The Colorado Buffaloes’ most anticipated matchup of the season is their Week 5 game against the No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders. In all likelihood, the Red Raiders will still be undefeated and looking like frontrunners for the Big 12 championship by the time they meet the Buffaloes on Oct. 3.
On Monday, the Big 12 announced that the game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT on FOX, bringing primetime attention to Coach Prime’s squad. Here’s a look at the impacts of the start time and what to watch for as the game approaches.
Folsom Field’s Environment
Week 5️⃣ TV Times 📺⏰ pic.twitter.com/RRpNTi3PKB
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 21, 2026
A nighttime kickoff is crucial for the Buffaloes, as the home crowd will be able to ride the wave of flashing lights and a packed house. This is Colorado’s homecoming game, and the Buffs announced a black-and-gold stripe-out to celebrate the university’s 150th anniversary.
Texas Tech is arguably Colorado’s toughest opponent of the season, so the advantage of a rowdy home crowd can’t be overstated. If Colorado enters this game 3-1 off a win over the Baylor Bears to open Big 12 play, there will be substantial momentum playing in its favor as well.
Quarterback Matchup
The quarterback matchup for this contest is an odd one, but it gives the game another aspect of intrigue. Colorado redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis has been the starter through the first three games, and although he struggled mightily against the Northwestern Wildcats in Week 3, that is unlikely to change…