The Colorado Buffaloes are in a must-win position after losing to the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 10, needing three wins to secure bowl eligibility with three games remaining on their schedule. The first game of that series is against the No. 14 Houston Cougars on Friday.

The Buffaloes are heavy underdogs coming into this game, with ESPN Analytics giving them just a 17 percent chance to win. Follow along for live updates on the Buffaloes’ Week 11 matchup.

Follow along here for live score updates throughout the game.

Pregame

Who the Colorado Buffaloes will be leaning on

If the Buffaloes are going to pull off the upset, it’ll be on account of their star players. They’ve proven to have a talented roster that just can’t find consistency as a whole unit. So while that has dampened their results on the season as a whole, those star players could still help them to pull out a few upsets down the stretch.

Offensively, that job will fall on the shoulders of wide receiver Joseph Williams. He’s been that unit’s lone bright spot, racking up 58 receptions for 853 yards and six touchdowns this season. He was lethal for the Buffaloes against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 10 as well, tallying seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Buffs’ loss.

If Colorado can get one of its running backs going to add another wrinkle to the offense, a good game from Williams could be enough to keep Colorado in this contest.

The Houston Cougars’ offense

But keeping stride with the Cougars’ offense will be no easy task. Houston brings one of the best offenses in the conference into this contest, led by star quarterback Conner Weigman. He’s flown under the radar this season, but he’s been among the best quarterbacks in college football.

This year, he’s tallied 2,280 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to just two interceptions while completing 170 of his 257 passes. In addition, he’s been a red zone threat on the ground, with 279 yards and seven touchdowns on 73 carries. 

The Cougars’ offense has averaged 470.2 yards per game, the third-best mark in the Big 12. In addition, they score 35.4 points per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. Colorado’s defense will need to play above its usual level to contend with the Cougars’ offensive attack, but thankfully for the Buffs, that’s where most of their stars lie.

How the Colorado Buffaloes can slow down Conner Weigman

Slowing Weigman down will be where Colorado’s defensive stars come in.

The Buffaloes’ pass rushers will have the biggest responsibility in this game. The secondary has proven time and again that it can’t shut down passing attacks when left to its own devices, and that will be especially the case with safety Naeten Mitchell on the injury report again. 

Therefore, it’ll be on the likes of Santana Hopper, Lamont Lester Jr., Toby Anene and Yamil Talib to create pressure on Weigman. If the Buffaloes allow him to settle in, this will be a nearly impossible game to win. But with a rowdy Folsom Field crowd at their back, if this defense can rattle him, the Buffaloes stand a legitimate chance in this game.