The national hype may not be as loud around Colorado entering 2026, but one analyst believes this could still become one of the most important seasons yet under Deion Sanders if the Buffs can stabilize the trenches, return to bowl eligibility, and prove Julian Lewis made the right choice.
The reality around Colorado Buffaloes football feels a little different now.
The massive headlines surrounding Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are now long gone. The weekly circus atmosphere has cooled a bit. And after falling from nine wins down to just three during a frustrating 2025 season, the Buffs suddenly find themselves fighting a new battle under Deion Sanders.
Now it is about proving this thing can last.
According to On3 analyst J.D. Pickell, success for Colorado in 2026 may not require a playoff push or even Big 12 title contention. Instead, it may simply come down to looking stable again.
“Let’s just get back to being a team that can contend for a bowl game,” Pickell said. “Let’s go make a bowl game. Be frisky and be a tough out on the way to doing that.”
Honestly, that probably sounds reasonable to a lot of Colorado fans right now.
Because while the Buffs still have talent, the biggest issue throughout much of the Sanders era has remained painfully obvious: the trenches.
Colorado once again hit the transfer portal hard this offseason, with Coach Prime bringing in more than 40 transfers overall while heavily targeting offensive and defensive linemen. Pickell believes the Buffs do not need to suddenly become some dominant SEC-style powerhouse up front.
They just need to stop losing games there. “Just be decent up front, especially on the offensive line,” Pickell said. “Don’t be the reason O-line as to why we can’t get a play started.”
That matters even more now with highly touted redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis expected to become one of the faces of the program. He played in just four games last year.
Pickell believes Colorado’s new go-go offense could actually help Lewis settle in quickly.
“The go-go offense is going to play to his skill set,” Pickell said. “He needs to know where to go with the football and have guys win their one-on-one matchups.”
But the biggest point Pickell made may have been about the future beyond 2026.
Colorado now has to prove Lewis was right for choosing Boulder over programs like Georgia and USC.
“Make Julian Lewis right for picking Colorado,” Pickell said.
Because if Lewis succeeds and Colorado gets back to bowl eligibility, the Buffs become something much more dangerous long term. They become sustainable.
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