Colorado's Preseason Ranking Comes With Surprising Caveat

The Colorado Buffaloes have a revamped roster and coaching staff under coach Deion Sanders, but the expectations for the team are rather low.

Betting odds for Colorado's win total are set at 4.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook, and they are tied with the worst odds of winning the Big 12 championship.

colorado buffaloes recruiting underrated analytics deion sanders brennan marion julian lewis chris marve transfer portal — Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) throws a pass during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Colorado Buffaloes May Be Underrated

ESPN's Bill Connelly revealed his Big 12 preview, and he explained an interesting caveat around Colorado's ranking in the SP+, a predictive system that ranks teams based on their efficiency while adjusting for opponents. The Buffaloes are ranked No. 65 overall by the SP+, and only West Virginia is behind Colorado at No. 66.

With a new roster, Colorado is more difficult to predict, though.

"We saw last year that Colorado still has an awfully low floor, but if Lewis indeed comes into his own at QB, the ceiling could be just as high: There's more proven production on this roster than even the nine-win 2024 team had. It has to jell, and massive makeovers always come with risks," writes Connelly. "But I like this team's potential a lot more than SP+ does. And when have I ever been wrong?"

If Colorado can string together some wins, the Buffaloes will be one of the more surprising teams in the country. However, some of the new transfers joining the program have already been drawing attention.

Out of Connelly's top 10 transfers in the Big 12, two of Colorado's newcomers made the cut: linebacker Gideon Lampron and wide receiver Kam Perry, while receiver Danny Scudero received a mention as well.

The Buffs' schedule features two Power 4 teams in the non-conference slate with Georgia Tech and Northwestern, and then Colorado faces Big 12 play with matchups against Texas Tech, Utah, and Oklahoma State.

Colorado's Chances in 2026

The bottom of the Big 12 is rather close together by the SP+ with seven teams, nearly half of the conference, ranked between No. 50 and No. 66 overall.

Not only does this give Colorado room to climb if the combination of quarterback Julian Lewis with his new wide receivers and a new offensive coordinator in Brennan Marion can click. The Buffaloes brought in Danny Scudero, Kam Perry, and DeAndre Moore to replenish the wide receiver room, but defensive coordinator Chris Marve will also have to do his part with a new group of defensive transfers.

Colorado was among the worst teams in the country in 2025 when it came to stopping the run, and a group of new Buffs will be tasked with turning around the unit. Some new names like defensive lineman Ezra Christensen, linebacker Liona Lefau, and defensive back Boo Carter.

Still, if Colorado is able to string together some wins, it will likely come from outscoring opponents on the offensive side of the ball with the arrival of Marion and the return of Lewis. The Buffaloes lost four one-score games in 2025, surrendering an average of 20 points in those losses.

Winning six games and making a bowl game would be beating expectations for Colorado, although the Buffaloes seem to have the potential to build some momentum and string together some wins in 2026.

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