Colorado’s Defensive Struggles Revealed in New National Rankings

The Colorado Buffaloes' defense during the Deion Sanders era hasn’t been as strong as many fans and critics expected.

Even with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter anchoring the secondary, the unit has only been serviceable at best. But this season, the cracks are starting to show more than ever.

Through five games, Colorado has struggled to get stops when it matters most.

Deion Sanders Travis Hunter ESPN NFL Colorado Buffaloes Big 12 Football Jordan Seaton Julian Lewis Notre Dame Duke Washington — Sep 20, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

ESPN's Max Olson recently revealed a stop rate statistic — measuring how often a defense forces a punt, turnover, or turnover on downs. Colorado checks in at No. 94 in the country, so in other words, opponents are having little trouble moving the ball and finishing drives.

The numbers tell the story. Colorado is giving up 2.28 points per drive while producing a stop rate of only 56 percent. The lack of consistency has kept the defense on the field far too long, putting added pressure on an already shaky offense.

Those defensive struggles have played a major role in the Buffaloes’ 2-3 start. Unless the unit can tighten up, Colorado risks watching its season slip further off course.

Which Teams Are Close to Colorado in the Rankings?

Not only are the Buffaloes in a low spot, but several other programs are struggling this season too. That includes Notre Dame (No. 100), Washington (No. 89), and Duke (No. 98).

Even with Colorado’s defense struggling, this seems to be part of a bigger trend across college football this year.

Offenses are pulling away from defenses this year, and it’s making it hard for teams to keep up. Scores are climbing, and any team that can’t slow things down on defense is getting left behind.

For Colorado, it’s not just about one or two bad performances — the defense has struggled consistently, and that puts extra pressure on the offense to keep games close.

Unless programs like Colorado can figure out how to slow down opposing offenses, these struggles aren’t going away anytime soon. The gap between offense and defense is only getting wider, and the Buffaloes could find themselves falling further behind.

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How Much Blame Should Deion Sanders Get for Colorado’s Defensive Woes?

A lot of Colorado’s defensive struggles land on Sanders. Being an NFL Hall of Famer, you’d expect the defense to be a big part of his identity in Boulder.

Getting Hunter was a huge win, but he was really the only true star on the defensive side under Sanders. That could change with future recruiting classes, but for now, the lack of depth and talent definitely falls back on Sanders.

Since arriving in 2022, Sanders has made a bigger splash on offense, bringing in players like Hunter, five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, and offensive lineman Jordan Seaton.

The issue is, while the offense gets all the hype, the defense just hasn’t kept up — and you can see that on the field. If Colorado wants to do more than just scrape by, Sanders has to show he can build a defense that matches his reputation.

Right now, that side of the ball is holding the Buffaloes back.