Colorado football's season opener moved up, lands primetime ESPN slot

The national spotlight isn't leaving Colorado football anytime soon, even if some people would like to see less of the Deion Sanders-led Buffs.

For the fourth straight season, Colorado has had a game selected during the annual television Upfront presentations, with ABC announcing Tuesday that the Buffs' season opener at Georgia Tech will kick off Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. MT and broadcast nationally on ESPN.

While the on-field product has been inconsistent throughout Sanders' tenure, the television draw has been among the most consistent aspects of the Coach Prime era. The season opener against Georgia Tech will mark the 24th time in Colorado's last 26 games that the program has landed on either ESPN or a major broadcast network (ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC or TNT). If you include appearances on ESPN2 and FS1, CU has been on national television in 26 straight games and an impressive 35 of the 38 games in the Sanders era.

The opener against the Yellow Jackets represents a chance at revenge for the Buffaloes. Georgia Tech handed Colorado a 27-20 loss at Folsom Field last season, meaning the Buffs should head to Atlanta looking for payback in the second leg of the home-and-home series.

Perhaps the biggest news from Tuesday's announcement is the move to Thursday night. Colorado's season opener has now been shifted off Saturday for the third straight season.

Overall, Colorado faces a tough 2026 slate, which includes early road games against Power Four opponents and multiple matchups against elite Big 12 teams.

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