Colorado football heads to Waco on Saturday for a Big 12 opener against Baylor, renewing a series marked by long gaps between meetings and one of the most memorable finishes of the Deion Sanders era.
The Buffaloes carry a 10-7 all-time series lead into the 18th meeting with the Bears, including a 4-2 record in games played in Waco. Colorado won the latest matchup, beating Baylor 38-31 in overtime at Folsom Field on Sept. 21, 2024. The teams will meet at 10 a.m. MT Saturday at McLane Stadium, with ESPN2 set to air the game.
Colorado and Baylor first met in 1959, when Sonny Grandelius' Buffaloes beat them 15-7 in Boulder. The programs met intermittently through the following decades, including during Colorado's Big Eight years and Baylor's Southwest
Conference era, when Baylor defeated Colorado 21-9 in the 1986 Bluebonnet Bowl.
The series gained more regularity when Colorado joined the Big 12 in 1996. The Buffs and Bears played annually through the 2010 season, Colorado's final year in the old Big 12 before the move to the Pac-12. Colorado returned to the Big 12 in 2024, and the first game of the renewed conference series delivered a finish few in Boulder will forget.
The 2024 Folsom Field finish
Colorado's 2024 win was the first meeting between the programs in 14 years, and the game became one of the most dramatic wins of the Sanders era.
Baylor led 31-24 as regulation expired, but Shedeur Sanders rolled left and launched a 43-yard Hail Mary in the rain to LaJohntay Wester in the end zone. Wester's catch forced overtime and brought Folsom Field into chaos.
Micah Welch then scored in overtime to give Colorado its first lead since early in the game. Baylor reached the Colorado 2-yard line on their final possession, but Travis Hunter knocked the ball loose from Dominic Richardson near the goal line. The loose ball went out of the end zone, giving Colorado the 38-31 win.
Saturday's game carries different circumstances as Colorado arrives at 2-1 after a 41-7 loss at Northwestern. Baylor also sits at 2-1 after defeating Louisiana Tech, 36-19. The history favors Colorado by a narrow margin, but the Buffs have not played in Waco since a one-point loss in 2010.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado vs. Baylor football series history, all-time series record
