Colorado Buffaloes Season Predictions for 2024

Colorado returns to the Big 12 after a 13-year sojourn into the now defunct PAC-12. As an original founding member of the Big 12, Colorado is back to its conference roots. From 1948 until 1995, Colorado played in the Big 7 turned Big 8, which housed the original Big 12. Remaining from those conference days are Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State, whilst Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri have all gone to chase the money, I mean, the pastures of SEC and B1G fields.

Why is Colorado’s return significant to the Big 12 and to the Colorado program? There are a few reasons. 

First, Colorado’s greatest successes came in this conference. Technically, its 1990 national championship was won from the Big 8, prior to the Big 12, but that conference seeded the Big 12. While Colorado never won a PAC-12 championship, they did win a Big 12 championship in 2001. 

Second, they enter the Big 12 with one of the top 3 faces in college football today at the helm. And, they enter stage right as Oklahoma and Texas, the biggest blue bloods of the Big 12, exit stage left. While we don’t know if Deion is going to stay in Colorado for 2 more years or 20 more years, he has an opportunity to seize the conference spotlight. And, for the Big 12, that might just be the best thing it could ask for right now.

Think of this – While the SEC and the B1G will be grabbing a majority of headlines, the Big 12 needs a bold, unavoidable, magnetic persona to garner some attention. Rather than sounding desperate, they need someone who commands attention. And, Deion and the Buffaloes can do just that. 

Naturally, winning must come with that, but if 2023 was an indication of where Colorado is heading in the near future, the winning will be coming with.

Ok, on to some projections. And, to recognize, these projections come before the transfer portal / free agency period is finished. I am bullish on Colorado with Deion over the next few years. 

Season Predictions for 2024

More details are below, but for the headliner predictions, I have the following:

• Non-Conference schedule: 3-0
• Conference schedule: 4-5
• Overall record: 7-5

The State of the Colorado Buffaloes’ Program coming into the 2024 Season

Colorado is making waves in the transfer portal. As of this writing, they have the sixth best transfer portal rankings, and will likely finish within the top 10. Last year, they finished with the best transfer portal rankings, having completely transformed their roster, and those changes lifted them from 1 win in 2022 to 4 wins in 2024. It is not out of the question that Colorado could post a bowl eligible season (in fact, that is what I am projecting). 

Colorado’s biggest improvements are coming on the front line. Skill positions netted them about 3 wins last year. The line will net them about 3 more wins. Then, after a year of cohesion, and depending on what Shadeur Sanders does related to the 2025 NFL draft, Colorado could be looking at preparing for a 10+ win season in 2025.

So, to be clear, the time when Colorado really competes for a Big 12 championship is most likely 2025, though it is not out of the realm of possibility for them to compete this year. They have two conference foes whom they know quite well (Arizona and Utah), they get 5 conference home games, and they have Deion.

I like Deion. I don’t know him. But, I like what he brings to college football. I like what he is about. What he is building is exciting, and for all Big 12 fans it should be appreciated because it will bring the national spotlight to your conference.

Game by Game Season Predictions

So, here we go. Now we know the dates of when the matchups actually fall, (thank you Big 12 schedule release). Colorado plays the more favorable conference schedule with 5 home games and 4 road games schedule in 2024.

Thursday, Aug. 29th – Colorado vs North Dakota State Bison

Winner: Colorado

Can we have this matchup every year? How often do the Buffaloes face the Bison? And, if we do get it each year, can we actually build a stadium for the teams to play in Yellowstone? Or, perhaps, better yet, let’s have them play out on the range, where the buffalo roam. Winner: Colorado, though North Dakota State isn’t a cellar dweller in the FCS world, having lost in 2OT to Montana in the FCS semifinals.

Saturday, Sept. 7th – Colorado at Nebraska Cornhuskers

Winner: Colorado

Nebraska made noise with the Dylan Raiola flip from Georgia on signing day. And, they are trending upwards on paper. They are likely where Colorado was a year ago in terms of roster. This game will be much closer than last year’s game, but Nebraska does not yet have a clear starter at QB, and Colorado has a star at QB. This could be another Fox Big Noon kickoff given it is week 2.

Saturday, Sept. 14th – Colorado at Colorado State Rams

Winner: Colorado

An improved Colorado team that beat the Rams last year, and is improving faster than the Rams still has the edge for me next year. Where I am hesitant is that this is a road game, though in-state, but nonetheless, I still like what Colorado has coming back and transferring in more than I like Colorado State.

Saturday, Sept. 21st – Colorado vs Baylor

Winner: Colorado

I went back and forth here. Baylor lost good portions of its offensive staff, including OC Jeff Grimes. Likewise, Blake Shapen, its starting QB, has transferred away. Dave Aranda did take a team that won 2 games in 2020 and win 12 games in 2021, including the Big 12 conference championship and a NY6 bowl. So, Aranda could do it again. But, Baylor struggled on the trenches, so I don’t expect them to have a large advantage here.

Given that this game is early in the season, and Baylor will be adjusting to a new offense and new quarterback, that gives Colorado an edge here. This is the opening conference matchup for both teams, so Baylor will be hungry for a win.

Saturday, Sept. 28th – Colorado at UCF

Winner: Colorado

I’m high on UCF in the long-term, but they are still adjusting to life at the P5 level. While this is across the country, I think Deion finds a way to use this game as prime recruiting opportunity to attract mounds of Florida talent to find its way to the rocky mountains of Boulder. I anticipate it would be an early kickoff, in the first batch of games (think noon eastern time). It is going to be a different, rocking environment for Colorado, but that is ok. I don’t think that phases Colorado.

UCF struggled at the defensive line of scrimmage, so they are not returning strength at the position where Colorado was weak (offensive line of scrimmage). This game could be a shootout, in the range of 80 total points between the two. Colorado heads into a bye week the following week, so I like Colorado to finish September at 5-0 and likely with a ranking in the AP Poll next to their school name.

Saturday, Oct. 12th – Colorado vs Kansas State

Winner: Colorado

Yes, I currently have Colorado starting out 6-0. That’s because I have them winning this game. And, expectations are likely going to start stretching far out of whack for this team. Will they be better than last year? Yes. Should they win the Big 12 this year? I don’t think so. Remember, getting to bowl eligibility would be a monumental course correction for this program if we look back at where they were in the 2022 season (they were at the bottom of the bottom of the college football garbage pile). So, the goal is getting to bowl eligibility, and then pick up anymore wins you can get.

For Colorado to get to bowl eligibility, they’re going to need to win a game that, at present time, seems like quite a stretch. While Kansas State is not a name that strikes fear into the hearts of SEC or B1G fans, the purple Wildcats are known in Big 12 country as being fairly carnivorous. And, there is some history between these two squads in what should be a great renewal of former history. This is the game where I like Colorado to score a victory that shows they are trending upwards in the Big 12. Coming off of the bye week and playing at home, the Buffaloes should have plenty of rest and momentum.

Last note, this game could get a primetime spotlight given that it is at Colorado. Other matchups this week that will likely be big will be The Red River rivalry, which will be in the morning. Ohio State travels to Oregon, and that is likely to get the second window slot (3:30pm ET). There are other good games, like Florida and Tennessee, LSU and Ole Miss. But, that leaves that third window open for a potential primetime feature with these two programs. And, there is a chance, given Kansas State’s schedule, that both teams enter this game undefeated.

Saturday, Oct. 19th – Colorado at Arizona

Winner: Arizona

This is where I think the schedule starts to get tougher for Colorado. If this were a home game for Colorado, then I’d lean Colorado. Now with Washington’s poaching of Jedd Fisch, Arizona’s future is yet to be proven. Nevertheless, the program was building momentum and has its starting quarterback returning. I’m going with Arizona here because of what they return and because of their defense, which was better than Colorado’s last year.

It’s these two games here in October, Kansas State and Arizona, that are going to tell me if this team is a 7-5 / 8-4 type of team or if they are a double digit win team. If they pick up both of these wins, and Arizona does not fall off of a cliff with Fisch’s departure, then you could be looking at a dark horse contender in Colorado.

Saturday, Oct. 26th – Colorado vs Cincinnati

Winner: Colorado

This is the third of three games that Colorado will play in October, and they will have another bye right after this week. That sets up favorably for Colorado to get to a seventh win at this point because of the rest and difficulty. Cincy will be coming off of a matchup at home against Arizona State, so I expect the Bearcats to come in with. some confidence. They too will have a bye week the following week. So both squads will be motivated to pick up a win heading into the off week.

Like UCF, Cincinnati is still re-adjusting to the P5 level (they were once P6). Cincinnati has upside, but Colorado, at home, with a returning QB while Cincinnati breaks in a new QB, has the advantages. Cincinnati had a decent defense, better than Colorado’s, and their offense was successful on the ground. But they really struggled in the red zone. If they correct those problems and keep improving their defense, then they might surprise the Buffaloes here. But, for now, I still like Colorado at home.

Saturday, Nov. 9th – Colorado at Texas Tech

Winner: Texas Tech

Ok, I’ll admit, this one is a shaky prediction for me. Predicting how Texas Tech is going to perform is like trying to determine whether my iPhone’s weather app, which says we’ll get 16 inches of snow, is something I should believe in. Texas Tech is starting to make noise in the recruiting ranks over the past couple of seasons. But, that will have to translate to the field in terms of wins. I know that they had injuries at key positions last year, but they didn’t quite deliver.

So, with that, you would think that I would pick Colorado here? Well, it is actually because of that unpredictability that I have Texas Tech winning this game. Texas Tech is 10-3 at home over the past two seasons. Last year’s two losses were to Oregon (winner of the Fiesta Bowl) and Kansas State (winner of the increasingly popular Pop Tarts bowl). They will be good at home.

Saturday, Nov. 16th – Colorado vs Utah

Winner: Utah

Utah will be coming off of a bitter and fierce rivalry, aka The Holy War, against in-state rival BYU in the week prior. I expect Utah to win that game, so I think they will be carrying momentum into this game. But, that matchup is always physical and emotional. So, will they be completely drained?

If Colorado finds a way to score victories against Arizona and Texas Tech (or even against one of them), then they could be coming into this game with a 9-0 or 8-1 record. 6-3 is more realistic, but, let’s assume they are 9-0 or 8-1. This game will be critical for the Big 12 title matchup and even for a playoff spot seeding. Only one would likely go, so the winner has that much more at stake.

Now, I am picking Utah to win this game because of what Utah is and the program and defense that they built. Furthermore, this prediction assumes Cam Rising, who is playing in his 70th, I mean, 7th season, will be healthy. Colorado lost on the road by 6 points in 2023 despite Utah’s host of injuries. This is going to be a close game because these two teams know each other, having played the past 13 seasons in a forced “rivalry” that never really reached rivalry status. Don’t be surprised if Colorado wins, but for now, I have Utah.

Saturday, Nov. 23rd – Colorado at Kansas

Winner: Kansas

This should be an exciting game. Kansas is going to need to improve its defense to live up to my expectation that it can compete for the Big 12 title (which is not something I thought I’d say 2 years ago). And, Kansas needs to stay healthy. But, given that this is on the road, this battle of former Big 8 and Big 12 foes should be a good one to watch.

Kansas has the best offense going into next season within the Big 12, even with their losing their offensive coordinator. Colorado also has to improve its defense dramatically, starting at the line of scrimmage. The weather is going to be unpleasant. Kansas is going to want to run the ball.

Kansas got 26 sacks last year, which was slightly better than average. This game is all going to come down to the line of scrimmage. Kansas was very good at that spot last year. If Colorado wants to compete, then they will need to show that they have improved. And, at this late stage in the season, will they have enough depth? Will their transfers from the past two seasons be sufficient depth? I’m still skeptical.

This game is an example of why I think 2025 is the season for the Buffaloes. They are still building program depth to combat the injuries that are going to be present at this point in the season. And, Kansas is about a year or two ahead of them. Isn’t it crazy to think that only a few years ago these two teams were hanging out in the cellars of college football? And now, in 2024, they could be hanging out amongst the big boys of the Big 12!

Friday, Nov. 29th – Colorado vs Oklahoma State

Winner: Oklahoma State

At the end of the season, I like this game! Giving it a Friday slot will likely draw even more eyeballs as it is not competing with Michigan vs Ohio State or the Iron Bowl. Showtime in Coach Prime, and a coach in Mike Gundy who is a man! Different styles of play are going to be on display here. This game is going to really test Colorado’s revamped trenches. Ollie Gordon is returning, with all of his thousands of yards. He has the biggest chip on his shoulder in the entire country. The same trend that I see happening vs Kansas is what I see here.

Will Colorado’s trenches hold up through the season? Will Shadeur still be in one piece at this point? Will Colorado allow 56 sacks again like they did in 2023? Oklahoma State is not going to be a pick for the majority of people to get to the Big 12 title game. And, yet, they could very well be playing themselves into that game if they win this matchup against the Buffaloes. This is going to be a real Big 12 game. Like I said vs Kansas, I am picking Oklahoma State because I think Colorado’s depth is still going to be waning at this point in the season.

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