Biggest Overreaction Colorado Buffaloes Fans Should Avoid Before the Season

Colorado coach Deion Sanders enters the 2026 season with low national projections, a difficult September schedule and a roster that has changed substantially since last year’s 3-9 finish.

The biggest overreaction Colorado Buffaloes fans should avoid right now is treating those projections as a final judgment on the 2026 team before the Buffaloes have played a game.

Colorado Buffaloes football Deion Sanders coach prime 2026 fall camp colorado football big 12 georgia tech — Jul 30, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Former NFL player Deion Sanders arrives at Cleveland Browns training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado has a preseason win total of 4.5 at DraftKings, and ESPN’s final preseason SP+ ratings placed the Buffaloes No. 66 nationally. The model gave Colorado a 0.7 overall rating, ranking the offense No. 66, the defense No. 60 and special teams No. 116. Colorado ranked No. 14 among Big 12 teams in the rating.

Those numbers reflect the Buffaloes’ recent record. They do not account for how quickly new coordinators like Brennan Marion and younger returning players will fit together once the season begins.

September will provide an immediate test

Colorado begins the season Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech before hosting Weber State on Sept. 12. The Buffaloes then travel to Northwestern on Sept. 19 and Baylor on Sept. 26.

The Georgia Tech game comes with its own baggage. The Yellow Jackets beat Colorado 27-20 at Folsom Field in last year’s opener and controlled much of that game with their rushing attack. Georgia Tech is currently a seven-point favorite for the rematch at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain added fuel to the opener this week when he predicted Georgia Tech would dominate the line of scrimmage.

“Georgia Tech will run the football 50 times in that game,” Mac Lain said on the “Gramlich and Mac Lain” podcast. “They are going to pummel those boys at Colorado that look, honestly, like a JV team. They are about to get murdered in Atlanta.”

Colorado defensive tackle Dylan Manuel responded on social media with a string of laughing emojis and a reference to the number of days remaining before the opener.

The Buffaloes will have a chance to answer the prediction in Atlanta, but the season will not be decided by one road game. Colorado’s first month includes three road trips in four games, and the staff will be working through the normal adjustments that come with installing two new systems.

Colorado is not returning the 2025 roster

Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis Colorado Buffaloes football Deion Sanders coach prime 2026 fall camp colorado football — Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffaloes brought in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to run the Go-Go offense and promoted Chris Marve to defensive coordinator. Colorado also added more than 40 transfers during the offseason, continuing the roster-building approach Sanders has used since taking over the program.

Quarterback Julian Lewis is entering his first full season as Colorado’s projected starter. The former five-star recruit played in four games as a freshman and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He now has a reworked receiver group, new offensive line and more experience.

Colorado’s offensive line remains one of the central questions. The Buffs replaced all five starters from last season and added several transfers to compete for the open spots. Georgia transfer Bo Hughley, Cal transfer Leon Bell, Rutgers transfer Taj White, Houston transfer Demetrius Hunter and Ohio State transfer Jayvon McFadden are among the newcomers involved in the rotation.

The staff also rebuilt the defense through the portal. Linebackers Gideon Lampron, Tyler Martinez and Liona Lefau joined a group that returns several experienced defensive backs, while transfer additions such as Boo Carter, Jah Jah Boyd and Jason Stokes Jr. have added depth to the secondary.

Preseason rankings have limits

SP+ is designed to forecast outcomes by factoring in returning production, recruiting, transfer movement and program history. Colorado’s No. 66 ranking reflects a program coming off a three-win season, with only 55 percent of its production returning.

The same rating placed Colorado ahead of Iowa State and West Virginia in the Big 12, while putting the Buffaloes behind most of the conference before the season begins.

Preseason rankings are useful because they identify the questions a team has to answer. Colorado must show it can protect Lewis, run the football more consistently and stop the run better than it did last season.

The Buffaloes will also need to find a reliable special teams group after SP+ ranked that phase No. 116 nationally. That part of the roster includes several new return options, kickers and coverage players still competing for roles in camp.

Colorado does not need fans to ignore the warning signs. The early schedule is challenging, the roster is new and the program has not yet earned the benefit of the doubt after finishing 3-9.

But a low preseason ranking or a loss at Georgia Tech does not automatically settle the direction of the season. The 2026 Buffaloes are still being assembled around a new quarterback, new coordinators and a transfer-heavy roster.

The first answers will come in September. The full answers might take a bit longer.

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