Buffs go unranked in preseason AP Poll, first opponent gets high marks

The Colorado Buffaloes will not have a little number next to their name when they open their season later this month, but their first opponent will be considered one of the top teams from a lower division.

In Monday’s Preseason AP Poll, the Buffs received just one vote. Five of CU’s Big 12 Conference foes got ranked; No. 12 Utah, No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Kansas State, No. 21 Arizona and No. 22 Kansas.  The Buffs will face all five of these teams and, of course, their preseason includes two rivalry games on the road in Nebraska and Colorado State. That’s not the end to tough games for the black and gold in the second year under Deion Sanders.

Colorado opens on Aug. 29 against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, who are ranked as the No. 2 team in the Football Championship Subdivision. With the game being Boulder, and the Buffs coming from the higher Football Bowl Subdivision, Coach Prime’s squad is still currently favored by eight-and-a-half points.

So the Buffaloes roam back to their traditional lands in the Big 12 looks to be a gauntlet of a schedule in what is likely Sanders’ most important year leading Colorado. With both his son, star quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, and two-way stud Travis Hunter expected to leave after the fall and go in the top 10 of next spring’s NFL Draft—Prime may never have two bigger stars while in Boulder, heck he might not even be leading the Buffs after this season.

Colorado’s schedule last year was also around this level of tough, but maybe with more peaks and valleys. The 2023 Buffaloes faced five ranked teams by the time of those gamedays, including two in the top 10 with a slaughter out at Oregon and a close fight while hosting the USC Trojans.

Last season the Buffaloes battled real College Football Playoff hopefuls and if Colorado’s dreams are to come true—they will have to beat teams who start the season on the fringe of getting into the expanded edition of the competition.

The difference aside from the highs and lows last year provided may be the fact that both the Cornhuskers and Rams are now road games.

It will be tough sledding for Sanders and crew, they didn’t get the break of hosting downtrodden Pac-12 foe Arizona State and instead got a gauntlet of rivals who have high expectations.

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