well beyond a single roster decision, because Williams now remains in the picture for the 2026-27 season while the legal process plays out.
The Red Raiders are also waiting on separate eligibility rulings for other players hoping to gain a fifth year, which leaves the staff in something of a holding pattern as it tries to plan ahead. Until those decisions are settled, Texas Tech can at least breathe a little easier knowing Williams is not immediately out of the mix, even if the bigger fight is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]