Big 12 Breakdown and The Big Question For Each School : #15 Colorado
By Cade Welty and Sean A Dillon
We’re breaking down the Big 12 as we get closer to the 2026 season. We’re breaking down each team getting closer and closer to #1. Today we look at Colorado
Yesterday #16 – Iowa State
Colorado : What is their identity?
When you see the Colorado Buffaloes you probably see the flash of gold and black uniforms and head coach Deion Sanders somewhere in the distance.
For Primetime and Colorado, the pairing have an overall record of 16-20 with one winning season. That winning season was in the long-awaited return for Colorado back to the Big 12, which ended with a 7-2 conference record and a loss in the Alamo Bowl against BYU to give them a 9-3 overall record for 2024. Outside that season, it has been the same issue for Colorado, with losing seasons more often than not. You could argue they didn’t have the “talent” or players to contend. Well, in their 2024 season, they had the Heisman trophy winner, Travis Hunter. He was also there in 2023 when they went 4-8. It does need to be noted that Hunter battled injury issues that season. Or top-rated prospects like Jordan Seaton, Shedeur Sanders, Omarion Miller and Dre’lon Miller.
Too much change?
With constant change in staff and players, it makes it difficult to describe who they are as a unit. Well, just in this offseason, they made 5 additions to the offensive staff, with the main replacement at Offensive Coordinator (OC) bringing in Brennan Marion from Sacramento State and 6 additions to the defensive staff with a new player called, Defensive Coordinator (DC) Chris Marve, was an internal promotion. Those moves headlined the complete overhaul in staff for Year 4 under Deion Sanders. Which yes it doesn’t look that bad since the results weren’t there, but also the previous staff had new players every year. Colorado has had an average of 120 transfers (in and out) every season under Sanders. With 44 players on average transferring into the program each year. The roster turnover is quite the issue since you cannot build a culture without a foundation of players.
Let’s compare this to a team that was also very active in the postal era of college football and some argue that their culture is the portal. That team being the Texas Tech Red Raiders and during the same 4-year span, they have had an average of 58 transfers per year with only 17 players per year transferring in. These are just pure numbers and this has nothing to do with the star rating next to each player.
Big 12 Media Days Question:
Another way to confirm this identity crisis for Colorado is when Deion Sanders was asked at Big 12 Media Days about the team’s identity.
“if kids, coaches and staff don’t understand who they are. Then we have a problem,” Sanders then went on to say, “They are not going to allow you to identify who we are.” The “They” coach was referring to the media or outside parties.
Which begs the question, what is their culture? Is it just star value at head coach? These are major questions for the 2026 team and the program as a whole.
But for now, heading into the 2026 season, Sanders seems fired from his squad with a reformed belief in his players. With one quote that stands out stating “it’s already turned, you just haven’t seen the fruit. It’s already there.” When discussing the turnaround in the team.
Well, for Colorado, player development will be key to having a positive season, since they lost a top tackle in the portal, Jordan Seaton, to LSU and a top wide receiver, Omarion Miller, to ASU. But they did replace some talent by getting Texas’s WR DeAndre.
Moore Jr, who caught 38 passes for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns. For the defense, they picked up Boo Carter, a top safety transfer from Tennessee who had a stellar first year but some conduct issues going into his sophomore season put a cloud on his season. They will have a full year of QB Julian Lewis, who joined Colorado at the age of 17 as a 4-star prospect and threw for 589 yards, 4 touchdowns and zero interceptions on 94 attempts in 2025. The 2026 team has a bunch of players they are relying on to take the next step.
For the Buffs, getting back to 2024 would be a part of a dream resurgence season, but in reality, a 4-win conference season with a real identity defined would be the right step towards becoming a recognizable team under Deion Sanders.
Colorado 2026 Football Schedule :
Conference Games *
9/3/2026, at Georgia Tech, Time : 7:00 P.M. CT
9/12/2026, Weber State, Time : 2:30 P.M. CT
9/19/2026, at Northwestern, Time : 6:30 P.M. CT
9/26/2026, at Baylor *, Time : TBA
10/3/2026, Texas Tech *, Time : TBA
10/17/2026, Utah * , Time : TBA
10/24/2026, at Oklahoma State * , Time : TBA
10/31/2026, Kansas State *, Time : TBA
11/7/2026, at Arizona State *, Time : TBA
11/13/2026, Houston * , Time : 9:15 P.M. CT
11/21/2026, at Cincinnati * , Time : TBA
11/28/2026, UCF * , Time : TBA
Sean’s Thoughts:
Coach Prime proved that 90% of winning is confidence, but the other 50% is math. Last falls miserable 3-9 record was the ultimate gut check post Shedeur. With his personal health restored and the roster reloaded, he’s set on rewriting the narrative.
Unfortunately, the Big 12 schedule matrix pulled no punches, delivering a punishing 11-game Power 4 slate. Beyond an early tune-up against Weber State, young quarterback JuJu Lewis won’t see many easy targets. Their most winnable conference games all coming on the road and the Buffs have been miserable on the road the last 5 years posting only a single winning mark on the road in 2024. They sit at a grim 6-22 on the road. Ewww.
Despite the uphill battle, Coach Sanders insists he has assembled “the best staff I’ve ever had in my life.” He has massive expectations for Brennan Marion’s dynamic “go-go offense” and expects new weapons like Julian Lewis, Cam Perry, and Danny Scuddero to elevate the air attack.
The Buffs are calculating their odds this season, but even my Texas Instruments is returning a SYNTAX ERROR.