For the first time in the Coach Prime era, Colorado is not expected to sell out of season tickets for football, and the renewal rate is down.
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However, the Buffaloes are continuing to sell more season tickets than they did before Deion Sanders was hired as head coach in December of 2022.
Per numbers provided to BuffZone by CU, the Buffs had sold 20,284 season tickets for the upcoming campaign as of Tuesday afternoon.
Last year, CU sold 23,987 season tickets. With the Buffs coming off a 3-9 season in 2025, only 78.3% of last year’s season ticket holders have chosen to renew for this year, down from a 98% renewal rate each of the previous three years.
Although the numbers are down, CU is expecting to surpass the amount of season tickets sold in Sanders’ first season in Boulder, 2023, when 20,606 were sold. According to CU spokesperson Steve Hurlbert, the Buffs expect to land somewhere between that number and the amount sold in 2024 (21,128).
Last year, CU increased the amount of season tickets available by nearly 3,000, which accounted for a spike in sales from 2023 and 2024.
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Overall, CU is continuing to sell more season tickets than it did before Sanders came to Boulder.
Prior to 2023, CU had not reached the 20,000 mark in season ticket sales since 2012, when 21,648 were sold. In 2022, the last season before Sanders’ arrival, CU sold just 14,915 season tickets.
In 2023, CU sold out of season tickets for just the ninth time in program history and for the first time in 27 years, since 1996. The Buffs sold out of season tickets in 2024 and 2025, as well.
CU’s 2026 season kicks off Sept. 3 with a trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. The Buffs will host Weber State in the home opener on Sept. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at Folsom Field.
The home portion of the schedule also includes matchups with Texas Tech (Oct. 3), Utah (Oct. 17), Kansas State (Oct. 31), Houston (Nov. 13) and Central Florida (Nov. 28).
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Single game tickets and mini-plans are currently on sale at Cubuffs.com/tickets.
