If the Colorado Buffaloes are going to have a repeat of 2024 and not of 2025, there is a lot of work to get done between now and September.
After a roster overhaul that was reminiscent of what happened in Boulder after the ill-fated 2022 season, when Head Coach Deion Sanders pushed out almost 70 CU players and signed 52 new players in the Transfer Portal, the 2026 Buffs aren’t going to look much like the 3-9 squad from 2025. Sanders said goodbye to 37 members of last year’s team and signed 42 new players in the portal …while also bringing in 16 new high school recruits.
When Sanders inherited a roster that had gone 1-11 in 2022, he brought in a new group that made an early splash in 2023, toppling highly ranked TCU in the season opener before struggling with depth and offensive line issues down the stretch. In 2024 however, it all came together and with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and All-America quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading the way, Colorado went 9-4, challenged for the Big 12 title and ended up in the Alamo Bowl.
Sanders is hoping that this time around, the newness produces even more immediate dividends.
Similarities Are There Between 2023 and 2026
The 2026 schedule will provide plenty of challenges. Just like in 2023, the Buffaloes go on the road to meet a formidable foe in Georgia Tech to open the 2026 season. In Deion’s first season, it was the Horned Frogs that Colorado shocked in the opener, coming away with a 45-42 victory and avenging a loss the previous season. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Buffs to start last season, so once again, revenge will be a motiving factor. After a home game against Weber State, the Buffs will travel to Chicago to face another 2025 bowl team, the Northwestern Wildcats from the Big Ten. In 2023, CU’s third game turned out to be a victory over another Big Ten team, Nebraska.
If the Buffs can go 3-0 to start next season, they will have every opportunity to return to a bowl game.
The Big 12 slate, however, will be daunting.
It starts with a late September trip to Waco, Texas to face Baylor. That’s followed by a visit from Top 10 ranked powerhouse Texas Tech at Folsom Field. The following week, Colorado gets its only off date of the season.
Buffs Face Old Rivals with New Head Coaches to Start Big 12 Play
Another team that had a strong ’25 season and finished the year in the national rankings, Utah visits Folsom on October 17th. That’s followed by a trip to play another team that struggled last season and has undergone their own extreme makeover, Oklahoma State. The Buffs close out October with a visit from the always strong Kansas State Wildcats.
All three of those team will have new head coaches for the 2026 season. When they face the Utes and K State, CU will face first-year head coaches.
The home stretch in November includes the chance to avenge two losses from last season when the Buffs travel to Arizona State and then follow that up with a visit from the Houston Cougars. Colorado’s first ever trip to play the Cincinnati Bearcats the next week is followed by a regular season ending home match up with Central Florida at Folsom Field on November 28th.
Colorado won’t be breaking in a new head coach of course, but they will be debuting a new offense under first-year Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion. Whether or not they can repeat that they did in 2024 will depend a lot on how Marion’s “Go Go” offense works under redshirt freshman quarterback Ju Ju Lewis.
Colorado Buffaloes ’26 Schedule Includes Plenty of Roadblocks to Bounce Back Season