Predicting Colorado Football’s record
By: Shane Holcombe & Jake Chau
College football season is here, and head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has his squad ready in Atlanta, Georgia. Ahead of the season, Jake Chau and Shane Holcombe gave record predictions for the 2026 campaign:
Georgia Tech
Jake: Colorado wins. Georgia Tech didn’t look like the 7th best team in the nation when they played the Buffs in week one last season, only beating the Buffs by one score and giving them a chance to tie in the final seconds. Colorado shot itself in the foot with head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ poor clock management on his team’s final drive, but nearly went step-for-step with a team that was ranked 7th in the nation by week eight. While both teams have changed considerably over the past year, including each team hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators, anything can happen. Still, Colorado has better talent than they did last year, and head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has a clean bill of health after beating cancer, which has helped his energy and hopefully his clock management over the offseason. PREDICTED RECORD: 1-0
Shane: The Buffaloes will be exciting and competitive, but Yellow Jackets’ Justice Haynes will prove too much of a challenge for a team that has undergone a major roster overhaul. Georgia Tech wins, but Colorado will come out of Atlanta with optimism that they are equipped to compete with the rest of the Big 12. PREDICTED RECORD: 0-1
Weber State
Jake: Colorado wins. This is a pencil-in win for the Buffs in their home opener against an FCS opponent. Especially coming off a win against Georgia Tech, Colorado will give Folsom Field something to cheer about. PREDICTED RECORD: 1-1
Shane: The pronunciation of WEE-BER or WEB-ER State should be the only conflict Colorado has to prepare for against the FCS opponent. After two straight 4-8 seasons in the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats face a tall task in winning at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes will win their home opener convincingly. PREDICTED RECORD: 1-1
Northwestern
Jake: Colorado wins. Northwestern won’t be playing in their new stadium in 2026, instead playing at Martin Stadium that seats just 12,000. Home field advantage won’t be a factor, which will be much needed during this grueling road stretch to begin the season. Northwestern brings back much of its roster from last year, which led to seven wins and a GameAbove Sports Bowl win over Central Michigan. Still, the Buffs would be riding consecutive wins for the first time since 2024, and against a shoddy Northwestern team, they’ll push their win streak to three to open their season. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-1
Shane: If Colorado loses against Georgia Tech in week one, the importance of this game heightens tenfold. I like the Buffaloes to get a high-profile non-conference win here after new schemes and personnel have a few games under their belts. This is the Danny Scudero coming-out party game with three touchdown receptions. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-1
Baylor
Jake: Colorado loses. On the road for the second straight week and for the third time in their first four weeks, and it’s going to show its head. Baylor added DJ Lagway under center, which will boost the Bears’ offensive production after a five-win season. They also added Colorado transfer Dre’lon Miller, who had just 158 receiving yards last year for the Buffs. Colorado will feel the effects of having their third road game by week four and stumble against a decent Bears team. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-2
Shane: Colorado’s Big 12 opener is a trip to Waco, and incoming Baylor transfer quarterback DJ Lagway will be getting all the headlines, but it’s the Bears' defense that has something to prove. That unit gave up 32.2 points per game in 2025, good for 122nd best in FBS. The Buffaloes wouldn’t mind a shootout, but I think this is a bad spot in the second leg of back-to-back away games. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-2
Texas Tech
Jake: Colorado loses. Even without Brendan Sorsby at the helm, the Red Raiders are coming off a 4-seed in the College Football Playoffs last year and have reloaded. Thomas Castellanos is a fine consolation prize and will be serviceable with the weapons around him; there’s no reason Texas Tech can’t have national title aspirations. That experience with a top-five transfer portal according to On3 will match up well with a Colorado team that is now coming off a loss to Baylor. After being away from Boulder for the past few weeks, it will be a homecoming for Buff fans, who will be itching for football again, creating a hostile environment for Texas Tech. Still, the Red Raiders will be able to take care of business against Colorado. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-3
Shane: While transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible after a gambling scandal, the Red Raiders still have the most talented roster in the Big 12. The biggest question mark is whether Texas Tech will go with a dual-quarterback system after signing Tommy Castellanos for his fifth year. Folsom Field will be electric, but Colorado won’t have enough firepower to pull off the upset. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-3
Utah
Jake: Colorado loses. Coming off their bye-week and looking to avenge a 45-point loss last year won’t be enough against a team looking for a Big 12 title. Utah is coming off an 11-win season and a SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl win over Nebraska, and they’ll certainly be positioned well to contend for a Big 12 title again this year. Though they probably took a step back in terms of talent and the Buffs brought in talent of their own, neither is enough to close out last year's 45-point game. PREDICTED RECORD: 2-4
Shane: Longtime Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham departed for Michigan this offseason, but convincing quarterback Devon Dampier to stay was a coup. I like Colorado to win this rivalry game, having two weeks to prepare after the bye. Quentin Gibson also gets his first career punt return for a touchdown. PREDICTED RECORD: 3-3
Oklahoma State
Jake: Colorado wins. Oklahoma State finished in the basement of the Big 12, not too far behind the Buffs. The Cowboys added the nation’s leading passer, Drew Mestemaker, along with a new coach in Eric Morris. He’ll have his work cut out for him and may be too focused on armadillos in Stillwater, Oklahoma instead of a herd of Buffaloes. This will be a perfect time to help turn the season around after falling two games below .500. PREDICTED RECORD: 3-4
Shane: The Cowboys are comparable to Colorado in the number of transfers each team brought in during the offseason. This is one of the more toss-up games on the Buffaloes' schedule, but I think Oklahoma State wins at home. PREDICTED RECORD: 3-4
Kansas State
Jake: Colorado wins. Kansas State was a middle-of-the-pack team last year in the Big 12 and finished 6-6. They struggled in the transfer portal in the offseason but improved slightly on the defensive side of the ball, bringing in four-star EDGE transfer Wendell Gregory, who had four sacks last season. Still, having a game on Halloween at Folsom Field will be one of the toughest environments the Wildcats could play in. Considering that Colorado, with all its struggles last year, managed to keep Kansas State within 10 points on the road, brings optimism to what they could do on their home turf with a more talented squad. PREDICTED RECORD: 4-4
Shane: The Wildcats are one of the more slept-on teams in the conference in preseason, but they return three-year starter Avery Johnson at quarterback, who’s had success. Kansas State hired Collin Klein as head coach in the offseason, making them one of three teams in the Big 12 that Colorado will face with a new head coach this season. I’m going to lean toward Kansas State to win at Folsom Field on Halloween in a sloppy game. PREDICTED RECORD: 3-5
Arizona State
Jake: Colorado loses. Arizona State has struggled to return to the level they were at when they received the 4-seed during the 2024 College Football Playoffs. Still, getting Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley and former Buff Omarion Miller in the offseason will help boost their offense after a lackluster season last year. Going on the road to Tempe, Arizona will be tougher than they might imagine, especially after a 42-17 loss last season. PREDICTED RECORD: 4-5
Shane: The Sun Devils’ loss of quarterback Sam Leavitt to the transfer portal makes this matchup more winnable for Colorado. Deion Sanders is always full of praise for Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, however. The Buffaloes go to Tempe and get their first away conference win of the season after Cree Thomas shuts down Omarion Miller. PREDICTED RECORD: 4-5
Houston
Jake: Colorado loses. Houston is a dark horse candidate to win the Big 12 with another season of Willy Fritz under its belt. Ranked No. 23 in the AP preseason poll, there’s plenty of hope for the Cougars this season, and the Buffs will be a stepping stone towards Big 12 title contention. They also brought in the sixth-best transfer portal class according to On3 and will take care of business on the road against the Buffs. PREDICTED RECORD: 4-6
Shane: The Cougars are off the back of a 10-win season in 2025 under the leadership of head coach Willie Fritz. This is Colorado's only Friday night home game, a welcome sign for fans accustomed to plenty of late-night kickoffs in Boulder the past few years. If Houston remains ranked until November, a win here could reignite excitement about Deion Sanders and Colorado. I think this is that signature win with Elliot Arnold making a walk-off field goal. PREDICTED RECORD: 5-5
Cincinnati
Jake: Colorado wins. Cincinnati is another team that struggled to add during the offseason in the transfer portal and is still caught up in the Sorsby situation. That draws away from the product on the field. While there’s no way of knowing if it will still be lingering over the Bearcats' heads when the Buffs head to Ohio in late November, a season can get derailed quickly. With a fire under them in a do-or-die game if they want bowl eligibility, they pull off a nailbitter win in Cincinnati. PREDICTED RECORD: 5-6
Shane: Colorado travels to face the Bearcats in Cincinnati for the first time in program history, and this game appears to be the most likely win in the conference slate. Cincinnati replaces the aforementioned Sorsby and will be trying to recover from back-to-back road games before the Buffaloes come to town. I like Colorado to secure bowl eligibility thanks to a career-high passing-yards total for Julian Lewis. PREDICTED RECORD: 6-5
UCF
Jake: Colorado wins. The Knights brought in a decent amount of talent but no big names in this transfer portal class. With Senior Day on Folsom Field, the Buffs will get to the six-win mark and return to a bowl game for the second time under Sanders. PREDICTED RECORD: 6-6
Shane: Senior Day for Colorado will be the sleepiest day of the season in Folsom Field, as students will be off campus for Thanksgiving Break. Ben Finneseth, Zach Atkins and DeKalon Taylor finish their careers in Boulder with a win over the Golden Knights and punch their ticket to a respectable bowl game. PREDICTED RECORD: 7-5
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