Colorado upset No. 14 Houston 42-32 on Friday night at Folsom Field, beating a top 15 opponent for the first time since 2007 behind an explosive rushing attack and timely defensive stops. The Buffaloes overcame a 20 to 7 second quarter deficit and scored 28 straight points to take a 35 to 20 lead.
Why it matters
The win is the biggest of the Deion Sanders era in Boulder. After the loss that dropped Colorado to 3 and 6, Sanders said the fans deserve better, and his team answered with the kind of performance that changes how a season is remembered. Houston led 20 to 7 in the first half, and Colorado had taken the lead by halftime at 21 to 20.
For Houston, the loss killed any realistic hope of qualifying for the final 12 team College Football Playoff. The Cougars arrived ranked 14th with a 7 and 2 record and left with their season ambitions in ruins, beaten by a team that had lost six of its first nine games and had nothing to play for but pride.
What happens next
For Colorado, the win keeps the fading bowl hopes alive in dramatic fashion. The Buffaloes are now 4 and 6, and they need victories over Cincinnati and UCF to reach bowl eligibility. Two weeks ago that looked impossible, and now it looks like a real possibility if the running game travels the way it ran on Friday night.
For now, the upset is the story of the week in college football. A 4 and 6 team beating a top 15 opponent by 10 points does not happen often, and it happened because Colorado ran the ball, stopped Houston when it mattered and believed in a game plan that looked bold at kickoff and brilliant by the end.
The win also changes how the rest of the season will be judged. Colorado was written off after the loss that dropped the team to 3 and 6, and the coaches and players heard every word of it. Beating a top 15 team by 10 points does not just keep bowl hopes alive, it proves the program can compete with the best teams in the conference. The final two games, against Cincinnati and UCF, are now the biggest of the Sanders era, and the team that beat Houston will believe it can win them both.
