Colorado enters Saturday’s homecoming game against No. 12 Texas Tech carrying the weight of two straight ugly losses, and the Buffs are big underdogs even at home.
ESPN Analytics gives Colorado just a 13.1 percent chance to win. Still, there are a few clear paths that could keep this one interesting - and maybe even turn it into an upset.
The first one starts with Colorado’s wide receivers, which have become the team’s most dangerous group. That’s true even with injuries to the FBS’ leading receiver from 2025, Danny Scudero, and Colorado’s second-leading receiver, DeAndre Moore Jr. The room still produced against Baylor, and it did so with some force.
Joseph Williams has stepped into the spotlight as the team’s top pass catcher, leading Colorado with 361 yards and three touchdowns. He had the best game of his season against Baylor, finishing with a career-high 11 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Quanell Farrakhan Jr. also delivered, going for 117 yards on seven receptions. Add in Kam Perry and Ernest Campbell, and Colorado has enough pieces to threaten Texas Tech through the air if the offense leans into that strength.
The second issue is the quarterback decision, and how fully the team commits to it. Coach Deion Sanders moved from redshirt freshman Julian Lewis to junior Isaac Wilson after Wilson’s season got off to a slow start.
If Colorado is going to hang with a team like Texas Tech, it can’t afford uncertainty there. The staff and locker room have to get behind one quarterback and stay there.
Any split in that support could be costly against an opponent this strong.
On defense, the burden falls heavily on Colorado’s linebackers. Tyler Martinez, who had been a major presence in that group, left the Baylor game with an apparent foot injury. That leaves Gideon ESPN Lampron, Liona Lefau and either Rodney Colton Jr., Carson Crawford, Gage Goldberg or Bo LaPenna to take on a bigger load.
That assignment matters because Texas Tech brings a run game with multiple threats. J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey have combined for 512 yards and seven touchdowns, while quarterback Thomas Castellanos has added another dimension with two touchdowns on 10 carries. Colorado’s linebackers will be asked to help slow down that three-headed attack without Martinez in the mix.
If the Buffs can get those three areas right - the receivers, the quarterback situation and the linebacker play against the run - they’ll give themselves a real shot at making Saturday’s game much tighter than the odds suggest.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Just Landed A Massive Early Piece For The Future
Texas Tech added an early foundation piece for its future in Aaron Britt, a highly regarded member of the Class of 2027 who has already picked the Red Raiders, according to his statement to ESPN's Paul Biancardi. Britt comes in ranked No. 49 in the SC Next 100, giving Texas Tech an important head start with a young prospect who should draw plenty of attention over the next couple of years.
For a program always trying to stay ahead of the recruiting curve, landing a player this early matters beyond just the headline. It gives the Red Raiders another chance to shape a top national talent before his senior year arrives, and it adds to the broader buzz around Texas Tech athletics as the schools teams keep moving through a busy stretch in soccer, volleyball, golf and football. [Read more 🡒]
Will Hammonds Biggest Problem Could Derail Texas Techs Big 12 Hopes
Will Hammonds first month as Texas Techs starting quarterback has been bumpy in a way that goes beyond the usual growing pains for a young passer. Through four games, he has already thrown five interceptions and lost two fumbles, a turnover pattern that has become hard to ignore as the Red Raiders try to stay in the Big 12 race. The context matters here, too: Hammond is inexperienced and missed spring practice because of injury, so the learning curve has been steeper than usual.
Still, the raw issue is simple enough for Texas Techs staff to see on film. Hammond has the highest interception rate in the conference, and the Red Raiders have recently found themselves on the wrong side of the turnover battle, which is never a great place to be when the schedule tightens. If Texas Tech is going to turn its season into something more than a promising start, keeping Hammond from giving possessions away may end up being just as important as anything the offense does well. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Just Made Colorados Early Big 12 Slide Even Worse
Week 5 in the Big 12 has already sharpened the leagues picture, and Baylors win over Colorado only made the early conference mess feel a little messier. The updated power rankings capture a few teams taking real steps forward, a few others sliding the other way, and the kind of week-to-week volatility that has become part of the leagues rhythm.
Colorados loss to the Bears stands out because it feeds the bigger concern around a team trying to find its footing after a rough start to Big 12 play. For Texas Tech and the rest of the league, it is another reminder that every result is carrying extra weight right now, and the next round of games could shuffle the order again just as quickly. [Read more 🡒]