Big 12 Blueprint Laid Out for Colorado Coach Deion Sanders

The Big 12 has had some great teams in the recent seasons in the College Football Playoff and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders may have the pieces to make a run of his own.

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Over the past two seasons, the winners of the Big 12 have had two clear trends that have led to success in the regular season: a dominant defense and ability to run the ball.

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders may look to see how he can replicate his conference foes' successes in his own way in 2026.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Legendary football and baseball player and father of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders on the sidelines prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Arizona State Sun Devils in 2024

In 2024 the Arizona State Sun Devils were able to win the Big 12 behind a great offensive attack led by quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo. 

The clear strength of the team was the rushing attack behind Skattebo which ranked top 20 in the country averaging 199.9 rush yards per game. This dominant rush attack allowed for the pass game to take advantage of space on the outside.

Defensively, the Sun Devils did a great job stopping the run as well allowing 112.9 rush yards per game which made them a top 25 unit in the country. The ability to stop the run puts opposing offenses in many passing situations which can be stressful for the offensive line and for the quarterback.

The Sun Devils received a first-round bye for winning the conference championship, but they lost to the Texas Longhorns in their first game in the quarterfinal. Leavitt threw the game-ending interception in a 39-31 loss in double overtime.

Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2025

Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez gets up after making a tackle against BYU during the Big 12 Conference championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The story for Texas Tech in 2025 was a dominant defense that allowed 11.8 points per game, good enough for third in the country. Texas Tech also had the best rush defense in the country allowing just 68.1 rush yards per game. The defense was elite in the pass game as well allowing 190.1 pass yards per game, good for No. 26 in the country.

The defense was dominant all year, and Red Raiders defensive linemen Lee Hunter, David Bailey, Skyler Gill-Howard as well as Heisman candidate linebacker Jacob Rodriguez are expected to be top picks in the NFL Draft.

Offensively, the Red Raiders were able to pass the ball well averaging 278.5 passing yards per game. On the ground Texas Tech was ranked No. 33 averaging 182.9 rush yards per game. 

The Red Raiders also received a first round bye as the No. 4 seed but drew a tough matchup with the Oregon Ducks. The defense gave Oregon all they could handle, but the inexperience on the offensive side with multiple turnovers and an inability to run the ball was the major difference in a 23-0 loss for Texas Tech.

MORE: Michael Pollock Opens Up About Deion Sanders After Being Released From Colorado

MORE: Urban Meyer Doesn't Hold Back On Deion Sanders' New Rules At Colorado

MORE: Dallas Cowboys Expressing Interest In Deion Sanders' Colorado Coach 

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE 

Keys for Colorado Buffaloes to Make a Run

Dec 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) is hit after the pass by Tulane Green Wave defensive lineman Santana Hopper (29) during the first half in the 2025 American Championship at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The main key for the Buffaloes in 2026 is to have a balanced offense, and the arrival of offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to implement his go-go offense should help with that effort.

The idea behind Marion's offense is high tempo, getting the ball in space to playmakers, and being able to run the ball well. Through recruiting in the transfer portal, Colorado has added several playmakers and offensive linemen to make this offense run well. The good news is also that the Buffaloes have their quarterback in redshirt sophomore Julian Lewis who has some game experience from 2025 and looks to improve in 2026. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Colorado placed an emphasis on the defensive line under defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Based on the past two Big 12 champions, run defense will be quite important. These additions will also be crucial in getting after the quarterback to help the secondary in the pass game. 

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Colorado Buffaloes' 2026 Outlook

While Colorado is a expected to have a young team, the Buffaloes have many of the pieces to have success in the Big 12. A lot of it does depend on how Marion’s offense fits with Lewis and the portal additions and if it can stay balanced with success in the air attack and the ground game. 

A huge part also depends on the ability to stop the run which the Buffaloes were not great at in 2025. Stopping the run earns you the right to rush the passer and let all the elite playmakers loose which is something the Buffaloes look to replicate in their own way from Texas Tech.

Something about this 2026 Colorado team does seem that they have all the pieces to be successful. All that matters now is the coaching and the buy in from the players to be successful as one unit.