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CU’s 2025 Schedule Countdown – The Buffs’ Six “Easiest” Games
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Last fall, in the second season of the Coach Prime era, there were many unknowns. There had been a another significant overhaul of the roster, and, not for nothing, the Buffs were coming into the season on a six-game losing streak.
As it turned out, the preseason prognostications, especially when it came to the Big 12, were waaaay off. The 2024 preseason Big 12 football media poll has become stuff of legend, with reporters picking Arizona State, ultimately the conference champion, to finish 16th. Utah, which would finish with a losing record, was picked to finish first, while Oklahoma State, the No. 3 pick, finished 3-9, 0-9 in Big 12 play.
Oh, and the Buffs, on their way to a 9-4, 7-2 record and a final ranking as the No. 25 team in the nation, were picked to finish 11th.
Last August, CU had a schedule which included five teams ranked in the preseason Top 25. As is turned out, though, the Buffs played only two teams all season who were ranked at the time of kickoff.
Which is a long way of saying … We have no idea of how the 2025 season will unfold.
It’s going to be a season of “toss up” games for the Buffs, which makes the following all the more difficult … ranking CU’s 2025 opponents from what should be the easiest games, to those which should prove harder to win.
Below are six of CU’s 12 fall opponents, including information on some preseason national rankings. These are the six games which I am labeling as the “easiest” on CU’s schedule, based upon factors including the opposing team’s talent, returning starters, together with when and where the teams play. My follow up Essay will rank CU’s six most difficult games of the 2025 season.
[Note … For point of reference and comparison … At Lindy’s, Colorado is rated as the No. 54 team in the nation (down from No. 49 last year); No. 50 at Athlon’s (same as last year), and, in the ESPN Football Power Index, CU comes in at No. 52, down from No. 36 last year. So, yes, Buff fans, the 2025 preseason magazines have CU ranked lower coming off of a 9-4 season than they did last summer, when CU was coming off of a 4-8 season. Go figure.]
[Note II … Last season, CU went 6-0 against the teams I rated as the “Six ‘Easiest’ Games of 2024“, and 3-3 against the teams I rated as the “Six ‘Toughest’ Games of 2024“. Full disclosure, I rated Utah and Oklahoma State as two of CU’s most difficult games … and the Buffs won both handily.]
The 2025 list …
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— No. 12 … Delaware … Saturday, September 6th … Lindy’s No. 131 … Athlon’s No. 113 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 126 …
Last season, CU’s opener against North Dakota State came down to the final play, with the Bison coming up just four yards short of an upset. This fall, the Buffs take on another former FCS power, with the Blue Hens making the leap to the FBS level.
Delaware won an impressive 26 games in the past three seasons, and has been an FCS power for some time. That being said, Delaware has not been as good as North Dakota State, and should present less of a challenge to the Buffs than did the Bison. Players with recruiting resumes which would be considered role players at a school like Colorado are considered star players at Delaware.
The Blue Hens could be competitive in their first year in Conference USA, but that has as much to do with a dearth of quality teams in that conference as it does the quality of the roster. The Delaware game will be a 1:30 kickoff for the Buffs, with the CU faithful getting to enjoy a sunny Saturday afternoon at Folsom in Week Two.
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— No. 11 … Wyoming … Saturday, September 20th … Lindy’s No. 107 … Athlon’s No. 105 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 122 …
Wyoming struggled under first-year head coach Jay Sawvel, who took over for longtime head coach Craig Bohl last fall. The Cowboys completed the 2024 season 3-9, but finished relatively strong, with competitive losses to Colorado State (24-10) and Boise State (17-13), and a victory over Washington State (15-14).
Quarterback Kaden Anderson has all of three career starts, with his most notable accomplishment to date being his service as a backup in high school to future Texas Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers. The offense, which was 103rd in the nation in yardage production last season, returns only four starters, while the defense, with only one starter returning … was also 103rd nationally.
The Buff Nation will have a good idea come game time as to whether the Cowboys have improved in 2025. Wyoming hosts Utah the weekend before coming to Boulder. If the Cowboys are competitive against the Utes, there could be a game in Boulder. Otherwise, the emotion of Wyoming getting to take on the big boys 100 miles down the road (CU and Wyoming haven’t played one another since 2009) should dissipate by halftime.
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— No. 10 … Arizona … Saturday, November 1st … Lindy’s No. 74 … Athlon’s No. 72 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 72 …
Arizona opened the 2024 season with some optimism, despite losing its head coach, Jedd Fisch, to Washington. Quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan resisted the urge to transfer, and the Wildcats, coming off of a ten-win season, opened with a 3-1 record, including a road win over Utah.
After that, though, the bottom fell out, with seven losses in the final eight games, including a 34-7 home loss to Colorado. The Wildcats finished 114th in scoring offense and 108th in scoring defense, forcing second-year head coach Brent Brennan to dip heavily into the transfer portal this for assistance.
Arizona could get off to a good start this September, with home games against Hawai’i, Weber State and Oklahoma State in the first five games. By November, however, deficiencies in the roster should be exposed, and the Buffs, playing at home, should have plenty of confidence in their second game against Arizona as Big 12 conference rivals.
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— No. 9 … at West Virginia … Saturday, November 8th … Lindy’s No. 66 … Athlon’s No. 70 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 69 …
In his last six seasons before ditching West Virginia for Michigan, Rich Rodriguez posted a 57-18 record in Morgantown. Similar results may be tougher to come by in Rich Rod’s second stint at West Virginia, but there is optimism … but not for immediate success.
The turnover in the roster this past off-season was not dissimilar from Coach Prime’s first season at Colorado, with West Virginia bringing in over 50 transfers. The Mountaineers return three starters on offense and, um, one starter on defense. Some transfers from Rich Rod’s last job, at Jacksonville State, will help, but likely not enough.
CU’s second-ever trip to the “Mountain State” (the Buffs finished a home-and-home with West Virginia with a game in Morgantown in 2009) will be played in early November. I have this game listed as CU’s “easiest” road game of the 2025 season due to the date of the game. Just as CU’s depth deficiencies – especially along both lines – brought about a crash to CU’s 2023 season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something similar out of West Virginia in 2025.
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— No. 8 … at Houston … Friday, September 12th … Lindy’s No. 48 … Athlon’s No. 51 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 78 …
Coming off of a 4-8 season in Willie Fritz’s first season at Houston, there is reason for Cougar fans to look forward to the 2025 campaign. For starters, Houston doesn’t leave town for a game until the final week of September, with layup games against Stephen F. Austin and Rice leading up to the Friday night tilt against Colorado.
Last season, the Cougars were a half of a good team. Houston finished 25th in total defense last fall, but the Cougars were 128th in total defense. The offense is looking for a huge step forward with former Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman taking the 90-mile drive down from College Station. Conversely, the solid defense returns only four starters, with both projected starters at linebackers coming off of missed seasons due to injury.
Houston will have to play cross-town rival Rice the weekend before facing CU, while the Buffs should be having an easy time of it at home against Delaware. Any advantage for the Buffs in terms of timing, though, will be chewed up by it being a short week – and a travel week – for the Buffs. Then there is the weather, with Houston still averaging temperatures in the low 90s (with high humidity) in mid-September (at least it’s a night game). Put another way … I’d feel more comfortable if this game was being played in Boulder.
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— No. 7 … BYU … Saturday, September 27th … Lindy’s No. 21 … Athlon’s No. 30 … ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) No. 29 … (Note: these rankings were published before starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff left the team) …
The last time CU fans saw BYU, they were watching the Cougars dismantle the Buffs in the Alamo Bowl, 35-14. Now BYU is one of CU’s “easiest” games?
The loss of Jake Retzlaff is significant, but Retzlaff wasn’t the entire story for BYU last season. Retzlaff threw 20 touchdown passes, but also threw 12 interceptions (Shedeur Sanders, by comparison, had 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions). There are also key losses at linebacker and along both lines. There is also the reversion to the mean aspect to the Cougars – last season, BYU won four one-score games, including escapes against Oklahoma State and Utah.
BYU will likely be undefeated coming to Boulder, with opening games against Portland State, Stanford (3-9 last season) and East Carolina. I’m counting on a late night (8:15 p.m., MT, ESPN) start with a national television audience, a loud CU crowd, and a Buff team looking for redemption to carry Colorado to a victory.
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Up next weekend … CU’s Six Most Difficult Games of the 2025 season …
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One Reply to “2025 Schedule – CU’s “Easiest” Games”
FWIW I had the same 6 as you did Stuart. BYU slipping in there due to QB troubles. I assume that without the QB troubles, BYU would be in the 6 toughest games. Who would you choose instead? I think I’d choose Georgia Tech. Opening home game versus a road games at TCU? Close call but I’ll come down on the side of the home game. Only a couple weeks to fall camp! Go Buffs!!