Deion Sanders Picks Up a Signature Win, But Can Colorado Win Out in 2026?

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes shocked the world late Friday night. Coach Prime's team upset No. 14 Houston in a game where they were 9.5-point underdogs. However, the Buffs completely reversed the odds in a 42-32 stunner over the Cougars.

The Buffs faced an early 20-7 deficit before roaring back to score 28 unanswered points in the game. On defense, Colorado forced two turnovers and were able to get off the field on third downs more efficiently than they have all season. This was the biggest win of Sanders' tenure, and it came at the right time. Many have speculated whether university officials would be looking to move on from Coach Prime. Given the play on the field prior to three weeks ago, there was no excuse for the five-game losing streak.

Colorado found its stride in the run game, finishing with 249 yards on the ground, a season high. Their leading rusher was Richard Young. He ran for 99 yards on 21 carries and found the end zone twice. Quarterback Isaac Wilson also tacked on eight carries for 25 yards. However, Wilson still threw an interception but looked confident in his passes on Friday. He completed 17-of-25 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. Regardless of his obvious turnover issue, it was enough to get the win over the Cougars.

This was the best game on the ground for Colorado in five years. For a program that has been spreading blame all season, they stepped up when it mattered to upset the Cougars. Has the offense found a winning recipe? The Go-Go offense looked the best it has all season.

Buffs offensive coordinator Brennan Marion took a different approach and opened up the playbook a bit on Friday. The results were overwhelmingly different with a stout rushing attack. But will the CU defense finally gain some competence? The last two games against Cincinnati and UCF will be telling.

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There is no room for error. Colorado must win out to make a bowl game, which would be an outstanding accomplishment after the first half of the season. There is still hope for the postseason. If the Buffs can stay out of their own way, Coach Prime doesn’t find another excuse for lack of execution by his squad. If Colorado plays the way they did against Houston, they could win in the final two games.

The Buffs will travel to Cincinnati on Saturday, November 21 for a Big 12 showdown with the Bearcats at Noon ET.