How Colorado football can salvage its disappointing 3-7 season

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There are only two games left in 2025 for the Colorado Buffaloes, who have meandered through a season full of frustration and disappointing losses.

From heartbreak in the opening week to an upset win, Colorado has delivered on nearly every emotion that a fan can feel through just 10 games this season. While you can’t fault the Buffaloes on their efficiency, the 3-7 campaign certainly wasn’t what Deion Sanders and his staff were hoping for this season. It’s certainly disappointing that the Buffs won’t make it to a bowl game; they still have two more opportunities to shine.

Here are five things I hope to see the Colorado Buffaloes work toward in their final contest against Arizona State and Kansas State.

Don’t squander your golden goose

Julian Lewis was impressive in his debut start against West Virginia, completing nearly 63% of his passes en route to 299 yards and two touchdowns. After appearing in relief against Delaware and Arizona, the West Virginia start leaves Lewis with just one more game left on his redshirt.

While there are things he can improve on, which I will get into, the priority has to be preserving his redshirt status this season. It doesn’t quite matter which game Lewis sits, but throwing away an entire year of Lewis so a 3-7 team can fall to either Arizona State or Kansas State is mind-numbingly silly.

As for Lewis’ play, the aspect of his game that I think Sanders and quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur should focus on is his pocket presence. He showed a surprising ability to create explosive plays last week, but judging by Sanders’ track record of offensive lines, this won’t be the final time he’ll be playing behind a below-average offensive line. Working on his pressure sense and ability to extend plays will be key for the Buffs in 2026 and beyond.

Why not let it fly?

With Sanders on his third play caller in three seasons in Colorado, it’s key that the offense continue to show improvement under Brett Bartolone. Under the tight ends coach, the Buffs’ offense has been more likely to push the ball downfield, better utilizing star wideouts Joseph Williams and Omarion Miller. While Lewis can be spotlighted as a reason for that as well, Bartolone is putting him in much better positions than Shurmur was.

In the final two games, Colorado will face very talented defenses that have a lot to play for. Continuing to build on a downfield pass-first offense that Lewis feels comfortable in will do wonders for the team, even if Colorado fails to come out on top of either of those contests.

Go where no man has ever gone before

In three seasons of Sanders leading the helm at Colorado, he has never had a single player rush for more than 100 yards. It’s a ridiculous stat that is somehow true. The closest a player has ever come to crossing the century mark was Isaiah Augustave’s 91 yards against Cincinnati in 2024.

While I hope the passing game remains vertical and uses the speedy wideouts that Colorado has to find chunk gains, the Buffs have to get some semblance of a running game going without Kaidon Salter. The Buffs are on track to finish with the highest rushing yards per attempt of the Sanders era at 3.5, which is not sustainable. If Colorado wants to compete at the top level, it’ll need to get creative and fire up a more sustainable run game.

It matters to me

In their final two games, Colorado will face two Big 12 teams still in contention for a quality bowl game, and I don’t think they’ll win either. What does matter to me is how Colorado responds to the situation they are in, especially on defense. A lot of defense is effort, from chasing down a running back to putting your body on the line to make a tackle.

If the Buffs’ show quit, then there could be questions to be asked of Sanders, so they’ve got to keep showing fight like they did against the Mountaineers. While West Virginia got the best of them, several defensive players had their best games of the season. It’s never too little too late when it comes to effort, and that’s something they can build on for 2026.

Colorado’s got talent

From Lewis to safety Tawfiq Byard, the Buffaloes have developed a stable of young players who could become future stars. Unfortunately, football is played with 11 players at a time, and Colorado will need more than flashes from a majority of the roster in 2026. One or two more freshman or sophomores jumping off the page would be such a massive get for the Buffs in their final contests.

Getting Dre’lon Miller and Quentin Gibson significant playing time would be incredibly beneficial for players who have demonstrated game-breaking athletic ability. On the other side of the ball, I’d love to see more from spring game star TJ Branch and another standout performance from defensive lineman Alexander McPherson.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: What Colorado football needs to show in final two games

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