Where Colorado football lands in initial 2026 ESPN SP+ power rankings

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Another important milestone of the college football offseason passed on Friday morning: ESPN metric guru Bill Connelly released his initial SP+ rankings for the 2026 season.

The metric combines each team’s returning production, recent recruiting (transfers included) and program history to forecast the upcoming season’s results. It is the leader in predictive metrics and provides us with our first legitimate team-by-team comparison.

Here is the disclaimer Connelly adds when it comes to SP+:

As a reminder, SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather.

Colorado‘s SP+ ranking before the games begin largely reflects its disappointing 3-9 2025 season. With the team improving in all facets this offseason, including the coaching staff, the Buffs’ ranking once the season starts is likely to rise, especially if wins stack up.

Still, it is all projection, and games decide everything. Much will change between now and when the season kicks off in late August. Each team will hold its spring practice period, position battles will be decided, and injuries will, unfortunately, happen.

After an offseason of change for the Buffaloes, here is where the Buffaloes stand in Connell’s first 2026 SP+ release:

  • SP+ Rating: 0.9 (No. 65 in the nation)
    • Offensive Rating: 26.3 (No. 64)
    • Defensive Rating: 24.9 (No. 57)
    • Special Teams Rating: -0.5 (No. 116)
  • Returning Production: No. 55 (55%)

Colorado’s ranking seems right in line with most predictive metrics coming out this time of year: about middle of the pack among the 138 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs. The Buffs landed a very productive, but relatively inexperienced, transfer class at the Power Four level. Add that to the 3-9 2025 season and the close to zero returning starters, and you get an SP+ ranking in the mid-sixties. Deion Sanders has brought new life to the program, but the lack of consistency in roster building and on-field results severely hurts the predictive ratings.

By all accounts, the talent is better than it was a year ago, meaning Colorado should have little trouble improving in SP+ with a few early-season wins. If those games look like they did a year ago, the Buffs will have some significant program-wide questions.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football power ranking ESPN SP+ 2025 season preview

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