“I don’t rank moments, man. I try to turn them into monuments.”
That was Deion Sanders’ response Thursday night when asked where Colorado’s dramatic 14-13 victory at Georgia Tech ranked among his biggest wins.
With all due respect to Coach Prime, we are going to rank them.
Sanders has already given Colorado fans plenty of monuments worth remembering. There have been stunning upsets, emotional rivalry victories, improbable escapes and road performances that showed just how dangerous the Buffaloes could be.
Thursday night immediately joined that list. Julian Lewis delivered the late touchdown drive, and Boo Carter supplied the finishing touch by blocking Georgia Tech’s potential game-winning field goal.
Now that Sanders has another monument, here is our countdown of the 10 best wins of the Coach Prime era at Colorado.
10. Delaware in 2025
Colorado 31 Delaware 7
This victory makes the list because of the unexpected player who took over the afternoon.
Delaware had pulled within 10-7 late in the first half when Colorado turned to Ryan Staub, its third quarterback of the game. Staub immediately changed the complexion of the afternoon, throwing a touchdown pass just before halftime and helping transform a competitive game into a second-half runaway.
Staub completed seven of 10 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns, producing 21 points during his four possessions. His 71-yard touchdown pass to Sincere Brown early in the third quarter effectively ended any hope Delaware had of pulling off the upset.
Staub had spent two seasons patiently waiting behind Shedeur Sanders and remained with the program despite beginning 2025 behind Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis. When his opportunity finally arrived, he took full advantage of it.
Sanders added a memorable finishing touch by affectionately calling him “Martin Luther Staub” after the quarterback said he had a dream.
9. Arizona State in 2023
Colorado 27 Arizona State 24
Looking back, this victory was bigger than it seemed at the time.
Colorado went into Tempe and found a way to finish after Arizona State tied the game with less than a minute remaining. Shedeur Sanders quickly connected with Javon Antonio for a 43-yard completion, putting the Buffaloes in position for Alejandro Mata’s winning 43-yard field goal.
It became Colorado’s only Pac-12 victory of Sanders’ first season and ended an eight-game conference losing streak that stretched back to the previous year.
The excitement surrounding the first three games of 2023 often overshadows this victory. But winning a close conference game away from Boulder required something different, and Colorado produced the necessary response when the game appeared headed for overtime.
In a season that became increasingly difficult, the Buffaloes found a way to win one more time.
8. Iowa State in 2025
Colorado 24 Iowa State 17
Colorado’s victory over Iowa State came as a genuine surprise.
The Cyclones arrived at Folsom Field ranked No. 22 and appeared to be the more complete team for much of the 2025 season. They were 5-1, while Colorado entered on a two-game losing streak and was still searching for its first Big 12 victory.
None of that mattered once the game began.
Kaidon Salter threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards on the ground. Colorado’s offensive line turned in one of its best performances of the season, helping the Buffaloes rush for 140 yards while not allowing a sack.
The defense handled the rest, holding Iowa State scoreless in the fourth quarter to secure Sanders’ second victory over a ranked opponent at Colorado.
Whether Iowa State overlooked the Buffaloes or simply ran into a team playing its best football, Colorado’s execution made this one of the most impressive wins of the Coach Prime era.
7. Texas Tech in 2024
Colorado 41 Texas Tech 27
Winning in Lubbock is rarely easy, and Colorado made the assignment even more difficult by falling behind 13-0 in the opening quarter.
Instead of unraveling in a hostile environment, the Buffaloes responded.
Colorado cut the deficit to 13-10 by halftime and then took control with 21 points in the third quarter. Shedeur Sanders threw three touchdown passes, Travis Hunter caught nine passes for 99 yards and a score, and the defense repeatedly disrupted Texas Tech’s offense.
The victory improved Colorado to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12, keeping the Buffaloes in control of their path to the conference championship game.
This was one of the clearest examples of the 2024 team’s growth. Colorado absorbed an early punch on the road, remained composed and played well enough over the final three quarters to win convincingly.
6. UCF in 2024
Colorado 48 UCF 21
This looked like exactly the type of game that could give Colorado trouble.
UCF entered unbeaten and was playing at home in the Florida heat. The Knights were favored, and the environment appeared capable of testing a Colorado team coming off an emotionally exhausting overtime victory against Baylor.
Instead, the Buffaloes delivered arguably their most complete performance of the Sanders era.
Colorado scored in every quarter, forced four turnovers and finished with 418 yards of offense. Shedeur Sanders threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while the running game contributed 128 yards and three scores.
The defense also controlled a UCF rushing attack that had entered the game among the most productive in the country.
There are more dramatic victories on this list, but there may not be many better overall performances. Colorado did not merely survive a challenging road game. The Buffaloes dominated it from beginning to end.
5. Colorado State in 2023
Colorado 43 Colorado State 35 in double overtime
This one was personal, tense and emotionally exhausting.
The friction between Sanders and then-Colorado State coach Jay Norvell turned the Rocky Mountain Showdown into one of the most anticipated games of the season. Norvell’s comments about Sanders wearing sunglasses and a hat during interviews gave Coach Prime all the motivation he needed.
The hostility carried into the game. Travis Hunter was knocked out of the contest by a controversial late hit from Henry Blackburn and was later hospitalized with a lacerated liver.
Colorado State pushed the Buffaloes to the brink, leading 28-17 with less than eight minutes remaining. Shedeur Sanders then led a legendary 98-yard touchdown drive, connecting with Jimmy Horn Jr. for a score before finding Michael Harrison for the tying two-point conversion.
The Buffaloes finally escaped in double overtime.
4. Baylor in 2024
Colorado 38 Baylor 31 in overtime
One extraordinary play kept Colorado alive. Another finished the job.
Trailing 31-24 with two seconds remaining, Shedeur Sanders escaped pressure, rolled to his left and launched a 43-yard pass toward the end zone. LaJohntay Wester came down with the ball as time expired, producing a play that immediately became part of Colorado football history.
The touchdown and extra point only forced overtime. The Buffaloes still needed to finish.
After Colorado scored on its first overtime possession, Baylor running back Dominic Richardson appeared headed for the goal line. Travis Hunter knocked the ball loose just before Richardson crossed the plane, and the Buffaloes recovered the fumble in the end zone.
Game over.
Wester’s catch remains one of the defining images of the Coach Prime era, but the complete ending is what makes the victory extraordinary. Colorado needed two of its biggest stars to deliver at the most important possible moments.
3. Georgia Tech in 2026
Colorado 14 Georgia Tech 13
Colorado’s dramatic victory in Atlanta immediately earned a place near the top.
Trailing 13-7 with 1:40 remaining, Julian Lewis took possession at his own 25-yard line and led the Buffaloes on the defining drive of his young career.
Lewis moved Colorado 75 yards in just over a minute, completing the comeback with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Williams. Daniel Gerlach’s extra point gave the Buffaloes a 14-13 lead with 37 seconds remaining.
Georgia Tech still had enough time to create one final opportunity. Alberto Mendoza completed a long pass to Dalen Penson, putting the Yellow Jackets in range for a potential game-winning field goal.
That was when Boo Carter delivered the final moment.
Carter blocked Aidan Birr’s 45-yard attempt as time expired, setting off an emotional Colorado celebration at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Buffaloes held Georgia Tech to only 51 rushing yards after allowing 327 in the previous season’s matchup. They also rushed for 183 yards themselves, displaying a physicality that few expected.
2. Nebraska in 2023
Colorado 36 Nebraska 14
For Colorado fans, beating Nebraska carries its own significance. Doing it in Sanders’ first home game made the occasion even bigger.
The Buffaloes returned to Boulder after stunning TCU and received a hero’s welcome. Folsom Field was packed, national pregame shows were on campus and the excitement surrounding Coach Prime had reached another level.
Colorado and Nebraska played a scoreless first quarter before the Buffaloes began taking control. Shedeur Sanders threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for another score. The defense forced four turnovers and kept Nebraska out of the end zone until the game had already been decided.
1. TCU in 2023
Colorado 45 TCU 42
It still has to be TCU.
After months of attention, skepticism and debate about Sanders’ unprecedented roster overhaul, Colorado opened the season on the road against a TCU team coming off an appearance in the national championship game.
The Buffaloes entered as three-touchdown underdogs.
They left with the entire college football world talking about them.
Shedeur Sanders completed 38 of 47 passes for a school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns. Travis Hunter played more than 140 snaps, caught 11 passes for 119 yards and made a spectacular interception near the goal line.
Dylan Edwards scored four touchdowns, including the decisive 46-yard reception with 4:25 remaining.
Colorado answered TCU repeatedly throughout a wild second half before the defense produced the final stop in a 45-42 victory.
The win was bigger than one game. A program that had finished 1-11 the previous season walked into the home stadium of the reigning national runner-up and immediately validated Sanders’ belief that Colorado could win with a dramatically rebuilt roster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google