Colorado Fans Won't Like Jon Rothstein's Big 12 Power Rankings

The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team is heading into their third year back in the Big 12 conference after spending over a decade in the Pac-12. The Big 12 is arguably the best overall league in the country and has presented challenges for the Buffs over the past two seasons.

How will the Buffaloes fare in 2026-27?

Colorado Buffaloes Ranked 14th in Big 12 Conference

colorado buffaloes big 12 league power rankings tad boyle jon rothstein ncaa tournament transfer portal barrington hargress — Mar 3, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle watches play against the Utah Utes during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein revealed his Big 12 power rankings for the upcoming season. He has Colorado ranked No. 14 out of 16 Big 12 teams. The only two teams ranked below them are the Kansas State Wildcats and Utah Utes.

Big 12 Preseason Power Rankings. pic.twitter.com/62qWBwV033
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 22, 2026

Rothstein ranked the Arizona Wildcats as the top team in the conference. Arizona won both the regular season Big 12 title and Big 12 tournament title last season. In the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats made a run all the way to the Final Four, their first trip there since 2001.

In 2025-26, Colorado finished the season with an overall record of 17-16 and with a mark of 7-11 in Big 12 conference play. They placed tied for 11th with the Arizona State Sun Devils. This was a big improvement from the season prior in 2024-25, when Colorado went 14-21 overall and 3-17 in Big 12 play, finishing alone in last place in the league.

It’s been two years in a row without an NCAA Tournament appearance for the Buffs. Their last trip to the big dance was in 2023-24, when they were still a member of the Pac-12.

2026-27 will be coach Tad Boyle’s 17th season with the Buffaloes. Boyle took over in Boulder back in 2010. He has an overall record of 329-220 with Colorado and has led them to the NCAA Tournament six times in his tenure. Will this year be Colorado’s seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament under Boyle?

Colorado lost key pieces from last year’s team such as guard Isaiah Johnson, forward Sebastian Rancik, and forward Bangot Dak.

These were three of their four leading scorers in 2025-26. All three departed Colorado in the transfer portal. Johnson is now with the Texas Longhorns, Rancik is with the Florida State Seminoles, and Dak is with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

On the other side of the transfer portal, the Buffs brought in three forwards: David Gomez, Noah Feddersen, and Justin Neely. All three of them were rated by 247Sports as a three-star transfers.

Gomez was previously with the Charlotte 49ers and averaged 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Feddersen is coming off a season with the North Dakota Bison where he averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Justin Neely starred last season for the UNC Greensboro Spartans, averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game.

These three will be joining Colorado’s top returner in guard Barrington Hargress. For the Buffs last season, Hargress averaged 14.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Will the Buffs prove the doubters wrong this season?

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