If Deion Sanders was looking for another way to put a chip on his team’s shoulder heading into the 2026 season, the Colorado Buffaloes latest athletic department ranking may have handed him one.
After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign across several of the university’s major sports, Colorado finished No. 50 overall among the 68 Power Four athletic departments, earning a composite score of 25.24 from CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel.
While one season doesn’t make or break an athletic department, the ranking highlights the challenges newly hired athletic director Fernando Lovo will face as he looks to restore Colorado’s standing across multiple programs.
Why Colorado Ranked So Low
The athletic department rankings were based on a composite score using results from the 2025-26 season in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball. Which means that, unfortunately, while Colorado’s ski team finished second nationally, that success was not reflected in the rankings.
What was reflected, however, was the Buffaloes’ disappointing 3-9 football season under “Coach Prime,” which was a significant step backward after the program’s breakthrough 2024 campaign, which culminated in two-way star Travis Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy before being selected No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Colorado men’s basketball also took a step backward. After reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and creating a historic draft class that saw three players go to the NBA, Tad Boyle’s team was unable to return to March Madness last season.
However, CU’s women’s basketball program continued to provide stability on the court under coach JR Payne, earning their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons. Although the Buffaloes were eliminated in the opening round, Payne has established Colorado as one of the Big 12’s most legitimate contenders, guiding the Buffs to consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2023 and 2024.
The Buffs’ strongest season came on the volleyball court, where they compiled a 22-8 record and qualified for the 2025-26 NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s 22nd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Colorado opened the tournament by sweeping American University before its season came to an end with a second-round loss to Indiana.
Still, despite the success of the women’s basketball and volleyball teams, the combined results across the department left Colorado near the bottom of the Power Four rankings.
Big 12 Comparison
Colorado’s conference ranking wasn’t much more impressive, as they finished 11th among the Big 12 teams in the rankings. Meanwhile, Texas Tech led the conference, coming in at No. 11 nationally with a composite score of 45.38.
Fortunately, Colorado fans won’t have to wait long to see how the Buffs stack up against the conference’s highest-ranked athletic department, as the Red Raiders will visit Folsom Field on Oct. 3 in what will be one of CU’s biggest opportunities to make an early statement during the 2026 season.
While success on the gridiron alone won’t alter Colorado’s overall athletic department ranking, another strong football season under “Coach Prime” would go a long way toward changing the national perception surrounding Colorado athletics.
A New Era Under Fernando Lovo
After spending his first weeks in Boulder working alongside former athletic director Rick George, Fernando Lovo has now started to put his own stamp on Colorado athletics.
His first major move was bringing former Buff and current NBA star Derrick White back to Boulder as President of Basketball Strategy. It’s a move that represents more than a headline-grabbing hire, it signals Lovo’s commitment to investing in the long-term success of the entire athletic department. It could also be an early indication of how Lovo plans to attack the job by investing in and leaning on Colorado’s marquee alumni.
The CBS rankings aren’t permanent, but they do offer a snapshot into where the program stands today, and right now, Colorado sits near the bottom of the barrel. Although with Lovo’s early moves and another promising season from “Coach Prime” and the Buffs, Colorado could begin climbing back up the national ladder in a matter of months.
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