Can Colorado make CFP? Losses at Iowa State and Kansas State open the door

Colorado football may have been idle this week, but Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes picked up two big wins for their postseason playoff picture.

With Texas Tech and Houston pulling off upsets against No. 10 Iowa State and No. 15 Kansas State, respectively, there is a legitimate path for Colorado to reach not only the Big 12 championship game, but also the newly expanded 12-team college football Play out. The Cyclones and Wildcats’ losses leave Colorado fighting for second place in the Big 12 Conference with ISU at 4-1.

The Buffaloes, who were ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll last week, are currently in the midst of their best season since 2019, when they finished with five wins. Last week, Colorado became bowl eligible for the first time under Sanders.

Here’s the path now presented to Colorado to get into the College Football Playoff since Iowa State and Kansas State both lost in Week 10:

Can Colorado make the College Football Playoff?

Yes. Unless the Buffaloes experience drastic setbacks in the final four games, Colorado has a path to reach the College Football Playoff – likely via the Big 12 Championship Game.

A big reason Sanders’ squad is playing in the CFP is the expansion of the field from four to 12 teams this year. The expansion also includes an automatic bid and bye for the four top-ranked conference champions, which will almost certainly include the Big 12 Conference.

But for the Buffaloes to make the playoffs, they would not only have to win the regular season, but most likely win the Big 12 Championship. Colorado had an 8.8% chance of winning the Big 12 as of Saturday, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Looking at Colorado’s remaining schedule – which includes contests against Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State – the regular-season win seems like a reasonable accomplishment. Of the four teams the Buffaloes will play at the end of the season, three are at the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

Additionally, if Colorado wins, the Buffaloes’ chances of finishing as a top-two team in the conference can also be improved from the outside. If Iowa State loses to Kansas State during Rivalry Week on Nov. 30, Colorado would be in the Big 12 championship game.

According to ESPN Analytics, Colorado is currently winning each of its last four games, which would be the first time since 2016 that the Buffaloes would finish the regular season with 10 wins. But if this college football season has shown anything, it’s that you can’t rely on a win-loss probability analysis.

All in all, get the popcorn ready for a potential playoff push over the next four weeks for Colorado and Coach Prime.

The Big 12 Soccer Tiebreakers

The Big 12 announced in September that if two teams are tied in the conference standings, the following tiebreakers will be used until it is decided who advances to the Big 12 Championship Game:

A – Tied teams will be compared based on their head-to-head record during the season.
B – Tied teams will be compared based on win percentage against all common conference opponents.
C – Tied teams will be compared to the next highest common opponent in the rankings based on win percentage (based on record in all games played within the conference) and progressed through the rankings.
D – The tied teams will be compared based on the combined winning percentage in conference games of their conference opponents.
E – Tied teams will be compared based on total wins in a 12-game season.
F – Representative will be selected based on highest SportSource Analytics ranking (team rating metric) after the final weekend of regular season games.
G – The representative is selected by a coin toss.

Big 12 football rankings

Here’s a look at the Big 12 football rankings as of Saturday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. MT:

The records listed are indicative of Big 12 play

1.BYU: 5-1
T-2. Iowa State: 4-1
T-2. Colorado: 4-1
T-4. Kansas State: 4-2
T-4. Texas Tech: 4-2
T-6. Arizona State: 3-2
T-6. Cincinnati: 3-2
T-6. TCU: 3-2
T-6. West Virginia: 3-2
T-10: Houston: 3-3
11. Baylor: 2-3
12.UCF: 2-4
T-13. Utah: 1-4
T-13. Kansas: 1-4
15.Arizona: 1-5
16. Oklahoma State: 0-6

Colorado football schedule 2024

Here’s a look at Colorado’s football schedule in 2024:

Thursday, August 29th: vs. North Dakota State (W, 31-26)
Saturday September 7th: at Nebraska (L, 28-10)
Saturday September 14th: at Colorado State (W, 28-9)
Saturday September 21st: vs. Baylor* (W, 38-31, OT)
Saturday September 28th: at UCF* (W, 48-21)
Saturday, October 5th: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. No. 20 Kansas State* (L, 31-28)
Saturday, Oct. 19: in Arizona* (W, 34-7)
Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. Cincinnati* (Win, 34-23)
Saturday November 2nd: BYE
Saturday November 9th: at Texas Tech*
Saturday November 16th: vs Utah*
Saturday November 23rd: in Kansas*
Friday, November 29th: vs. Oklahoma State*

*Denotes Big 12 game

Can Colorado make the College Football Playoff?

The Big 12 Soccer Tiebreakers

Big 12 football rankings

Colorado football schedule 2024

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