Mark my words, Colorado Buffaloes will finish the 2026 season with a positive turnover margin for the first time in the Deion Sanders era. Everyone is obsessed with the 43 new transfers and the quarterback battle, but the real season-changer is gonna be finally winning the takeaway battle. They were a dismal minus-8 last year, ranking 102nd nationally. You cannot win in the Big 12 giving the ball away like that.
The entire defensive philosophy has to be built around creating havoc. Last season they forced only 14 turnovers total. That's pathetic. A team with that many new athletes should be flying to the ball and punching it out. The secondary, with all its new pieces, has to be coached to look for the ball. It's a mindset shift more than a talent issue.
If they can just get to even, it changes everything. Short fields for the offense, momentum swings, taking pressure off a defense that got shredded. This isn't about one player. It's about a program-wide emphasis that has been completely absent. Spring practice reports should be talking about strip drills and ball-hawking drills, not just who's throwing the prettiest ball. Until they fix this, they're just collecting talent without a purpose. The path to eight wins starts with winning the turnover battle. It's that simple.