Ranking Colorado football’s 2023 opponents from toughest to weakest
We’re now just over two months away from Colorado’s season opener at TCU. After a disappointing one-win campaign last fall, the Buffs and head coach Deion Sanders cleared house across the board while bringing in talent from the transfer portal at nearly every position.
There’s no question that the Buffs are improved, but their 2023 schedule remains one of the most difficult in all of college football. In addition to facing a pair of Power Five teams during nonconference play, Colorado’s Pac-12 slate includes at least four teams that I believe are worthy of being ranked.
Below is a ranking of Colorado’s 12 regular season games from easiest to hardest:
Stanford
Quite a few Pac-12 power rankings have Stanford as a bottom-three team in the conference, so the rebuilding Cardinal will be here for now. New head coach Troy Taylor, however, has the future looking bright in 2024 and beyond.
Colorado State
After a strong freshman season, quarterback Clay Millen is returning to lead what should be an improved CSU Rams bunch in 2023.
Washington State
I see Washington State as having another stagnant season. The Cougars finished 7-6 the last two seasons and that’s about where I’d expect them to finish in 2023.
Nebraska
Colorado will be looking for its third consecutive win with its third different head coach when the Huskers come to Boulder in September. This one should be fun.
Arizona State
Arizona State is another tough team to get a grasp on entering head coach Kenny Dillingham’s first season leading the Sun Devils. Drew Pyne should have their offense rolling, at least.
Arizona
Arizona is primed to take another step forward in 2023 with wide receiver Jacob Cowing coming back for another season. If all goes well, the Wildcats could return to a bowl game.
UCLA
For the first time in a long time, UCLA doesn’t have a clear starting quarterback, although five-star prospect Dante Moore has an opportunity to win some games in the Bruins’ final Pac-12 season.
TCU
Surprisingly, the Horned Frogs, who made the College Football Playoff title game just months ago, land at No. 5 on this list as they simply lost too much talent from last year’s team, They’ll have to prove themselves once again in 2023.
Oregon State
With the always-physical Beavers finally landing a big name at quarterback in DJ Uiagalelei, this game really, really scares me.
Utah
We’ve learned time and time again that it’s never smart to underestimate Utah. Even without tight end Dalton Kincaid, the Utes still bring back a good deal of talent in their quest to three-peat as Pac-12 champs.
Oregon
Former Ducks offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham may be at Arizona State, but Oregon has another year of Heisman candidate Bo Nix at quarterback.
USC
Led by returning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, the Trojans are the Pac-12’s most talented team. They’ll be in Boulder this season, though, and Colorado should have an urgency to beat USC before it joins the Big Ten in 2024.
