ESPN FPI predicts Colorado football as middle tier Big 12 program

The Colorado Buffaloes landed at No. 10 among Big 12 teams in ESPN’s Football Power Index Rankings, which were released Thursday.

FPI, a metric that evaluates a college football team’s potential, placed the Buffaloes below most of the conference’s top programs, but one spot higher than last year’s initial rankings, when the Buffs came in at No. 11. The ranking should not come as a surprise with Colorado coming off a 3-9 season and once again having several changes including two new coordinators and 40-plus transfers.

According to FPI, Colorado is the No. 45 team in the country with a projected record of 6.0-6.1 and an FPI number of 4.5. The win-loss mark is nearly identical to what we projected for the Buffs in our post-spring Big 12 record predictions.

Some other notable programs near Colorado in the rankings include Wisconsin (No. 43), Arizona State (No. 44), Cincinnati (No. 46), and, surprisingly, the Buffs’ first opponent, Georgia Tech, a few spots back at No. 48.

What does Colorado’s FPI ranking mean?

If we were to go solely by ESPN’s metrics, Colorado would finish the 2026 season 6-6, with wins over Georgia Tech, Weber State, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati and UCF. The Buffaloes, predictably, drop games against Big 12 contenders Texas Tech, Utah and Houston while also racking up losses to Arizona State, Kansas State and Baylor.

Colorado seems set up to, at the very least, improve upon its 3-9 season, with a bowl game a real possibility. A six-win season and a bowl berth would mark the second time in Deion Sanders’ four seasons in charge.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: ESPN FPI predicts Colorado football as middle tier Big 12 program