Deion Sanders’ journey at Colorado has been full of ups and downs. While he started the head coaching gig in Boulder with an extreme high, with back-to-back wins in the first three weeks, his success was limited as the Buffaloes ended the season with an overall record of 4-8.
The second year was a good one for Coach Prime and Co. as the Buffaloes, led by Travis Hunter and Co., ended the season with an overall record of 9-4.
The 2025 college football season was arguably Coach Prime’s worst so far, as they finished the season with just three wins under their belt; hence, the pressure to turn things around heading into the 2026 season was immense.
Colorado Fans Rejoice Over Deion Sanders and Co.’s Latest Achievement
Many analysts and fans saw Coach Prime’s fourth season with the program as his last if the team doesn’t end up performing well; however, the Buffaloes shut a lot of mouths after they were able to secure a thrilling 14-13 win over Georgia Tech in week 1.
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While that win alone was reason enough for Colorado fans to hope for a potentially successful season, the latest rankings from PFN’s Cam Mellor left the fans even more ecstatic.
”The @PFN365 highest-graded defensive lines from Week 1:
Colorado: 95.5
LSU: 95.4
Tennessee: 93.7
Temple: 91.7
Alabama: 90.3
West Virginia: 88.7
Purdue: 88.0
Maryland: 87.6
Vanderbilt: 87.5
Western Kentucky: 87.1.”
The @PFN365 highest-graded defensive lines from Week 1:
Colorado: 95.5
LSU: 95.4
Tennessee: 93.7
Temple: 91.7
Alabama: 90.3
West Virginia: 88.7
Purdue: 88.0
Maryland: 87.6
Vanderbilt: 87.5
Western Kentucky: 87.1 pic.twitter.com/ArkraRi2vm— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 6, 2026
“My O line graded out at 91. D line 95 .. wowwwww I might cry,” one Colorado fan said.
“And if this was deemed to be our weak link, the sky is the limit! Way to kick off a season, men. Hats off to Coaches @coachpun99 and @Coach_Marve!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️,” another fan wrote.
“Look at my Dline man. I’ve been waiting for moments like this,” another Colorado fan expressed their excitement.
Look at my Dline man. I’ve been waiting for moments like this https://t.co/e60nAMv7CQ pic.twitter.com/59i46PFadj
— Haitian buff 🦬🇭🇹 (@eticelin) September 6, 2026
“Basically, CU is this year’s Texas Tech,” another fan commented.
Basically CU is this year’s Texas Tech
— Samaj18 (@SamJohn0718) September 6, 2026
“Shoutout Coach pun @coachpun99,” a fan added.
Shoutout Coach pun @coachpun99 https://t.co/fFnKLnvY44
— GUCCE (@gucceCU) September 6, 2026
Sanders is 16-21 across his first three seasons in Colorado. In 2025, the Buffaloes ranked 80th in the nation offensively, according to PFN’s CFB Offense Impact Metric, and their defense ranked 77th, according to PFN’s CFB Defense Impact Metric.
Colorado met their new defensive coordinator, Chris Marve, in the 2026 offseason, and the change is already seeming to pay off.
Marve has served as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Virginia Tech from 2022–24.
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In his first season working with the Hokies’ defense in 2022, Virginia Tech showcased significant improvement throughout the year while developing one of the ACC’s top young linebacker groups.