You never know what you’ve got until you take the field. For Colorado, the 2025 season is shaping up like a suspense thriller with Deion Sanders running his third-year show. The 2024 campaign ended with a respectable 9-4 overall record and a 7-2 conference finish. But this isn’t the same Buffs team that shocked the Big 12. With a roster turnover on offense due to the departure of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to the NFL, the program is facing new challenges. And right now, after Week 3, college football playoff hopes look distant. 

Why shouldn’t the alarm bells ring for Deion Sanders and Colorado after a 1-2 start? Friday night’s clash against Houston offered Ryan Staub a golden opportunity to stake his claim as the Buffs’ present QB. But it ended in a heartbreak. While he showed flashes, throwing for 204 yards with a TD and two interceptions, the offense sputtered. A 20-36 loss left fans, analysts, and the HC himself asking if Colorado can realistically make the playoffs in 2025. 

What went wrong against Houston?

The first half of the Houston game was a tease. Colorado trailed by only two points at halftime, and for a moment, you could almost imagine the Buffs executing the perfect game plan. Then the second half hit, and it was ugly. Five total yards over the first four drives, an interception, a turnover on downs, and the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. It wasn’t all doom, though. On the fifth drive, Ryan Staub finally punched one in, bringing the deficit to 13 points with under five minutes remaining. But it was far too little, too late. 

Ryan Staub showed glimpses of brilliance in a two-minute drill before halftime, connecting on passes of 36 and 25 yards, then scrambling 19 yards into the end zone. But the running game couldn’t establish itself, totaling just 60 yards on 21 attempts, 38 of which came on one explosive play. “Staub didn’t play well. I saw what you saw. That wasn’t his best, to say the least,” Deion Sanders admitted candidly after the game. Meanwhile, Houston quarterback Conner Weigman carved up the Buffs, tossing for 222 yards and adding 83 on the ground with two touchdowns. 

Adding to the drama, Ryan Staub wasn’t even a confirmed starter until game day. After the Shedeur Sanders era, Colorado has flirted with QB options like a rotating door. Staub, Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, and 5-star freshman Julian Lewis were all candidates. Salter got the opener against Georgia Tech but lost, while a QB rotation in game two against Delaware gave Staub the nod on Friday.

For two seasons, Ryan Staub was Shedeur’s backup. On Friday, he showed potential, leading touchdown drives on three of four series, the best performance of the day for Colorado. But the drama doesn’t stop there. Deion Sanders wants stability under center, yet his two other QBs aren’t exactly poised to cheer from the bench. Kaidon Salter, who led Liberty to a 13-1 record last year, came to Colorado for one final push to elevate his draft stock. Julian Lewis, a former 5-star recruit, has options. Bench time could spark discontent.

“It wasn’t good. I’m at a loss for words. No one could have told me this was going to happen after this week’s preparation. I take full responsibility of the foolishness that went on out there that we tried to call football. It wasn’t that,” Deion Sanders said and added, “We gotta do better in every phase of the game. We gotta be preparing our kids. We gotta do better, period.” 

Next week, the Buffs return home to face Wyoming, a game that could solidify Colorado’s starting QB for the foreseeable future. Or, it could add another twist to the saga. Either way, it’s shaping up to be a defining moment in Deion Sanders’ 2025 season.

What it takes to make the college football playoffs

Colorado is chasing one of the most coveted prizes in college football. A spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Since the CFP began in 2014, the format has evolved, and as of 2024-25, the landscape looks like this. 12 teams make the field, with the five highest-ranked conference champions earning automatic bids. The top four seeds, regardless of conference championship, receive first-round byes, while seeds 5-12 face off on home fields in the opening round.

A 13-member CFP selection committee, made up of coaches, administrators, athletic directors, journalists, and former players, evaluates teams based on conference championships, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and common opponent comparisons.

The process is methodical. Each member lists the top 30 teams, and a team must appear on at least three ballots to remain under consideration. Other teams can be added by a vote of three or more members. So, what does this mean for Colorado? Simply put, the margin for error is slim. Every win, loss, and stat matters. And after a shaky start, Colorado’s margin for error is evaporating fast.

What does Colorado need to do to make it to the playoffs?

For the Buffs, the most realistic route to the CFP is winning the Big 12 outright, a tall task given the competition. Colorado’s schedule still includes three major tests against Iowa State, Arizona State, and Kansas State. Two of those games, Iowa State (No. 14) at home and a road trip to No. 20 Utah, are stacked back-to-back in October, a stretch that could make or break their season.

Starting strong was supposed to set the tone. Winning week one is about momentum. The Buffs failed at that, and now the climb is steep. Sitting at 1-2 in conference play, Colorado lags behind Houston and Iowa State, both unbeaten at 3-0. The road to the top is littered with landmines, and any slip-ups could knock Colorado out of serious CFP contention.

The Buffs still have talented players, but consistency is the missing ingredient. Ryan Staub’s flashes of promise show the potential for growth, but turnovers and inefficiency cannot continue. Deion Sanders is facing pressure not just from the scoreboard but from the optics. The Prime Time era promised a revolution, but every week that starts with a loss chips away at credibility.

Upsets could be the saving grace. If Colorado can pull off a few key wins against ranked conference foes, the CFP is still technically attainable. But with Houston and Iowa State running hot, Colorado is playing catch-up. It will require a near-perfect mix of disciplined play.

For now, the QB decision will be the centerpiece of this narrative. Whoever emerges must command the offense with confidence and efficiency. Otherwise, the CFP dream will remain just that. A dream. Deion Sanders’ ability to balance player egos, manage media scrutiny, and maximize game-day performance is as critical as any play call.