Texas Tech coaches looking for intel on their opponent Saturday needed to look no further than their own message board, Red Raider Sports.
There, a user posted a thread in which he claimed to have obtained a copy of Colorado's offensive game plan for the game Saturday, including the Buffaloes' opening script. The script called for a reverse pass on the game's opening play, and then several throws to the middle of the field -- all of which Colorado did.
“We found a 25 page or so playbook that i would bet large amounts of money on is the actual cu playbook. it’s got opening plays, red zone info, our tendencies, etc. etc.,” the post reads.
Update: It was real. 1st six plays of the first half and 1st two of the second half (then picked off) https://t.co/M6F018Ib4J pic.twitter.com/BkNt6Ov475
— Jody S. Laughter∴ (@Lubbockist) October 4, 2026
The Athletic on Sunday confirmed the authenticity of the game plan.
The Buffaloes opened the game with a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and then did not score again. The team threw four interceptions, including three by first-time starter Isaac Wilson. Wilson's third interception was caught in Colorado's own end zone for a rare 0-yard pick six, which gave Texas Tech a 22-7 fourth quarter lead. The 12th-ranked Red Raiders won the game, 29-7.
Joey McGuire denied knowledge of the fans' discovery, and CU head coach Deion Sanders was not asked about it in his post-game press conference.
The lack of opsec is emblematic of where Colorado finds itself as a program. Wilson started the game because CU's opening-day starter, Julien Lewis, has been ineffective. As a team, Colorado ranks 101st nationally in passing efficiency, 94th in rushing, 107th in yards per play, and 124th in scoring. Elsewhere, after a failed fake punt on 4th-and-7 gave Texas Tech the ball near midfield, Fox cameras panned to Sanders on the sideline, who appeared to ask, "Who called that?" Colorado also lined up to defend a field goal with nine players on the field, after a timeout because CU didn't have enough players on the field. Sanders was later seen scolding Colorado's punt returner after he failed to catch a punt that Texas Tech downed at the 1; John Curry snared a pick-six in the end zone on the next snap, effectively ending the game.
As a team, Colorado is 2-3 on the season and 1-10 in Big 12 play since the departure of 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and company.