Five Reasons to Believe Colorado Buffaloes Can Exceed Expectations This Fall

The Colorado Buffaloes are entering the fourth season under coach Deion Sanders, and 2026 marks the second year that "Coach Prime" will be without his son, former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and a Heisman Trophy talent in Travis Hunter.

A 3-9 finish in 2025 poured water on any sparks in Boulder, Colorado, but Sanders and the Buffaloes have a few reasons to be excited thanks to a young quarterback, a new-look coaching staff, and some key transfer portal pickups.

Colorado's win total is set at 4.5 games by FanDuel Sportsbook, meaning a six-win season would be exceeding the expectations of oddsmakers in Las Vegas.

Julian Lewis

Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis was a highly-touted recruit for a reason. He reclassified in order to enter college early, and in his final season of high school football, Lewis threw for 3,798 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

'JuJu' Lewis earned some playing time as a true freshman, but the 2026 season will be his first with the full reins of the offense. With a full offseason under new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion under his belt, Lewis' development will be a major reason for Colorado exceeding any expectations.

Brennan Marion's Past Success

Sanders has called this the best coaching staff that he's had at Colorado, and it starts with offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.

Marion spent the 2025 season coaching Sacramento State, and the Hornets averaged 33.8 points per game, finishing with a 7-5 record. Before leading things at Sacramento State, Marion served as the offensive coordinator for UNLV for two seasons, and he led one of the best offenses in the country.

With Marion calling plays, the Rebels had the No. 15 scoring offense (35.4 points per game) in 2024 and the No. 20 scoring offense (34.4 points per game) in 2023. The season before Marion arrived at UNLV, the Rebels offense averaged 26.3 points per game, good for No. 76 in the nation.

Deion Sanders' Health

Sanders recovered from bladder cancer in time to coach Colorado through the 2025 season, but his procedure and subsequent recovery caused him to miss some time in Boulder in the spring. Not only has Sanders brought in new pieces to the coaching staff, but "Coach Prime" himself is seemingly also more hands on heading into 2026.

While results come in the fall, the spring and summer are crucial times for coaches and players to build the culture and the identity of their teams. The Buffaloes seemed to lack leadership a season ago, but will that be the case again in 2026?

Transfer Portal Pieces

Colorado's new transfer wide receivers like DeAndre Moore and Danny Scudero command attention, but the Buffaloes also added some much-needed help on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Chris Marve is tasked with turning around a unit that allowed 222.5 rushing yards per game, No. 135 out of 136 teams in the country.

Luckily for Marve and Colorado, the Buffaloes have brought in a defensive line haul:

Toby Anene
Immanuel Ezeogu
Santana Hopper
Balansama Kamara
Lamont Lester Jr.
Dylan Manuel
Tyler Moore
Sedrick Smith
Vili Taufatofua
Samu Taumanupepe
Yamil Talib

Which transfers become key figures in Colorado's defensive line rotation remains to be seen, but new linebackers like Liona Lefau and Gideon Lampron are expected to anchor the middle of the Buffs defense.

Big 12 Questions

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire attends spring practice, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the Womble Football Center. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The top of the Big 12 is relatively clear with Texas Tech and BYU expected to lead the pack and contend for a conference title. Behind them, though, the Big 12 has some question marks as to who will step up.

Colorado is not expected to make much noise, but how will teams like Baylor and Arizona State fair with new quarterbacks? Can Oklahoma State rebuild as quickly as some are expecting?

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