The preseason AP Top 25 rankings have been released, and Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes go into the 2025 season as an unranked program. The program in Boulder underwent a huge transformation after Sanders took over as head coach two years ago. In his first season, Colorado finished with a 4-8 record. However, the following season, the program registered a 9-4 record, which was their best since 2016.
Despite the noticeable improvement, the AP rankings still don’t think Colorado is a top 25 program. Coach Prime’s son and Well Off Media’s Deion Sanders Jr. kind of agrees to it, as he said:
“I don’t think anybody over here expected to be ranked.”
I don’t think anybody over here expected to be ranked https://t.co/G0znXoVBse
— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) August 12, 2025
One reason why Bucky might be saying this is because of the transformation in terms of personnel for Colorado. Their top players from last season, including Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, have departed for the NFL, leaving the program shorthanded. That’s why many believe that even if Colorado manages to post a winning record by the end of the season, it will be considered a huge achievement.
Preseason predictions for Deion Sanders’ Colorado
In preseason AP polling, Colorado received only one vote, tying for 48th. In the Coaches Poll, they landed slightly better at 45th with 12 votes. Several projections don’t think Colorado will be able to replicate the 9-4 record in 2025.
ESPN FPI projects a 6.5–5.5 record, with about a 70% chance to qualify for a bowl. However, the chances of winning the Big 12 or reaching the College Football Playoff are extremely slim. Analytics modeler Parker Fleming estimates around six wins for the Buffs. However, Kelley Ford Ratings forecasts just 3.8 conference wins, a sharp drop from last season’s 7. Moreover, it projects Colorado to finish 11th in the Big 12 standings.
Despite losing Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, Deion Sanders expressed confidence in his team to win games.
“The next phase is we’re going to win differently, but we’re going to win,” Sanders said to media last week. “I don’t know if it’s going to be the Hail Mary’s at the end of the game, but it’s going to be hell during the game, because we want to be physical and we want to run the heck out of the football.”
It remains to be seen if Deion Sanders’ Colorado could prove these preseason expectations wrong.
