The Colorado Buffaloes are considered to have one of the most difficult schedules in the Big 12, if not the country, in 2026. That stems mostly from a brutal opening five-game stretch, which includes three Power Four road games.
CU opens the year with a trip to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and in Week 3 the Buffs travel to Evanston to take on Northwestern. Sandwiched in between those tough Power Four nonconference games is a manageable home game against Weber State, but that is the only respite until a Week 6 bye. After Northwestern, Colorado heads to Waco to take on Baylor and then welcomes in the reigning Big 12 champions, Texas Tech, for a Week 5 matchup.
Advertisement
How the Buffaloes perform during this five-game stretch will likely determine the ceiling for how successful the 2026 season can be.
Challenging games and difficult schedules make college football, especially for neutral fans, so great. For Colorado fans wondering how the range of difficulty varies across the Buffaloes’ 2026 schedule, we have you covered. We ranked each of the 12 regular-season games from easiest to toughest.
12. Weber State Wildcats
Sep 6, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Weber State Wildcats kicker Sloan Calder (69) celebrates as he scores a field goal during the fourth quarter of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Weber State is by far the “easiest” game on Colorado’s 2026 schedule. I put easiest in quotes because no game ever seems too easy for Colorado; remember North Dakota State a few years ago. However, Weber State is the only FCS program on the schedule, and the Buffs need to take advantage.
Advertisement
11. UCF Knights
Sep 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost looks on during the first quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Bounce House Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
UCF is still trying to find its footing under Scott Frost and should be better in 2026, but Colorado might be playing for everything when Nov. 28 rolls around. With cold weather and maybe a bowl game on the line, the Buffs won’t be messing around.
Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) passes the ball to tight end Will Anciaux (80) during the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Colorado narrowly missed a win against Kansas State last year, and with the Wildcats implementing a new coaching staff, 2026 is the year the Buffaloes can take advantage.
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield speaks to the referees in the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Bowling Green Falcons at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 2025.
The fact that a road game against Cincinnati is projected as Colorado’s fourth easiest game should be all you need to know about how demanding the 2026 slate is. Once again, with this game being the second-to-last week of the regular season, I do think that adds some juice considering it could be a make-or-break game for the Buffs. The motivation in my mind is that the hungrier the team, the more they approach the game, and therefore the game theoretically should be easier.
Advertisement
Sep 5, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; An overall view of Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium before a game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
The view and the weather should be a spectacle; add in a nighttime kickoff, and you’ve got yourself an elite college football atmosphere on Lake Michigan. The game should be equally intriguing, and one the Buffaloes have to be ready for. Colorado is the more talented team, but they have to play to their potential to knock off a feisty Wildcats squad.
7. Houston Cougars
Sep 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars defensive lineman Eddie Walls III (90) celebrates with linebacker Jalen Garner (36) after making a tackle during the third quarter against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
I think Houston deserves more respect than No. 7 on this list, but there are no teams that I felt comfortable moving behind them. Cougars’ quarterback Conner Weigman has rediscovered what made him a five-star recruit, and Willie Fritz brought in a solid group of transfers. Houston is a threat in the Big 12, and another double-digit win is certainly within the cards. They do have to come into Folsom, which increases the challenge.
Advertisement
6. Arizona State Sun Devils
Cutter Boley (#8 QB) during ASU football practice at Kajikawa Practice fields in Tempe, Arizona, on March 19, 2026.
ASU hopes to return to being a Big 12 contender after taking a step back in 2025. They will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, likely Cutter Boley. In early November, it should not be too hot in the desert, and the Buffs should go into the matchup feeling like a win is possible but far from a given.
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Omar Daniels (9),defensive back Jy Gilmore (14) and defensive lineman Jason Moore (95) tackle Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
This was the game I was debating the most. Yes, it is a road game against a quality opponent, but it also is the first game of the season, which adds a totally different layer. Georgia Tech and Colorado seem like very evenly matched teams on paper, but the atmosphere in Atlanta on a Thursday evening will be electric. The Buffaloes should be ecstatic coming out of Week 1 with a win, but it likely would not be the most surprising win of the year.
Advertisement
4. Utah Utes
Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway takes questions from reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
I might be making too much of this game, but you could make an argument that it is the second-hardest road game of the season. Baylor could be good this year, or they could be a very middling Big 12 team. We likely won’t know the answer by Week 4, and Baylor will be a challenge.
Oklahoma State returned to a full Boone Pickens Stadium in 2021, which will benefit the school’s financial picture for the 2022 fiscal year.
jump
When Oklahoma State is playing well, Boone Pickens Stadium is one of the hardest places to play in the country. I have a feeling the Cowboys are going to be a major threat this year, making this game an immensely challenging tilt.
Aug 30, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sing the school song after the game against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12, even though that gap closed following Brendan Sorsby‘s dismissal. Colorado’s matchup against the Red Raiders could not be placed at a worse spot within the schedule. It concludes the opening five-game stretch and comes right after two difficult Power Four road games (Northwestern and Baylor).
Advertisement
The fact that it is right before the Buffs’ lone bye week could be used as extra motivation, with the team hoping to ride into the off week with the momentum of just knocking off the conference’s best team. No matter how you look at the matchup, it remains Deion Sanders’ team’s toughest challenge this year.
Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram.
Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Ranking Colorado football’s 2026 opponents from easiest to toughest
