Big 12 releases CU Buffs schedule for 2026

The Big 12 Conference released Colorado’s 2026 football schedule on Wednesday, and it looks to be a tough one. The Buffaloes will face a September gauntlet unlike anything they’ve seen in decades before welcoming three teams that won at least 10 games last season to Folsom Field.

CU Buffs schedule

Sept. 5 – at Georgia Tech
Sept. 12 – Weber St.
Sept. 19 – at Northwestern
Sept. 26 – at Baylor
Oct. 3 – Texas Tech
Bye
Oct. 17 – Utah
Oct. 24 – at Okla. St
Oct. 31 – K-State
Nov. 7 – at ASU
Nov. 14 – Houston
Nov. 21 – at Cincinnati
Nov. 28 – UCF

Colorado opens the season at Georgia Tech on Sept. 5, seeking revenge for the Yellow Jackets’ 27-20 win in Boulder last August. The Buffs then host Weber State before traveling to Northwestern and Baylor to open Big 12 play. That means three of CU’s first four games will be on the road — something that hasn’t happened since 1974, when the Buffs opened at LSU, Michigan and Air Force.

The schedule is historically significant in another way: Colorado will face two Power Four opponents on the road in non-conference play for the first time since the magical 1994 season. That year, CU played at Michigan and Texas in back-to-back weeks and finished No. 2 in the final AP poll. The only other time CU pulled off such a feat was 1971, when the Buffs beat top-10 teams LSU and Ohio State on the road and finished No. 3.

After that brutal September stretch, the Buffs then come home for more battles. Texas Tech, the reigning Big 12 champions, visits Folsom Field on Oct. 3 in CU’s conference home opener. Following a bye week, Utah comes to Boulder for Family Weekend on Oct. 17 — the 73rd edition of the Rumble in the Rockies and 15th straight season the two have faced each other.

Colorado then travels to Oklahoma State before hosting Kansas State in a Halloween matchup. The Wildcats have gotten the better of the Buffs in both meetings since CU rejoined the Big 12, winning 31-28 in Boulder in 2024 and 24-17 in last season’s finale in Manhattan.

November brings a trip to Arizona State before Houston — another 10-win team from 2025 — arrives in Boulder for Homecoming on Nov. 14. It will be the Cougars’ first trip to Folsom Field. The Buffs then travel to Cincinnati before closing the regular season at home against UCF on Nov. 28. Both Houston and UCF will be making their first appearances in Boulder.

In all, four of CU’s seven home opponents were bowl-eligible last season. Three teams — Weber State, Houston and UCF — have never played in Boulder.

The Big 12 Championship Game is set for Friday, Dec. 4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, part of a new Friday-Saturday rotation the conference says will enhance national exposure. Kickoff times will be announced at a later date as ESPN, FOX Sports and TNT Sports make their selections.

Deion Sanders will look to bounce back in his fourth season leading the charge in Boulder, after a 3-9 year this past fall.

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