Facing a brutal slate and a massive roster overhaul, Deion Sanders must navigate a relentless gauntlet of road tests to redeem the Buffaloes after last year’s collapse.
Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes look to improve after a sluggish 2025 season in Boulder. After losing two of the best players during the Prime era in Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, last year's rebuild went completely off the rails at the end.
Jordan Seaton was held out in the final games before ultimately transferring to LSU. The former five-star offensive lineman was part of another roster flip, along with 35 of his teammates. Sanders knew this year had to be a better effort in the portal. However, the biggest problem isn't personnel for Colorado.
According to On3's Brett McMurphy, Colorado has the toughest schedule in the Big 12. Outside the conference games, the Buffs won't get any favors in the first three weeks of the season.
The Week 1 match-up in Sanders' old stomping grounds in Atlanta will be interesting. Colorado lost 27-20 against Georgia Tech in Boulder last year. What has changed since then? On paper, the Buffs roster had better talent last year, and face a similar Yellow Jackets team. This could be a long night for CU if they can't find a way to generate offense early.
After a trip down south, the Buffaloes return home to face Weber State. This should be a tune-up game for another road trip in Week 3. Northwestern will be the test for Sanders' team right before conference play. The biggest task will be finding holes in Chip Kelly's offensive scheme.
As for the Big 12 slate, things won't get easier for the Buffs going out of September and into October. Baylor with Florida transfer QB DJ Lagway will be interesting. Then comes Texas Tech into Boulder without Brendan Sorsby under center. However, Will Hammond is still talented and ready to prove why he's the "next man up." If he can stay healthy, watch out in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders open up an important stretch for Colorado with three weeks straight at home. Utah heads over the mountains for the latest edition of Rumble in the Rockies. Let's hope Morgan Scalley's Utes won't hang half-a-hundred on the Buffs this time around. From that point on, Colorado won't be in the same place in consecutive weeks. Here's the rest of the schedule for the second half.
at Oklahoma state
Kansas State
at Arizona State
Houston
at Cincinnati
UCF
The back end of the 2026 schedule is a doozy. This is where Colorado has to figure out ways to win on the road. If Sanders wants to see improvement from the 3-9 season last year, the home portion isn't going to cut it. Being able to hype up the program is one thing, getting wins is another.
More Colorado Buffaloes News:
