Spring Football Schedule Preview: Colorado

Oklahoma State will start the second half off its regular season by hosting Colorado for America’s Greatest Homecoming. Both the Cowboys and Buffaloes are looking to bounce back in 2026 after holding down the basement of the Big 12 in 2025.

Check out our other previews: Noncon | WVU | UCF | Houston

Week 7: Colorado | Oct. 24 | Stillwater, Okla. (Homecoming)

Series history: 20-27-1

Last meeting: Oof…

The Cowboys got buried 52-zip in Boulder two years ago. It was a disgusting cap to what (at that point) was the most disappointing season in OSU history. Shedeur Sanders hung five TDs on the Pokes. It was 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, and the Buffaloes never looked back.

Colorado in 2025: The Buffs had their own down year following the loss of Sanders and Travis Hunter to the NFL. They also dealt with a ton of injuries in 2025. The Buffaloes tied for 129th out of 138 FBS teams in terms of lineup stability. Only six Buffaloes started at least 11 games last season.

That added up to a 3-9 finish in 2025. The Buffs will start 2026 on a five-game skid. Only the Cowboys ranked behind CU when the dust settled on the 2025 Big 12 football season.

Colorado in 2026: Help is on the way. As of writing, Colorado ranks fourth in the conference in team transfer portal rankings according to 247Sports. Their 43 transfers committed ranks only behind only OSU (53) nationally.

Deion Sanders also brought in former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion to run his offense and to coach QBs including returning sophomore Julian Lewis, who took the reins down the stretch, and incoming Utah transfer Isaac Wilson, brother of New Orleans Saints quarterback Zach Wilson.

Of note: Like OSU, Colorado is hitting the portal hard and that leaves less room for traditional recruiting. The two schools rank in the last two spots in composite recruiting ranking per 247. CU has just 17 high school commits and two are four-star recruits.