CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

Colorado Buffaloes

Big 12Boulder, COFolsom Field

2026: 2–⁠4 (0–⁠3 Big 12). Last: lost to No. 11 Utah 27–⁠24 at home. Next: at Oklahoma State, Saturday, Oct 24.

  1. W 14–⁠13at Georgia Tech
  2. W 52–⁠21Weber State
  3. L 7–⁠41at Northwestern
  4. L 13–⁠23at Baylor
  5. L 7–⁠29No. 12 Texas Tech
  6. L 24–⁠27No. 11 Utah
  7. Oct 24at Oklahoma State
  8. Oct 31Kansas State
  9. Nov 7at Arizona State
  10. Nov 13Houston
  11. Nov 21at Cincinnati
  12. Nov 28UCF
  • Outfitted by Nike
  • Live mascot: Ralphie

Colorado in the news

Colorado has played football since 1890 and is 684–⁠534–⁠35 in the 1,253 games on record here, which start in 1902. Colorado claims one national championship (1990). The Buffaloes finished No. 1 in the final AP poll in 1990. They have won nine Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles (the last in 1937), plus five Big Eight Conference titles, five Colorado Football Association titles, four Skyline Conference titles, two Colorado Football Conference titles, one Big 12 Conference title, counting shared titles. The Heisman Trophy has been won here twice, most recently by Travis Hunter in 2024. Since 1938, the NFL Draft has taken 181 players from here in its first seven rounds, 25 of them in the first round. The AFL draft also took one player from here. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 11 players and 1 coach from Colorado. Bill McCartney (1982–⁠1994) won more games here than any other coach: 93. The most-played rival is Colorado State: 93 meetings, Colorado leads 69–⁠22–⁠2. This season, under Deion Sanders, they’re 2–⁠4.

Folsom Field in Boulder
Folsom FieldPhoto: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 1991No. 22 Colorado beat No. 12 Oklahoma 34–⁠17 on the road.

Résumé

All-time record
736–⁠558–⁠36 official; 684–⁠534–⁠35 on file; how we count
Postseason
12–⁠19 matches the official bowl record
AP No. 1 finishes
1
Weeks at No. 1
6 of 293 ranked
Elo now
1413 112th of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 65 · Composite No. 82 in FBS, Oct 17; down 1 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
1996 rated 1779
Conference titles
26 last in 2001
Seasons
125 since 1902, 1,253 games

Identity

Fight song
Fight CU
Mascot
Chip
Student section
The Charge
Apparel
Nike
Band
University of Colorado Golden Buffalo Marching Band since 1909, about 280 members

2026 season 2–⁠4

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3atGeorgia TechW 14–⁠1329%
Sep 12vsWeber StateW 52–⁠2180%
Sep 19atNorthwesternL 7–⁠4134%
Sep 26atBaylorL 13–⁠2332%
Oct 3vs12Texas TechL 7–⁠2923%
Oct 17vs11UtahL 24–⁠2720%
Oct 24atOklahoma StatePreview35%
Oct 31vsKansas StatePreview35%
Nov 7atArizona StatePreview28%
Nov 13vsHoustonPreview27%
Nov 21atCincinnatiPreview28%
Nov 28vsUCFPreview50%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Colorado’s Elo through 2026: 1446 going into the opener, 1413 after the latest game.1400142514501475Elo 1446 going in; beat Georgia Tech 14–13Elo 1456 going in; beat Weber State 52–21Elo 1469 going in; lost to Northwestern 41–7Elo 1446 going in; lost to Baylor 23–13Elo 1431 going in; lost to Texas Tech 29–7Elo 1418 going in; lost to Utah 27–24Now: Elo 1413 after the latest game1413
Georgia TechWeber StateNorthwesternBaylorTexas TechUtahNow
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses.

Future schedule

2027–⁠31
202712 games: 7 home, 5 away
20282 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20291 game: 1 home, non-conference only
20302 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20312 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only

Colorado’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of December 19, 2023). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Players

The 2026 rosterRecord bookAll-time letterwinnersThe money

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Colorado.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Apparel
Nike · Official source
Mascot
Chip · Official source
Live mascot
Ralphie (female bison (buffalo)) · Official source
Student section
The Charge · Official source
Athletic director
Fernando Lovo · Official source
Offensive coordinator
Brennan Marion · Official source
Defensive coordinator
Chris Marve · Official source
Radio flagship
KOA · Single source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Nike. 10 years. Colorado's fourth Nike contract, signed in 2021, ran through 2025. The current term hasn't been confirmed here.

  • Colorado Athletics, Jul 16, 2021: Fourth Nike contract, 10 years through the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.

Program strength since 1902

Best seasons ever
Colorado end-of-season Elo from 1902 to 2026, best in 1996 at 1779.13001500170019001920194019601980200020201996 peak: Elo 1779
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team. Filled dots: finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

On Bluesky

From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.

More coverage

Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.

Podcasts

Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Deion Sanders2023–⁠202618–⁠25
Mike Sanford Jr.20221–⁠6
Karl Dorrell2020–⁠20228–⁠15
Mel Tucker20195–⁠7
Kurt Roper20180–⁠1
Mike MacIntyre2013–⁠201830–⁠44
Jon Embree2011–⁠20124–⁠21
Brian Cabral20102–⁠1
Dan Hawkins2006–⁠201019–⁠39
Mike Hankwitz20050–⁠1
Gary Barnett1999–⁠200549–⁠38
Rick Neuheisel1995–⁠199833–⁠14
Bill McCartney1982–⁠199493–⁠55–⁠5
Chuck Fairbanks1979–⁠19817–⁠26
Bill Mallory1974–⁠197835–⁠21–⁠1
Eddie Crowder1963–⁠197367–⁠49–⁠2
Bud Davis19622–⁠8
Everett Grandelius1959–⁠196120–⁠11
Dallas Ward1948–⁠195863–⁠41–⁠6
Jim Yeager1941–⁠194724–⁠17–⁠2
Frank Potts1940–⁠194516–⁠8–⁠1
Bunny Oakes1935–⁠193925–⁠15–⁠1
William Saunders1932–⁠193415–⁠7–⁠2
Myron Witham1920–⁠193163–⁠26–⁠7
Joe Mills1918–⁠19194–⁠6–⁠1
Bob Evans1916–⁠19177–⁠7–⁠1
Fred Folsom1902–⁠191545–⁠14–⁠1
Frank Castleman1906–⁠19077–⁠6–⁠4
Willis Keinholtz19058–⁠1
David Cropp1903–⁠190414–⁠4–⁠1

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesCOLO record
Colorado State9369–⁠22–⁠2 ‡
Missouri7531–⁠41–⁠3
Utah7333–⁠37–⁠3
Nebraska7221–⁠49–⁠2
Kansas7143–⁠25–⁠3 †
Kansas State6845–⁠22–⁠1
Iowa State6650–⁠15–⁠1
Oklahoma5917–⁠40–⁠2

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.

Rivals the program names: Colorado State, Nebraska, Utah.

The trophy it holds: Centennial Cup (Colorado State). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.

Every opponent (109)

Every program Colorado has played, A to Z, with Colorado’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

26, counting shared titles
Big 12 Conference 1
2001
Big Eight Conference 5
1961, 1976 (shared), 1989, 1990, 1991 (shared)
Skyline Conference 4
1939, 1942, 1943, 1944
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 9
1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1923, 1924, 1934 (shared), 1935 (shared), 1937
Colorado Football Conference 2
1902, 1903
Colorado Football Association 5
1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1901
Pac-12 South 1
2016
Big 12 North 4
2001 (tied), 2002, 2004, 2005

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1890–⁠1892
  2. Colorado Football Conference 1893–⁠1904
  3. Independent 1905
  4. Colorado Football Conference 1906–⁠1908
  5. Mountain States Conference 1938–⁠1947
  6. Big Seven 1948–⁠1957
  7. Big Eight 1958–⁠1995
  8. Big 12 1996–⁠2010
  9. Pac-12 2011–⁠2023
  10. Big 12 since 2024
  • 1938Joined the Mountain States Conference from the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference. Source
  • 1948Joined the Big Seven from the Mountain States Conference. Source
  • 1996Joined the Big 12 from the Big Eight. Source
  • 2011Joined the Pac-12 from the Big 12, announced June 7, 2010. Source
  • 2024Joined the Big 12 from the Pac-12. Source

Colorado’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2024Travis Hunter WR/CBHeisman, Walter Camp, Biletnikoff, Bednarik, Hornung
2024Shedeur Sanders QBUnitas Golden Arm
2023Travis Hunter WR/CBHornung
2016Mike MacIntyre coachEddie Robinson, Walter Camp Coach, Bobby Dodd Award
2002Mark Mariscal PRay Guy
2001Daniel Graham TEMackey
1996Matt Russell LBButkus
1994Rashaan Salaam RBHeisman, Walter Camp, Doak Walker
1994Chris Hudson DBThorpe
1992Deon Figures CBThorpe
1992Jim Hansen OTCampbell Trophy
1990Alfred Williams LBButkus
1989Bill McCartney coachEddie Robinson, Walter Camp Coach, Bear Bryant Award

Consensus All-Americans 32

2024Travis Hunter APB
2010Nate Solder OT
2007Jordon Dizon LB
2005Mason Crosby K
2002Mark Mariscal P
2001Andre Gurode OG
2001Daniel Graham TE
1996Chris Naeole OL
1996Matt Russell LB
1995Bryan Stoltenberg C
1994Chris Hudson DB
1994Michael Westbrook WR
1994Rashaan Salaam RB
1992Deon Figures CB
1991Jay Leeuwenburg C
1990Alfred Williams LB
1990Eric Bieniemy RB
1990Joe Garten OG
1989Alfred Williams LB
1989Joe Garten OG
1989Tom Rouen P
1988Keith English P
1986Barry Helton P
1985Barry Helton P
1972Cullen Bryant DB
1970Don Popplewell C
1969Bobby Anderson RB
1968Mike Montler OG
1967Dick Anderson S
1961Joe Romig OG/LB
1960Joe Romig OG/LB
1937Byron White RB

Led the nation 6

2001Roman Hollowell punt return average (18.0)
1994Rashaan Salaam rushing yards (2,055 yds), rushing touchdowns (24 TD), points (144 pts), points per game (13.1)
1990Dave McCloughan punt return average (16.4)
1958Howard Cook punt return yards (242 yds)
1941Vern Lockard kickoff return average (24.4)
1937Byron White rushing yards (1,121 yds), points (122 pts), points per game (15.25), total offense (1,596 yds)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
1990Eric Bieniemy RB3rd
1989Darian Hagan QB5th
1937Byron White RB2nd

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
11
Coaches
1
2026Chris Hudson DB
2024Deon Figures CB
2022Rashaan Salaam RB
2020Michael Westbrook WR
2016Herb Orvis DT
2013Bill McCartney coach here, 1982–⁠1994
2012John Wooten OT
2010Alfred Williams LB
2006Bobby Anderson RB
1993Dick Anderson S
1984Joe Romig OG/LB
1954Byron White RB

In the draft

By college
NFL picks, rounds 1–⁠7
181 since 1938
First-round picks
25
AFL picks
1 1962
2025Travis Hunter CBNo. 2, Jacksonville Jaguars
2011Nate Solder OTNo. 17, New England Patriots
2011Jimmy Smith CBNo. 27, Baltimore Ravens
2003Tyler Brayton DENo. 32, Oakland Raiders
2002Daniel Graham TENo. 21, New England Patriots
1997Chris Naeole OGNo. 10, New Orleans Saints
1997Rae Carruth WRNo. 27, Carolina Panthers
1995Michael Westbrook WRNo. 4, Washington Redskins

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

University of Colorado Boulder
Enrollment
38,799 32,244 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Boulder, Colorado
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1876
Graduates’ median earnings
$69,738 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @cubuffsfootballInstagram @cubuffsfootballYouTube channel/UCFa7JCJYHGciKPnlExPuC1QFacebook cubuffsfootball
Athletics department
X @CUBuffsInstagram @cubuffsYouTube channel/UCeTemrMnh7mAtN99BD6jo4QFacebook ColoradoAthletics

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones cubuffs.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.

On the newsreel

Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.

Films and books

On film

In books

Films: Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia’s lists and categories (CC BY-SA), about the program, its seasons, games and rivalries. Books: Open Library (CC0), filed under the program’s Library of Congress subject heading; most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.

Season by season

National champions

Shaded: national title seasons, No. 1 in the final AP poll or claimed by Colorado (1 claimed).

SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20262–⁠40–⁠3Deion Sanders1413-2.4
20253–⁠91–⁠8Deion Sanders1418-8.3
20249–⁠47–⁠225Deion Sanders15798.1
20234–⁠81–⁠8Deion Sanders1362-4.9
20221–⁠111–⁠8Karl Dorrell, Mike Sanford Jr.1307-20.4
20214–⁠83–⁠6Karl Dorrell1412-10.0
20204–⁠23–⁠1Karl Dorrell1494-0.4
20195–⁠73–⁠6Mel Tucker1452-4.1
20185–⁠72–⁠7Mike MacIntyre, Kurt Roper1436-0.7
20175–⁠72–⁠7Mike MacIntyre14912.0
201610–⁠48–⁠117Mike MacIntyre16006.3
20154–⁠91–⁠8Mike MacIntyre1374-4.0
20142–⁠100–⁠9Mike MacIntyre1333-5.0
20134–⁠81–⁠8Mike MacIntyre1355-0.7
20121–⁠111–⁠8Jon Embree1282-17.2
20113–⁠102–⁠8Jon Embree1409-8.8
20105–⁠72–⁠6Dan Hawkins, Brian Cabral1455-1.9
20093–⁠92–⁠6Dan Hawkins13860.2
20085–⁠72–⁠6Dan Hawkins1435-2.7
20076–⁠74–⁠4Dan Hawkins14744.2
20062–⁠102–⁠6Dan Hawkins14281.8
20057–⁠65–⁠3Gary Barnett, Mike Hankwitz154511.7
20048–⁠54–⁠4Gary Barnett15807.8
20035–⁠73–⁠5Gary Barnett15242.6
20029–⁠57–⁠1720Gary Barnett165219.8
Every season back to 1902 (100 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
200110–⁠37–⁠19Gary Barnett167420.2
20003–⁠83–⁠524Gary Barnett150010.1
19997–⁠55–⁠315Gary Barnett160311.3
19988–⁠44–⁠4Rick Neuheisel160211.6
19975–⁠63–⁠58Rick Neuheisel160914.1
199610–⁠27–⁠158Rick Neuheisel177924.6
199510–⁠25–⁠2135Rick Neuheisel175925.4
199411–⁠16–⁠183Bill McCartney176525.2
19938–⁠3–⁠15–⁠1–⁠11116Bill McCartney171221.0
19929–⁠2–⁠15–⁠1–⁠11213Bill McCartney169216.6
19918–⁠3–⁠16–⁠0–⁠11320Bill McCartney170916.3
199011–⁠1–⁠17–⁠051Bill McCartney177526.7
198911–⁠17–⁠0144Bill McCartney173029.0
19888–⁠44–⁠3Bill McCartney159313.1
19877–⁠44–⁠3Bill McCartney15758.1
19866–⁠66–⁠1Bill McCartney15449.0
19857–⁠54–⁠3Bill McCartney148810.8
19841–⁠101–⁠6Bill McCartney1313-15.9
19834–⁠72–⁠5Bill McCartney1396-4.4
19822–⁠8–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Bill McCartney1349-10.3
19813–⁠82–⁠5Chuck Fairbanks1341-7.4
19801–⁠101–⁠6Chuck Fairbanks1301-15.7
19793–⁠82–⁠5Chuck Fairbanks1431-4.9
19786–⁠52–⁠5Bill Mallory1508-0.4
19777–⁠3–⁠13–⁠3–⁠112Bill Mallory161513.8
19768–⁠45–⁠216Bill Mallory163622.7
19759–⁠35–⁠216Bill Mallory161219.1
19745–⁠63–⁠4Bill Mallory15219.2
19735–⁠62–⁠511Eddie Crowder156312.6
19728–⁠44–⁠3216Eddie Crowder166915.4
197110–⁠25–⁠23Eddie Crowder172829.1
19706–⁠53–⁠4Eddie Crowder162417.9
19698–⁠35–⁠216Eddie Crowder1618
19684–⁠63–⁠4Eddie Crowder1489
19679–⁠25–⁠210Eddie Crowder1669
19667–⁠35–⁠2Eddie Crowder1614
19656–⁠2–⁠24–⁠2–⁠1Eddie Crowder1535
19642–⁠81–⁠6Eddie Crowder1385
19632–⁠82–⁠5Eddie Crowder1371
19622–⁠81–⁠6Bud Davis1406
19619–⁠27–⁠07Everett Grandelius1596
19606–⁠45–⁠2Everett Grandelius1525
19595–⁠53–⁠3Everett Grandelius1511
19586–⁠44–⁠2Dallas Ward1570
19576–⁠3–⁠13–⁠3Dallas Ward1636
19568–⁠2–⁠14–⁠1–⁠120Dallas Ward1641
19556–⁠43–⁠3Dallas Ward1556
19547–⁠2–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Dallas Ward1628
19536–⁠42–⁠4Dallas Ward1570
19526–⁠2–⁠22–⁠2–⁠2Dallas Ward1604
19517–⁠35–⁠1Dallas Ward1588
19505–⁠4–⁠12–⁠4Dallas Ward1503
19493–⁠71–⁠4Dallas Ward1381
19483–⁠62–⁠3Dallas Ward1433
19474–⁠53–⁠3Jim Yeager1445
19465–⁠4–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Jim Yeager1495
19455–⁠33–⁠1Frank Potts1535
19446–⁠22–⁠0Frank Potts1555
19435–⁠22–⁠0Jim Yeager1535
19427–⁠25–⁠1Jim Yeager1589
19413–⁠4–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Jim Yeager1476
19405–⁠3–⁠14–⁠1–⁠1Frank Potts1550
19395–⁠35–⁠1Bunny Oakes1571
19383–⁠4–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Bunny Oakes1547
19378–⁠17–⁠017Bunny Oakes1662
19364–⁠34–⁠2Bunny Oakes1582
19355–⁠45–⁠1Bunny Oakes1572
19346–⁠1–⁠26–⁠1William Saunders1625
19337–⁠25–⁠2William Saunders1578
19322–⁠42–⁠4William Saunders1510
19315–⁠33–⁠2Myron Witham1578
19306–⁠1–⁠15–⁠1–⁠1Myron Witham1612
19295–⁠1–⁠14–⁠1–⁠1Myron Witham1561
19285–⁠15–⁠1Myron Witham1535
19274–⁠54–⁠4Myron Witham1429
19263–⁠5–⁠12–⁠5–⁠1Myron Witham1465
19256–⁠35–⁠2Myron Witham1614
19248–⁠1–⁠15–⁠0–⁠1Myron Witham1635
19239–⁠08–⁠0Myron Witham1669
19224–⁠42–⁠3Myron Witham1518
19214–⁠1–⁠14–⁠0–⁠1Myron Witham1570
19204–⁠1–⁠23–⁠1–⁠2Myron Witham1535
19192–⁠3–⁠12–⁠3–⁠1Joe Mills1477
19182–⁠31–⁠2Joe Mills1455
19176–⁠24–⁠2Bob Evans1503
19161–⁠5–⁠11–⁠5Bob Evans1379
19151–⁠61–⁠5Fred Folsom1423
19145–⁠14–⁠1Fred Folsom1633
19135–⁠1–⁠14–⁠0–⁠1Fred Folsom1611
19126–⁠33–⁠2Fred Folsom1551
19116–⁠05–⁠0Fred Folsom1681
19106–⁠04–⁠0Fred Folsom1665
19096–⁠01–⁠0Fred Folsom1646
19085–⁠21–⁠0Fred Folsom1564
19075–⁠31–⁠0Frank Castleman1540
19062–⁠3–⁠40–⁠0–⁠1Frank Castleman1538
19058–⁠1Willis Keinholtz1665
19046–⁠2–⁠11–⁠0David Cropp1620
19038–⁠21–⁠0David Cropp1638
19025–⁠11–⁠0Fred Folsom1566

Officially 736–⁠558–⁠36 since 1890 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 684–⁠534–⁠35 (−52 wins, −24 losses, −1 tie). Our file starts in 1902; the program began in 1890. Some games are missing from our source.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.