Colorado's 2024 projections: Deion Sanders could stumble against 3 Big 12 teams in 2024

The Colorado Buffaloes have left the PAC-12 Conference and will play in the Big 12 starting this year. This may give Deion Sanders' team some hope, as they heavily struggled against many of the PAC-12 programs.

The 2023 season was one of massive hype off the field and disappointing on the field, and after a strong start, the Buffaloes finished with a 4-8 record. Can the 2024 season bring any improvements?

How many wins could the Colorado Buffaloes have this season?

Pro Football Focus (PFF) projected that the Colorado Buffaloes will have six wins this season. Alternatively, Fan Duel has the Buffaloes winning five games.

Both of these projections are more than the four wins Colorado had in 2023, which suggests that despite all of the off-field drama that has plagued the program in the offseason, there will be some improvement from the team this year.

However, these improvements will not translate into anything big for the Buffaloes. According to BetMGM, the odds for Colorado to win the national championship is +30000. This is worse odds than every team they will play against this season.

Who are the Colorado Buffaloes playing this season?

The Colorado Buffaloes will face the following teams this season

• North Dakota State Bison
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Colorado State Rams
• Baylor Bears
• UCF Knights
• Kansas State Wildcats
• Arizona Wildcats
• Cincinnati Bearcats
• Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Utah Utes
• Kansas Jayhawks
• Oklahoma State Cowboys

Which Big 12 programs will the Colorado Buffaloes struggle against?

There are a minimum of three teams in the Big 12 that the Buffaloes will likely struggle against.

First is the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Cowboys were able to make it to the Big 12 Conference championship game last season, only to lose to the Texas Longhorns. Now, in a conference without Texas, the Cowboys are one of the teams to beat. With quarterback Alan Bowman and running back Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State will be able to defeat teams with poor defenses, like what the Buffaloes could have by the end of the season.

Then there is the Utah Utes. The Utes had a strong team in the PAC 12 and have brought it over to the Big 12. With quarterback Cam Rising, the program is the favorite in the conference and could easily defeat Colorado.

But, it is not only the favorites who could cause the Buffaloes problems. Texas Tech, who had not been able to have the best of seasons recently, could defeat them as well.

While the pairing of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is strong, the rest of the Buffaloes team is significantly weaker. This means that with a few good drives, any team could defeat the Buffaloes and give Deion Sanders a lot of headaches.