2025 Colorado Football Preview Presented by GoldSheet | Big XII Football
It was an eventful offseason for the Colorado football program as head coach Deion Sanders battled bladder cancer. Coach Prime will be on the sidelines this fall, but the Buffaloes need to reload in some key positions on the field.
2025 Colorado Football Team Preview
Big XII Betting Odds
| Team | 2024 Record | 2025 Win Total | Big XII Odds | Nat’l Champ Odds |
| Arizona | 4-8 (2-7) | 5.5 (o -105 / u -115) | +4500 | +100000 |
| Arizona State | 11-3 (7-2) | 8.5 (o EV / u -120) | +550 | +10000 |
| Baylor | 8-5 (6-3) | 7.5 (o -105 / u -115) | +700 | +18000 |
| BYU | 11-2 (7-2) | 6.5 (o -125 / u +105) | +2000 | +30000 |
| Cincinnati | 5-7 (3-6) | 6.5 (o +110 / u -130) | +3000 | +100000 |
| Colorado | 9-4 (7-2) | 5.5 (o -120 / u EV) | +2800 | +30000 |
| Houston | 4-8 (3-6) | 6.5 (o +110 / u -130) | +3500 | +80000 |
| Iowa State | 11-3 (7-2) | 7.5 (o +115 / u -135) | +1100 | +20000 |
| Kansas | 5-7 (4-5) | 6.5 (o -160 / u +135) | +1800 | +30000 |
| Kansas State | 9-4 (5-4) | 8.5 (o -115 / u -105) | +550 | +10000 |
| Oklahoma State | 3-9 (0-9) | 4.5 (o -200 / u +165) | +5500 | +50000 |
| TCU | 9-4 (6-3) | 6.5 (o -160 / u +135) | +850 | +25000 |
| Texas Tech | 8-5 (6-3) | 8.5 (o -155 / u +130) | +600 | +10000 |
| UCF | 4-8 (2-7) | 5.5 (o EV / u -120) | +5500 | +50000 |
| Utah | 5-7 (2-7) | 7.5 (o -175 / u +135) | +600 | +11000 |
| West Virginia | 6-7 (5-4) | 5.5 (o +115 / u -140) | +4000 | +50000 |
Odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of August 11. The Buffaloes went 9-4 straight-up and against the spread last season, falling to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.
Colorado Football Roster
Projected Returning Starters: 11 (Three on offense and eight on defense)
Projected Starting QB: Kaidon Salter (Transfer from Liberty) or true freshman Julian Lewis
Returning Production: 52-percent (50-percent on offense and 55-percent on defense)
Incoming Talent Class: No. 24 Nationally / No. 2 in Big XII
Coaching Changes: No major changes. Head coach Deion Sanders, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and defensive coordinator Robert Livingston all return to Boulder.
Returning starters are courtesy of Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football Preview Magazine. Returning production is courtesy of Bill Connelly’s conference preview series at ESPN. Incoming talent rankings are courtesy of 247 Sports’ Composite Ratings, which capture the talent rankings of both incoming freshman and incoming transfers.
2024 Colorado Football Stats
Strength of Schedule: No. 28 (courtesy of Jeff Sagarin)
Turnover Differential: + 12 (No. 8 Nationally)
Plays per Game: 67.3 (No. 80)
Seconds per Play: 25.2 (No. 42)
Average Time of Possession: 27:51 (No. 115)
Colorado Football Stats on Offense
Yards per Game: 383.2 (No. 69)
Points per Game: 32.9 (No. 30)
Yards per Play: 6.05 (No. 46)
Offensive Success Rate: 44.0-percent (No. 37)
Explosive Plays (20+ Yards): 64 (No. 46)
Net EPA per Play: +0.15 (No. 22)
Colorado Football Stats on Defense
Yards per Game Allowed: 351.9 (No. 50)
Points per Game Allowed: 23.1 (No. 42)
Yards per Play Allowed: 5.07 (No. 33)
Defensive Success Rate: 37.4-percent (No. 22)
Explosive Plays Allowed (20+ Yards): 58 (No. 80)
Success Rate is an advanced metric that factors in the down and distance in relation to yards gained. A two-yard gain for a running back doesn’t look great in his overall box score, however a two-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 is a successful play. A low success rate on defense means you’re doing a good job of stopping the opponent from achieving successful plays. EPA stands for expected points added per play and it is a measure of how many points a team adds (or loses) on each play compared to the expected value.
2025 Colorado Football Schedule
2025 Football GoldSheet Newsletter
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WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Colorado football games from their release in May all the way through Week 1 in August. Find free college football picks from season win total bets through National Championship futures on our free picks pages.
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