Three Games Colorado Cannot Afford To Lose Next Season

Last season, the Colorado Buffaloes struggled to find success as a team, and are looking to change that trend in 2026. For coach Deion Sanders, the pressure seems to be ramping up, and each game could be increasingly more important as the season progresses.

There are three games that the Buffaloes cannot afford to lose if they want to compete for a Big 12 title.

Three Games Colorado Buffaloes Cannot Afford To Lose Next Season Coach Deion Sanders Big 12 Baylor Oklahoma State UCF — Apr 11, 2026; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) prepares to pass the ball during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sept. 26 at Baylor Bears

At the beginning of Colorado’s schedule, there are a few tough tests on the road, but the key game in the early part of the Buffaloes' schedule is when Colorado visits Baylor.

One of the biggest reasons the Buffaloes cannot afford to lose this game is that home games against Utah and Texas Tech directly follow the Baylor game. For Colorado to have a successful season, the early part of the schedule is critical, with three road games in the first four weeks. Baylor will be the final road game in that stretch, which could turn out to be the most important.

In addition to the tough schedule that follows the Baylor game, Colorado must also win this game to build confidence as early on as possible as a team, but specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

Heading into next season, the Buffaloes are expected to start redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, who showed flashes of potential in his 2025 performance. To help Lewis, Coach Prime brought in Brennan Marion to be Colorado’s offensive coordinator. As an offensive coordinator, Marion could put Lewis in a great position to succeed with an offense that brings a balance of a quick and efficient passing game, in addition to a physical run game.

In the early part of the schedule, Colorado must win as many games as possible so the Buffaloes can build confidence as a team, but primarily to give Lewis the confidence he needs to lead Colorado to a successful 2026 season.

The matchup with Baylor seems to be one of the more important games on the schedule, as it is Colorado’s first conference game next season. If the Buffaloes can perform well and beat Baylor, that could give Colorado great momentum as the Buffaloes move through intense conference games throughout the rest of the season in the Big 12.

Oct. 24 at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Another game Colorado cannot afford to lose is when the Buffaloes travel to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This matchup with Oklahoma State comes immediately after the two-game stretch of Texas Tech and Utah, which could, in many ways, define how successful Colorado can be next season.

If Colorado is coming off back-to-back losses in the stretch against Texas Tech and Utah, the Buffaloes may very well be in a position where they must beat Oklahoma State, otherwise, becoming bowl eligible could be very much in question.

As the Buffaloes travel to play Oklahoma State, one of the biggest keys to the game may be the performance of Colorado's defense under new defensive coordinator Chris Marve against Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

Marve does have previous experience as a defensive coordinator after serving in the same role with Virginia Tech from 2022 to 2024, where he found solid success. With several additions made on defense through the transfer portal, Marve may have a defense that could become very disruptive and allow Colorado to get a crucial road win.

With the tests that Colorado has later in the season against Arizona State and Houston, the Buffaloes must prove that they can shut down solid passing attacks. If Colorado is unable to beat Oklahoma State, the Buffaloes could be a facing a signifcant amount of pressure for the rest of the season to basically win out in order to become bowl eligible.

Nov. 28 vs. UCF Knights

For Colorado, the final game of the season against the UCF Knights could be critical to how their season is viewed when the regular season finishes.

UCF is a team that finished near the bottom of the Big 12 last season, just as the Buffaloes did. Heading into next season, Colorado has to show it can beat a team like UCF, which may have improved, but does not seem to be competing at the top of the Big 12.

In the grand scheme of things, getting to six wins and bowl eligibility would be a great season for Colorado. With a very tough schedule, including games against Texas, Tech, Utah, Houston, and Arizona State, the Buffaloes must take advantage of every opportunity they get and may need to win this game against UCF to secure bowl eligibility.

With that in mind, this is a game that Colorado cannot afford to lose if they want to secure bowl eligibility, but also be able to climb the Big 12 standings and potentially finish in the top half of the conference. It is very hard to consistently win games during conference play, but if the Buffaloes want to take a step forward under coach Sanders, beating the Knights is a must.

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