Colorado enters AP Top 25 for first time in almost 400 days

For the Buffaloes, it’s the team’s first appearance in the AP Top 25 since the fourth matchup of their 2023 season when they headed into a contest on the road with a 3-0 record against a top-ranked Oregon team last September.

Colorado wound up suffering a demoralizing 42-6 loss in that game against the Ducks, and it resulted in the Buffaloes dropping all the way out of the AP Top 25 a day after the contest took place.

This season, Colorado is back in the major poll with a respectable 6-2 record after Saturday’s convincing win over Cincinnati. The victory is the Buffaloes’ fifth in their last six games, and the school’s only loss during this stretch was two weeks ago on Oct. 12 when No. 17 Kansas State defeated them by a final score of 31-28.

During Colorado’s victory over the Bearcats on Saturday, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 83.3 percent of his passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Sanders also pitched in with a four-yard touchdown run on the final play of the game’s first quarter.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter added to his Heisman Trophy resume on Saturday with nine catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns when he lined up on the offensive side of the ball and two tackles and four pass-breakups during his snaps on defense.

Following the win, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders delivered a message to those who vote in college football’s two major polls (AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll).

“We don’t even want to be ranked,” Deion said. “Don’t rank us, please. We don’t like that. We’d rather be at the back, in the dark, just chilling in the cut. We good, we cool, we straight. So don’t feel pressure to rank us.”

Well, Deion got his wish with one of the polls, as Colorado didn’t earn enough votes to land a spot among the top 25 in the most recent AFCA Coaches Poll. However, the voters for the AP Top 25 didn’t consider Deion’s request when handing in their most recent submissions.

The Buffaloes’ next opportunity to rank even higher this season will take place on Nov. 9 when they head out on the road to take on an unranked 5-3 Texas Tech team.