Colorado football had its best win of the season against Iowa State, upsetting the Cyclones 24-17. Various national metrics recognized the magnitude of the ranked upset, including ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).
The Buffaloes moved up six places to No. 53 overall in FPI and now rank as the No. 12 team in the Big 12 Conference. CU moved up to the second-most places in the conference after Week 7, only bested by Utah, which moved up seven spots.
With five games left in the season, the metric projects the Buffs to finish the year with a 5.1-6.9 record and gives them a 36.7% chance to achieve the six-win bowl eligibility barrier. A 5-7 record would not guarantee a bowl game, but it could be possible if there are not enough 6-6 teams. However, reaching a 6-6 record after a 2-4 start would be a fantastic turnaround for Deion Sanders’ squad, earning them a second bowl game in as many years.
Colorado will need to go 3-2 over the final stretch to reach six wins. Still, after Saturday’s win over Iowa State, it seems entirely possible, especially with a win against Utah coming out of the bye week.
Elsewhere around the Big 12, Texas Tech remains FPI’s top-ranked team in the conference, coming in at No. 10 nationally, with Utah (No. 14) and BYU (No. 19) rounding off the top 3. TCU (No. 31), Iowa State (No. 34) and Kansas (No. 39) are the three teams forming the conference’s second tier.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football moves up in ESPN’s FPI after Iowa State win

