—
CU’s Schedule: Memorial Day Rankings
—
It’s Memorial Day weekend.
Spring football is over. Summer workouts have yet to begin … And the preseason magazines are starting to hit the market.
It’s still way too early to give game-by-game predictions for CU’s upcoming season, but it’s not too early to start taking a look at how the teams on CU’s schedule are being viewed by the pundits – and how CU is perceived by comparison.
Here’s a game-by-game preview, with “predictions” from every Buff fan’s favorite, Bill Connelly at ESPN …
—
August 29th: Georgia Tech at Colorado
Georgia Tech is coming off of a 7-6 season (5-3 in ACC play). The Yellow Jackets lost an epic eight overtime game to Georgia, but also took down then No. 4 Miami. DraftKings has Georgia Tech as a 3.5-point road favorite to beat the Buffs in the 2025 season opener.
— ESPN’s SP+ ratings has Georgia Tech as the No. 41 team in the nation; CU comes in at No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 0-1).
Thoughts .. I’d really prefer this game to be the fourth game of the season, instead of the first. Georgia Tech only one of two schools with a quarterback (Haynes King) and a running back (Jamal Haynes) in the Top 10 for their 2025 positional rankings, according to ESPN (Texas being the only other school who can boast the same). CU, meanwhile, enters the season with unknowns across the board on offense.
Memorial Day game ranking … Toss-up. Georgia Tech could prove to be one of the top Buff opponents of the season, and could well be a statement game for the entire 2025 campaign.
—
September 6th: Delaware at Colorado
Delaware is coming off an impressive 9-2 season, but the Blue Hens didn’t face any team with talent similar to Colorado. The Blue Hens are moving up to FBS, joining Conference USA officially on July 1st. Delaware could have made a run in the FCS playoffs last season, but chose to add more scholarship players in preparation for the move to the FBS – more than FCS teams are allowed to have – rendering the Blue Hens ineligible for FCS post-season play.
— ESPN’s SP+ has Delaware as the No. 110 FBS team in the nation. Considering the FBS is now up to 136 teams, that’s not a bad debut, but still not a team which should threaten a Power Four lineup. (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 1-1).
Thoughts … Lose this game, and it’s going to be a very long season. North Dakota State proved to be a tough opponent in last fall’s season opener, but the Bison finished the campaign as the FCS national champion. Delaware was a good, but not great, FCS team, and is not on the caliber of North Dakota State.
Memorial Day game ranking … A pleasant afternoon for the Buff Nation – one of only a few all season.
—
September 13th: Colorado at Houston
What had been scheduled as a non-conference game years ago (which was how CU was able to add Delaware as a seventh home game this season), the game against the Cougars is now an early Big 12 matchup.
Houston went 4-8 last season, 3-6 in Big 12 play.
ESPN’s SP+ has Houston as the No. 59 team in the nation, just behind CU’s No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 2-1, 1-0).
Thoughts … CU has only five road games on the schedule, and Houston finished in a tie for 11th in the conference last season. For a Big 12 road game, this one isn’t bad to draw for an opener … though Houston in September could be humid mess.
Memorial Day game ranking … Nervous, but, if the Buffs are going bowling in 2025, this needs to be a win.
—
September 20th: Wyoming at Colorado
The Cowboys are coming off a 3-9 season. Wyoming is one of the schools being left behind in the Mountain West, with the “Pac-7” stealing Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State. There’s not much reason for optimism about the Wyoming program, either for the 2025 season, or beyond.
ESPN’s SP+ has Wyoming as the No. 105 team in the nation, just five spots above FBS newcomer Delaware (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 3-1, 1-0).
Thoughts … A rivalry game of sorts, but CU has a 24-2-1 record in the all-time series. Sounds about right.
Memorial Day game ranking … The last clearly winnable game of season. Don’t stumble here, Buffs.
—
September 27th: BYU at Colorado
Remember 36-14? The last time the Buffs were on the field of play, they were being humbled by the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl. BYU finished the season with an 11-2 record, and will likely be ranked to start the 2025 season.
ESPN’s SP+ has BYU as the No. 27 team in the country, well ahead of CU’s No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 3-2, 1-1).
Thoughts … Will Jake Retzlaff be BYU’s quarterback come September (he’s being sued civilly, being accused of rape). one way or the other, the BYU game will be a litmus test for Coach Prime’s Buffs.
Memorial Day game ranking … Uneasy. If CU wins this game, the sky’s the limit. If the Buffs lose … bowl eligibility could become the main goal.
—
October 4th: Colorado at TCU
The Buffs return to the scene of the Coach Prime debut as CU’s head coach. In 2023, with a national television audience watching, Colorado defeated No. 17 TCU, 45-42. There may not be as much attention paid to this game, but the Horned Frogs are coming off a 9-4 season, and will be looking to exact some revenge for the 2023 upset.
ESPN’s SP+ has TCU as the No. 29 team in the nation, just two spots behind BYU, and well ahead of CU’s No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 3-3, 1-2).
Thoughts … TCU has the Buffs sandwiched between tough road games at Arizona State and Kansas State, and will already have played North Carolina and 2024 CFP participant SMU in non-conference play. We’ll have a pretty good idea of how good the 2025 TCU team by the time CU gets to Ft. Worth to open October.
Memorial Day game ranking … Worried. If TCU is as good as Bill Connelly believes them to be, this will be a tough ask.
—
October 11th: Iowa State at Colorado
The Cyclones opened the 2024 season 7-0 and ranked 11th in the nation before stumbles against Texas Tech and Kansas sidelined Iowa State national title hopes. The Cyclones did still finish the season with a school-record 11 wins, and a No. 15 final ranking.
ESPN’s SP+ has Iowa State as the No. 32 team in the nation, just three spots behind TCU, and well ahead of CU’s No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 3-4, 1-3).
Thoughts … Either this is one of the top games of the 2025 Big 12 campaign, or this could be a game to derail CU’s season.
Memorial Day game ranking … Must see Folsom Field TV. This is going to be one of the most important games of Coach Prime’s third season. It could be a game which has national rankings in the balance, or CU’s hopes for a winning season.
—
October 25th: Colorado at Utah
Utah went an uncharacteristic 5-7 last season, losing seven straight mid-season – including a 49-24 humbling at the hands of Colorado. Buff fans, though, don’t need reminding of how poorly things have gone for the program in games played in Salt Lake City. The Utes owned the Buffs in the Pac-12 … but not so far in the Big 12.
ESPN’s SP+ has Utah as the No. 31 team in the nation, one of the highest rankings for a team coming off of a losing season in 2024 … and well ahead of CU’s No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 3-5, 1-4).
Thoughts … This could turn into the rivalry which was envisioned in 2011 when the two teams joined the Pac-12. CU, though, hasn’t won in Salt Lake City since the first season the two teams played in their new conference … 14 years ago.
Memorial Day game ranking … Make or break. Utah will be better than it was last season, but a borderline Top 25 team? Not sure about that. It won’t hurt that CU has a bye week before facing the Utah, while the Utes will have to play at rival BYU the week before playing the Buffs.
—
November 1st: Arizona at Colorado
Arizona went 4-8 last season, including a humbling 34-7 home loss to Colorado, and an even more humbling 49-7 home loss to Arizona State to close out the season. Every team has optimism in May, but there may be less than the normal amount in Tucson this spring.
ESPN’s SP+ has Arizona as the No. 60 team in the nation, the first team ranked lower than CU’s 52 since the Wyoming game the end of September (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 4-5, 2-4).
Thoughts … Arizona will have a bye week before facing CU, but I’m not sure if it will make a difference. Either this game will be the latest step for the Buffs on their way to a chance at a Big 12 title run, or a game to take out frustrations.
Memorial Day game ranking … A big game, and a must win … even if it is just to right the ship and get the Buffs pointed toward a bowl game.
—
November 8th: Colorado at West Virginia
Rich Rodriguez returns to the school where he found success – and a ticket to Ann Arbor to coach Michigan. West Virginia Rich Rod Part II is a team coming off of a 6-7 record in 2024. CU will be only the second home game for the Mountaineers in six weeks when the Buffs make it to Morgantown.
ESPN’s SP+ has West Virginia as the No. 57 team in the nation, just below CU at No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 5-5, 3-4).
Thoughts … In Rich Rod’s second stint at West Virginia, the Mountaineers are a completely new team, with over 50 new transfers coming to town. While not the same fanfare as Coach Prime’s makeover, it’s still tough to put together an entire roster in one season.
Memorial Day game ranking … Hopeful. West Virginia may have the same issues Colorado had in 2023, when Coach Prime’s team played well to open the season, but faded when depth issues were exposed later in the fall.
—
November 22nd: Arizona State at Colorado
The defending Big 12 champions are the darling of the national media, and will be expecting a national ranking to open the 2025 season. The Sun Devils were picked to finish 16th by the Big 12 media last summer – that won’t happen again.
ESPN’s SP+ has Arizona State as the No. 22 team in the nation, well ahead of CU at No. 52 (CU record, based on SP+ rankings: 5-6, 3-5).
Thoughts … The Buffs will have a bye week before facing the Sun Devils, and will need it. Based on preseason rankings, Arizona State may face only one ranked team (Iowa State) all season. The Sun Devils somehow miss BYU and both Kansas schools on their schedule.
Memorial Day game ranking … Disconcerting. Arizona State may be well on its way to another Big 12 title game berth come the last two games of the season, with only CU and Arizona left standing in its way. CU, meanwhile, could be looking at an all too familiar scenario in November … five wins and hoping to find a way to No. 6 and a bowl bid.
—
November 29th: Colorado at Kansas State
Hard to imagine a tougher two-game finish than playing Arizona State and Kansas State. Buff fans will be of one of two minds come the end of November. Either CU is in the mix for a Big 12 title berth, national rankings, and a possible College Football playoff invitation … or will be limping to the end, hoping for improvement against teams with better resumes.
ESPN’s SP+ has Kansas State as the No. 18 team in the nation, the highest rating of any Big 12 team … and well ahead of CU at No. 52 (CU’s final record, based on SP+ rankings: 5-7, 3-6).
Thoughts … The Buffs are going to have to get off to a fast start to the 2025 season, with four of its easiest games to open the campaign. If CU gets through September with a 3-1 record, the ship is headed in the right direction. If the Buffs stumble out of the gate, though, the end of the season doesn’t offer very much in the way of solace.
Memorial Day game ranking … Tough. One or both of these teams will be vying for conference and national rankings on Thanksgiving weekend. Buff fans can but hope that CU is one of them …
–
—–
3 Replies to “CU’s Schedule: Memorial Day Rankings”
I never try and predict anything…….especially the first game of the season. Doesn’t matter who the opponent is. First game player jitters. First game execution against an entirely new team instead of your own D. First match up between coordinators. The opponents face the same potential problems. of course but that still leaves the outcome in the air.
This is why Prime’s idea of pre season games against other teams is a great idea. Find out ahead of time before it counts where your strengths…..and more important weaknesses lie and get more work on them in practice.. These strengths and weaknesses also pertain to the coaching.
Going on from there there is the apparent parity in most of the Big 12 along with what is perceived as the entire conference being a step down from the 2 big conferences. Its easy to point at the differences between the AZs and BYUs bit anything in the middle is a blend especially with the emphasis on the portal.
Per that brave anonymous coach saying it wasn’t a knock on Deion then going on to do exactly that. Was it Mike Gundy? I was watching when Gundy came to Boulder as a player for Okst and hammered the Buffs. He threw the ball better than anyone else that I had seen up to that time. Last year the reverse was true……not just the Buffs humiliating him but his entire season. Gundy had to be the coach last year with the most sour grapes. Add to that his history of being candid has backfired on him a few times. I always thought he was an ego case.
One thing he did say that might turn out to be true might be the Buffs O line. Based on their bios there are a couple that might be the real deal. There are a lot of new ones so hopefully there is safety in numbers in that a few will show up and play well. Of course the sour grapes coach probably didn’t bother to review them or take the time to watch their tape.
Until I see otherwise I still think Shurmur is the weak link on this team.
Thankfully they brought in a second OC coach, so we’ see how that all plays out.