Colorado
Colorado is 3-6 and No. 65 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 0.4 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 20-10 at Arizona State in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Houston, Friday, Nov 13: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Colorado is No. 65
- Colorado's rating is 0.4: the machine's estimate that Colorado is 0.4 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 65 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 4.5, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 4.1.
- The biggest weekly moves: −4.2 after Week 3 (L 7-41 at Northwestern) and −2.1 after Week 8 (L 24-57 at Oklahoma State).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 12 Utah, No. 21 Texas Tech, No. 24 Oklahoma State, No. 29 Baylor, No. 39 Northwestern, No. 68 Arizona State, by 18.7 points on average. The 3 wins came by 11.7 points on average; the best was over No. 66 Kansas State. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 42 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 64 Texas State (1.1); just below is No. 66 Kansas State (0.3).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Deion Sanders is in his 4th season at Colorado (since 2023). This season: 3-6. At Colorado overall: 19-27, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 185-296 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2299 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 14-11 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.7No. 53 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 11.5%No. 45 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 6.1%No. 85 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 322-1184 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.7No. 113 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 10.1%No. 123 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 18.8%No. 94 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 19.8No. 124 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.70No. 87 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 37.4%No. 93 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 60.0%No. 79 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 18No. 135 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 28.3No. 101 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.40No. 57 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.5No. 89 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.5No. 30 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.0%No. 36 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 7No. 124 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 38.8%No. 73 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Isaac Wilson111-180, 1412 yds, 8 TD, 8 INT
- Julian Lewis61-95, 733 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT
- Kaneal Sweetwyne11-17, 105 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Jaquail Smith81 carries, 396 yds, 1 TD
- Micah Welch43 carries, 220 yds, 2 TD
- Richard Young55 carries, 216 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
- Joseph Williams58 catches, 853 yds, 6 TD
- DeAndre Moore Jr.37 catches, 526 yds, 3 TD
- Quanell Farrakhan Jr.24 catches, 285 yds, 0 TD
Tackles
- Gideon Lampron95
- Randon Fontenette73
- Liona Lefau68
Sacks
- Gideon Lampron5
- Lamont Lester Jr.5
- Toby Anene3.5
Interceptions
- Dylan Manuel1
- Jason Stokes Jr.1
- Naeten Mitchell1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Isaac WilsonMost passes in the last game7 games180 attempts61%
- Julian Lewis4 games95 attempts32%
- Kaneal Sweetwyne3 games17 attempts6%
Carrying
- Jaquail Smith9 games81 carries34%
- Richard Young6 games55 carries23%
- Micah Welch6 games43 carries18%
- Damian Henderson II6 games32 carries13%
Catching
- Joseph Williams9 games58 catches31%
- DeAndre Moore Jr.8 games37 catches20%
- Quanell Farrakhan Jr.7 games24 catches13%
- Dekalon Taylor7 games13 catches7%
Tackling
- Gideon Lampron9 games95 tackles15%
- Randon Fontenette9 games73 tackles12%
- Liona Lefau9 games68 tackles11%
- Naeten Mitchell8 games60 tackles10%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 14–13 at Georgia Tech. The passing game struggled: 4.1 yards an attempt, 3.7 less than Georgia Tech usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 2 W 52–21 vs Weber State. Weber State is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 L 7–41 at Northwestern. The pass defense gave ground: Northwestern got 11.0 yards an attempt, 2.8 over what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 4 L 13–23 at Baylor. The pass defense was the strength: Baylor got 5.7 yards an attempt, 1.9 under what it usually gains. The offense gave up 5 sacks.
- Week 5 L 7–29 vs Texas Tech. The pass defense was the strength: Texas Tech got 5.2 yards an attempt, 2.8 under what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 7 L 24–27 vs Utah. The run game was the strength: 5.8 yards a carry, 2.3 more than Utah usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 8 L 24–57 at Oklahoma State. The run game struggled: 1.9 yards a carry, 2.3 less than Oklahoma State usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 9 W 27–24 vs Kansas State. The run defense was the strength: Kansas State got 3.1 yards a carry, 2.1 under what it usually gains. The machine had Kansas State by 1.2 (52%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 10 L 10–20 at Arizona State. The run game struggled: 1.9 yards a carry, 2.3 less than Arizona State usually allows.