ChatGPT simulated Colorado football's 2026 record, stat leaders

Many pundits and analysts, including us at Buffaloes Wire, have examined how the 2026 Colorado football season will play out. The Buffs are especially tough to predict with so many new players and coaches, making it difficult to gauge how good the team will be in 2026. A difficult early schedule makes that exercise even harder.

So what happens when our new friend AI, or in this specific case, ChatGPT, simulates the Colorado football season? The answers are certainly entertaining and offer a more detailed blueprint for what might happen.

We asked ChatGPT to produce a realistic prediction that includes injuries, full game-by-game scores and end-of-season stats. So let's dive into what the popular AI platform thinks about the 2026 Colorado Buffaloes.

ChatGPT projected final record

Final Record: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big 12

ChatGPT has the Buffs winning seven regular-season games, with five of them coming in the Big 12 Conference. A seven-win season would be good enough for a bowl game, and our AI model has Colorado winning that bowl game.

Here is what ChatGPT says about the season's overview:

The offense has enough speed to make a major jump under Brennan Marion. Julian Lewis is the projected starter, Damian Henderson II and Richard Young lead a deeper backfield, and Danny Scudero, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Joseph Williams give Lewis three legitimate starting receivers.

My hesitation comes from the rebuilt offensive line, defensive-front turnover and the normal inconsistency that accompanies a young quarterback learning a new system.

The concerns are real, specifically along the offensive line, which likely has five new starters but has been hyped up by new OC Brennan Marion. Still, overall, ChatGPT is a big believer in the 2026 Buffs, with them improving by four regular-season wins.

ChaptGPT game-by-game predictions

• Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech 31, Colorado 24
• Sept. 12 vs. Weber State: Colorado 45, Weber State 13
• Sept. 19 at Northwestern: Colorado 27, Northwestern 20

Record through three games: 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)

• Sept. 26 at Baylor: Colorado 31, Baylor 27
• Oct. 3 vs. Texas Tech: Texas Tech 38, Colorado 27

Record into the bye week: 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

• Oct. 17 vs. Utah: Utah 27, Colorado 20
• Oct. 24 at Oklahoma State: Colorado 34, OSU 24
• Oct. 31 vs. Kansas State: Kansas State 30, Colorado 24

Record after eight games: 4-4 (2-3 Big 12)

• Nov. 7 at Arizona State: ASU 31, Colorado 27
• Nov. 13 vs. Houston: Colorado 30, Houston 27
• Nov. 21 at Cincinnati: Colorado 28, Cincinnati 23
• Nov. 28 vs. UCF: Colorado 35, UCF 24

Final regular season record: 7-5 (5-4 Big 12)

Every CU fan would take a 3-2 record into the Week 6 bye week and a 4-4 record heading into November. Dropping the game to ASU certainly put the pressure on the Buffs, with them needing to win 2 of their final three games to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. Closing the season with three big-time wins would be a defining moment of the Deion Sanders era.

ChatGPT bowl game projection

ChatGPT has Colorado participating in the Rate Bowl, which is nearly impossible because Colorado and the rest of the former Pac-12 schools still have bowl obligations to Pac-12 bowls (e.g., Alamo Bowl, Sun Bowl, Independence Bowl, etc.).

Nevertheless, Colorado would face Iowa in the hypothetical Rate Bowl with the Buffaloes pulling out a 30-27 victory over the Hawkeyes.

Projected statistical leaders (offense)

Quarterbacks

• Julian Lewis: 268 of 421 passing, 3,318 yards, 27 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 83 rushing attempts, 286 yards, four touchdowns, one fumble
• Isaac Wilson: 15 of 25 passing, 174 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Lewis misses most of one game after taking a hard hit but avoids a major injury. He is occasionally inconsistent against pressure, yet his accuracy, preparation and receiving corps allow him to become one of the Big 12’s better young quarterbacks. Colorado entered the offseason projecting Lewis ahead of Wilson after spring practice. – ChatGPT

Running Backs

• Damian Henderson II: 174 carries, 914 yards, nine touchdowns
• Richard Young: 108 carries, 527 yards, seven touchdowns
• JaQuail Smith: 47 carries, 233 yards, two touchdowns

The biggest offensive improvement is not necessarily Lewis’ passing production. It is Colorado developing a credible running game. Henderson’s familiarity with Marion’s system helps him emerge as the lead back, while Young becomes the short-yardage and late-game option. Henderson and Young entered the summer as the projected top two backs. – ChatGPT

Receiving

• Danny Scudero: 75 receptions, 1,067 yards, nine touchdowns
• Joseph Williams: 57 receptions, 781 yards, seven touchdowns
• DeAndre Moore Jr.: 44 receptions, 634 yards, five touchdowns
• Zach Atkins: 32 receptions, 367 yards, three touchdowns
• Kam Perry: 25 receptions, 329 yards, two touchdowns

Scudero becomes Colorado’s most reliable offensive player. Williams remains the best contested-catch target, while Moore and Perry provide explosive plays. Colorado’s projected starting receiver trio entering the summer was Scudero, Moore and Williams, with Perry among the primary rotational options. – ChatGPT

If Colorado receives that type of season from Julian Lewis, everyone in and around the program would be ecstatic. As ChatGPT points out, he would immediately become the best young quarterback in the Big 12 and one of the next big stars in college football. The running game should be vastly improved with Breenan Marion leading the offense, and the duo of Henderson and Young looks dynamic, with both nearly averaging 5 yards per carry. Scudero unsurprisingly leads the receiving corps, and as expected, the targets are spread around, with five players having 25-plus receptions.

Statistical leaders (defense)

• Tackles: Gideon Lampron (106 total)
• Tackles for loss: Lampron (13)
• Sacks: Immanuel Ezeogu (7.5)
• Quarterback pressures: Immanuel Ezeogu (31)
• Interceptions: Cree Thomas (4)
• Pass breakups: Makari Vickers (10)
• Forced fumbles: Lampron (3)
• Fumble recoveries: Boo Carter (2)

Lampron is a tackle machine and was one of the leading tacklers in college football a year ago, so to see him leading Colorado in both tackles and tackles for a loss is not surprising at all. Immanuel Ezeogu, a transfer from JMU leading the team in sacks, is a bit surprising, and with a heavy rotation along the defensive line expected, I would guess that multiple players will have 3-7 sacks rather than one dominant pass rusher.

Thomas leading the team in interceptions is as good a guess as any, given his play during spring ball, but Vickers leading the team in pass breakups does surprise me. I would go with Thomas, Carter, or even Naeten Mitchell or Justin Eaglin as the likelier leader in that category.

Overall review of ChatGPT's projected Colorado 2026 season

While the ChatGPT projection is realistic, it definitely is on the more optimistic side with an 8- 5 overall record. Still, it is within the realm of possibilities. The biggest win of the projected season comes against Oklahoma State after the Buffs' first of two two-game losing streaks. That win is followed by losses to K-State and Arizona State, putting a bowl game in jeopardy. However, Colorado closes out the season with three quality wins, including against Big 12 contender Houston, to finish 7-5 and earn only the second bowl berth under Deion Sanders.

The offense was the story of the year, averaging 29.4 points per game, falling just short of Sanders' goal of 30. Averaging 417 offensive yards per game would have put the Buffs at No. 31 in the country last season and fifth in the Big 12. Another notable stat is the 31 sacks, which would have tied for 31st last year and been a major improvement over last year, when Colorado's defense mustered only 13 sacks.

A plus-three turnover margin and seven games decided by one possession (5-2 record in those games) really underscore just how well Colorado performed in the critical moments.

It is only an AI prediction, and everything projected should be taken with an extreme grain of salt, but it is fun to speculate from a different angle. We can revisit ChatGPT's predictions throughout the season to evaluate its accuracy or lack thereof.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: ChatGPT simulated Colorado football's 2026 record, stat leaders