Colorado slides over 20 spots in ESPN future power rankings

The Colorado Buffaloes have suffered a significant drop in ESPN's college football future power rankings after a disappointing 3-9 2025 season.

In a list that goes through 2027, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg ranked the Buffs No. 57. For reference, they were sitting at No. 35 a year ago.

The future power rankings take into consideration "the assets that make a program great in 2026 that might not be there in 2027."

When looking at all 68 teams ranked, the Big 12 teams sitting below them are: UCF (59), Cincinnati (60), Iowa State (63), Baylor (64) and Kansas (65). The top-ranked Big 12 teams include Utah (25), BYU (15) and Texas Tech (11). Colorado's Week 1 opponent, Georgia Tech, is ranked at No. 36.

What does the ranking mean?

Colorado did not bring in a great freshman recruiting class in 2026, but made up for it with a standout transfer portal haul. Considering that both of those could be even better next year, the more than 20-point fall off is surprising.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football falls significantly in ESPN future power rankings