This is the highest Colorado has been ranked since 2016.
The Colorado Buffaloes continue to move up the rankings, as their latest victory over Texas Tech has them rise to #17 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
This is the highest ranked the Buffs have been since they were #10 in the final CFP ranking in 2016. Colorado went 10-2 in the regular season, then lost to Washington in the Pac-12 final and then again to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.
If you’re unfamiliar with Colorado history, the 2016 and now 2024 seasons are a pretty big deal for us. Before ’16, the Buffs hadn’t been ranked — or even had a winning season — since 2005. It was ten years of darkness, one incredible season, and then seven more years oscillating from mediocre to awful.
Those ‘16 Buffs would have made the College Football Playoff if it existed in its current form. Now these ‘24 Buffs have a real chance at that. The CFP expanded to twelve teams and the five highest ranked conference champions will earn automatic bids.
If the Buffs win out, they will finish the regular season 10-2, knock off BYU in the title game, and possibly even finish higher than Boise State to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. But of course we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The Buffs have to play Utah this weekend, an opponent they have only defeated once in the last twelve years (yep, in 2016). The Utes should never be underestimated even if they’re riddled with injuries, as they nearly took down the undefeated Cougars in last weekend’s Holy War.
After that is a clash with Kansas at the accursed Arrowhead Stadium, then a home finale against Oklahoma State. Neither the Jayhawks or Cowboys are good football teams, but Kansas has the talent and Okie State the spite to put up an upset scare.
It should be a fun, if nerve-wracking final few weeks of the season.