Colorado: 2026 Week 12 recap

Colorado sits at 3–6 with a rating of −5.2, having dropped 0.9 points after a 20–10 road loss to Arizona State in Week 10. The Buffaloes are struggling to execute in critical moments: a red-zone TD rate of just 14.5% and third-down conversion rate of 36.3% are anchor problems that explain the offensive stagnation. GIE projects 3.8 expected wins for the season, and playoff probability remains at zero. Houston visits Boulder this week in a matchup Colorado must treat as a floor-setting opportunity—the model shows late-game performance hasn't been a strength either, with a leverage metric of 3.41 indicating difficulty closing out tight situations. Defensive or systematic improvements are now prerequisites for any upward trajectory.