Colorado football reportedly spending around $20 million for 2026 roster

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The new and ever-changing landscape of college football is now dominated by big wallets, not big reputations and deep history. The aim is still the same for most programs. The only thing that has changed is legally paying the players they recruit.

The Athletic released the roster budgets for every Power Four team in college football. Ohio State leads the nation with $49–$54M, while Boston College comes in last with a number closer at $8–$13M.

After his first three seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders made an abrupt change to the roster philosophy. The coach who Ain’t hard 2 find and who established a reputation for 11th hour 5-star commitment flips, has changed how he views roster construction.

Colorado saw every noteworthy five-and-four-star players, as well as top NIL earners vacate the program. Those players were replaced with less expensive players who have a track record of performing and lower level programs. The result of which is a lower financial burden from player NIL deals, as confirmed by the Athletic report.

Here’s how Colorado stacks up against the rest of the nation, according to data from The Athletic.

Colorado Buffaloes ($18-$21 million)

Head coach Deion Sanders – 4th season (16-21)

Nationally: 53rd

Big 12: 9th

Who is in the ballpark? No. 52 Syracuse ($17-$22 million) and No. 54 Iowa, who has an 18th ranking in the current AP poll ($17-$21 million).

Colorado’s 2026 opponents rank (schedule order)

No. 30 Georgia Tech ($23-$26 million)

Weber State (no data)

No. 38 Northwestern ($21-$25 million)

No. 45 Baylor ($20–$23 million)

No. 11 Texas Tech ($38-$42 million)

No. 51 Utah ($18-$21 million)

No. 62 Oklahoma State ($15-$19 million)

No. 49 Kansas State ($19-$22 million)

No. 47 Arizona State ($19-$23 million)

No. 61 Houston ($15–$19 million)

No. 66 Cincinnati ($14-$16 million)

No. UCF ($15-$20 million)

Spending significantly less money on the Colorado roster should not be viewed as a negative by Buffs fans. When compared to the rest of the Big 12, Colorado is in the top half. There is only one big spender, and it's Texas Tech at potentially as much as $42 million. The rest of the Big 12 is split in half. Colorado is at the bottom of the top half.

Of Colorado’s Big 12 schedule, Colorado is still spending more than four of their nine Big 12 games. Excluding Texas Tech, Colorado is within $5M of every single conference opponent they will face. The conference average is $18-$22 million, or almost exactly the number Colorado comes in at.

College football roster spending around the nation

From a national viewpoint, there are eleven teams that are spending around the $40 million range. After the nationally-leading Ohio State Buckeyes (almost $50 million), Oregon, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M were all north of $45 million.

The $35M to $45M range is also occupied by several blue-bloods and heavy spenders. Miami, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas Tech, USC, Indiana, Michigan are all projected at $35M or more.

The Athletic did provide a disclaimer on the data. “Few people inside a football building know that number, and even if they do, many don’t feel comfortable sharing it, even anonymously. Even if they do spill, coaches often undersell the number, either to temper fans’ expectations or keep their players from asking for even more. Meanwhile, administrators want people to think the number is higher than it is so that they look like great fundraisers."

An interesting side note comes in the bottom ten. Many of the schools ranked comparatively low, are noted basketball schools. Suggesting the possibility that those programs could be prioritizing basketball over football. Programs like Duke, Cincinnati, Arizona, Kansas, Houston and Wake Forest are all under the $16 million threshold.