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The Colorado Buffaloes' 2-1 start took a severe hit in the eyes of the analytics community after a resounding Week 3 loss to Northwestern. ESPN's Football Power Index delivered a harsh verdict, plunging Colorado 20 spots to No. 70 nationally. That ranking leaves the Buffaloes as the bottom program in the Big 12 conference.
The FPI's steep decline suggests the Northwestern game was viewed as a pivotal opportunity for Colorado's remaining schedule. The team's probability of securing six wins has nosedived from 67% just two weeks ago to a mere 23% now. Additionally, the FPI's updated record projection forecasts a final mark of 4.4-7.6, which rounds to a 4-8 finish. Even though that would represent a one-win improvement over last season, it still falls well short of expectations.
Key Analysis
A challenging stretch awaits Colorado as Big 12 play commences. The Buffaloes will hit the road to face Baylor before returning home for a high-profile clash with a Texas Tech squad that is likely to be ranked in the top 10. According to the FPI, Texas Tech is the second-best team in the conference and ranks No. 17 overall, while Baylor sits sixth in the league and No. 38 nationally. A victory over a solid Baylor team in Week 4 could propel Colorado back up the FPI rankings.
Here is a snapshot of Colorado's updated FPI metrics after Week 3: FPI Rank: No. 70; Projected win-loss record: 4.4-7.6; Six-win chance: 23%; CFP chance: 0.2%; Big 12 title chance: 0.1%.
For ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes, and opinions, follow @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like the page on Facebook. This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football plummets in ESPN FPI after blowout Week 3 loss.
Originally reported by yahoo.