Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders Disrespected In Preseason Prediction: No Bowl Game?

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Jack Carlough | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 3:00 PM ET

With the 2025 college football season nearly here, few seem to agree on how well the Colorado Buffaloes will fare in coach Deion Sanders' third year in Boulder. Some believe the Buffs will again vie for the Big 12 Conference crown while others have Colorado struggling to make a bowl game.

As displayed in a recent article predicting each Big 12 team's game-by-game outcomes. College Football HQ on SI leans pessimistic, tabbing Colorado to finish with a final record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12). The preseason projection believes the Buffs will begin the season 3-1 before finishing 2-6 down the stretch.

Predicting Colorado's Regular Season Wins, Losses

According to College Football HQ on SI, Colorado will fall to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its season opener before rattling off wins over the Delaware Blue Hens, Houston Cougars and Wyoming Cowboys. Considering the talent discrepancy between Colorado and those latter three teams, anything less than 3-1 would be a disappointment. Georgia Tech, though, should make things interesting for the Buffs on Aug. 29.

From there, Colorado is predicted to lose to the BYU Cougars and TCU Horned Frogs before bouncing back with a home win over the Iowa State Cyclones, who reached the Big 12 title game last season and are currently ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25. Iowa State is by far Colorado's most impressive win in the projection.

Colorado's only other predicted win comes against the Arizona Wildcats on Nov. 1. Utah, Arizona State and Kansas State are all difficult opponents, but pegging West Virginia to beat the Buffs on Nov. 8 shows "Coach Prime" little respect. The Mountaineers re-hired coach Rich Rodriguez in December and are largely expected to struggle in a rebuilding year.

Impact Of Losing Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter

College Football HQ on SI believes the losses of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the NFL will result in a difficult season for the Buffs.

The two big reasons behind Colorado’s improvement a year ago, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, are out of the picture, which could result in a marked step backw ards for the Buffaloes in Coach Prime’s third time out.James Parks

There's no way to truly replace what Shedeur and Hunter brought to Boulder, but there's hope that projected starting quarterback Kaidon Salter will thrive alongside an improved offensive line and a talented group of wide receivers. Defensively, cornerback DJ McKinney and defensive end Arden Walker are also expected to shine.

"The next phase is we're going to win differently, but we're going to win," Deion Sanders said earlier this month. "I don't know if it's going to be the Hail Marys at the end of the game, but it's going to be hell during the game, because we want to be physical and we want to run the heck out of the football."

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: