ESPN analyst says Colorado is 'absolutely not' a playoff contender

Colorado may be hoping for a quick turnaround in 2026, but ESPN’s Heather Dinich is not buying the playoff talk.

After Big 12 media days last week, Dinich said on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ that Colorado is not even in the College Football Playoff conversation and may not even be in the Big 12 race. She pointed to the top of the league as being crowded and said the Buffs are not among the teams she expects to challenge for the title.

“Absolutely not,” Dinich said. “Not only not a playoff push, but not a Big 12 push. Colorado’s not one of them. I expect them to be one of the lowest teams in the Big 12.”

Her concerns align with what Colorado showed last season, when the Buffaloes went 3-9, beating only one Big 12 opponent and finishing near the bottom of the conference in most major statistics. 

The roster has changed dramatically, however, and that may be the one reason for optimism. Colorado brought in 43 new transfers to replace the 36 players departing its 2025 team. Head coach Deion Sanders has built around transfer portal additions before, but the Buffs are banking on this batch being closer to the 2024 team than the uneven 2025 version.

For now, the national expectation is low, as Colorado has a long way to go before it changes the outside media’s mind.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: ESPN analyst says Colorado is ‘absolutely not’ a playoff contender