Colorado football’s entire 2026 schedule came out Wednesday morning, giving Buffaloes fans something to look forward to after a 3-9 2025 season.
There are several nuggets and notes regarding the schedule, which begins in Atlanta against Georgia Tech on Sept. 5. Thanks to the 16-team mega conference, the Buffs won’t face Arizona, BYU, Iowa State, Kansas, TCU or West Virginia during the 2026 regular season.
As quarterback Julian Lewis enters his first full season as Colorado’s starter, and Deion Sanders enters his fourth year as the Buffaloes’ head coach. Here are five takeaways on the Buffs’ 2026 slate.
Challenging start to the season
Three of the first four games on the road (at Georgia Tech, at Northwestern and at Baylor), and all three are Power Four programs. No other Big 12 team plays three road games in September. The last time Colorado played two Power Four programs in the nonconference portion was in 1994, when CU played at Michigan and at Texas back-to-back. The Buffs would go on to finish No. 2 in the final AP Poll.
“First time ever” situations are aplenty
With Colorado reentering the Big 12 two seasons ago, the now 16-team conference has new opponents and venues for the Buffaloes. Many of those first will take place during the upcoming season.
- 1st ever trips to Georgia Tech and Cincinnati
- 1st ever matchup against Weber State
- 1st trip to Northwestern since 1951
- 1st time at Baylor’s McLane Stadium
- 1st trip to Oklahoma State since 2009
- Houston and UCF’s first-ever visits to Boulder
No Arizona for the first time in 15 years
If you are a lifelong Buff fan, you likely see an annual Arizona vs. Colorado as a CU football staple. Well, for the first time since 2010, the Wildcats and the Buffs won’t face each other.
Only one bye week
Colorado had two bye weeks in 2025 but will have only one in 2026. It comes right in the middle of the season, during Week 6, in between two home games against Texas Tech and Utah.
Road-heavy opening stretch
CU has only started the season with three of its four games on the road, 13 other times in its 136-year history. 2026 will be the 14th occurrence, which includes two road nonconference games.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football 2026 schedule takeaways
