Utah 27-24 Colorado (Oct 17, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Utah · Colorado

No. 11 Utah6-027

Colorado2-424Final

Sat, Oct 17 · Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo. · Crowd 52,489

No. 11 Utah beat Colorado 27-24.

We had Utah favored. It won.

Next: Utah vs Houston, Sat Oct 24 · 10:15 PM ET · Utah favored by 6.5

Next: Colorado at Oklahoma State, Sat Oct 24 · 7:00 PM ET · Colorado underdog by 12.5

Top comment in the game thread

Today I learned if you get an illegal forward pass you still get your first down

Q4 0:14 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Oct 17

How it swung

The turning point: Dampier 16-yd TD pass to Pegan, Utah goes ahead 20-17 (Q3, 1:06). Utah went from 60% to 80% to win.

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Utah a 91% chance, and the closing betting line (Utah was a 15.5-point favorite) put it at 89%.

Favored the whole way: Utah never fell below 52%.

Colorado never had better than a 47% chance.

17 unanswered

Colorado · Q3 9:45

FinalUtah 27-24 ColoradoUtah wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The two plays that swung it

1Q3 9:45Taylor 18-yd TD run, Colorado goes ahead 14-13Utah 80% → 65% (−15)
2Q3 1:06Dampier 16-yd TD pass to Pegan, Utah goes ahead 20-17Utah 60% → 80% (+20)

The two plays that swung it

1Q3 9:45Taylor 18-yd TD run, Colorado goes ahead 14-13Colorado 20% → 35% (+15)
2Q3 1:06Dampier 16-yd TD pass to Pegan, Utah goes ahead 20-17Colorado 40% → 20% (−20)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q3 7:52Utah fans panic as Dampier throws interception to MitchellDampier is just having on off night. Put in Byrd give him a shot see if he has a hot hand tonight.r/CFB game thread
Q4 5:23Utah's Chenault intercepts Wilson's pass to keep Utah's win streak aliveThank god for secret agent Isaac Wilson.r/CFB game threadCome on Wilson you have another one in your/CFB game thread
Q4 1:40Utah fails to call timeout as Wilson throws touchdown pass to MooreGenuinely letting the less good Wilson brother have a revenge game Guys a top 10 offense is coming next weekr/CFB game threadHow do the coaches not see that and call a TO.r/CFB game thread
Q4 0:14Quoted at the top of the page.“No run off because it be like that” or somethingr/CFB game thread

Utah’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Utah -15.5), at 81% for Utah (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Colorado or Utah flair (234 and 1,664); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Utah’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Utah scored on 5 of its 12 drives; Colorado on 4 of its 12.

Utah’s drives are teal, Colorado’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

From Colorado’s side

Colorado’s best moment: Taylor 18-yd TD run, Colorado goes ahead 14-13 (Q3 9:45). It lifted Colorado’s win chance by 15 points.

How Colorado fans took it: “I am absolutely shocked refs could not see this live, and that it takes replay to determine that was forward.” r/CFB game thread

“Ok so now IW pick 6?”

A Utah fan

When fans got loud

Busy

Fans peaked right at the end.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was busy; the crowd was busy.

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Colorado fans

program“Prime did a lot of good things for the program, but it's so obvious he's over his ski's”

deion“I do appreciate that Deion goes out to check on players, even opposing players. Besides the wins he’s done a lot of good at CU.”

loser“Wow. Ok so he’s a loser too. Has done nothing to act like that”

refs“Lmao these refs not even giving us a chance. Utah doesn’t need their help lol.”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: now, pass, getting, don.

What it cost

Utah’s chance to make the playoff rose from 23% to 26%.

Make the playoff

Utah · won23% → ▲26%

Colorado · lost0% → 0%

Win the conference

Utah · won18% → ▲21%

Colorado · lost0% → 0%

Before the game (October 17, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Utah plays vs Houston on Sat Oct 24 with a 26% chance to make the playoff.

Box score

Utah 27, Colorado 24

Colorado covered +15.5 by 12.5. The total, 51, went over 49.5.

Team totals	Utah	Colorado
Total yards	409	394
Passing	24 of 41, 278 yds	18 of 31, 256 yds
Rushing	39 for 131 yds	24 for 138 yds
First downs	26	18
Third down	8 of 17	4 of 10
Fourth down	1 of 1	0 of 0
Turnovers	2	2
Penalties	7 for 61 yds	10 for 93 yds
Time of possession	37:00	23:00

Utah leaders

Passing Devon Dampier 24 of 41, 278 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Wayshawn Parker 23 for 98 yds; Hunter Andrews 3 for 26 yds
Receiving Creed Whittemore 3 for 88 yds; Braden Pegan 8 for 86 yds, 2 TD

Colorado leaders

Passing Isaac Wilson 18 of 30, 256 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Jaquail Smith 13 for 73 yds; Isaac Wilson 7 for 41 yds
Receiving DeAndre Moore Jr. 5 for 70 yds, 1 TD; Jaquail Smith 1 for 68 yds, 1 TD

No rain through the game

59° at kickoff · no rain recorded

October game-day temperatures at Folsom Field

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Third quarter, 1:06 left11:07 p.m.

Utah 20, Colorado 17 · Colorado 20% to win

no rain · 55°

Dampier 16-yd TD pass to Pegan, Utah goes ahead 20-17

Measured at Boulder airport, 3.0 miles away. Wind and rain are airport readings near the stadium, not on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

This is Rumble in the Rockies — see the full head-to-head history →

Recent games

Last three games

Utah · 5-0

Rated 25th in our preseason ratings, 16th now.

Three straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.

W 41-24 vs Kansas #53 of 668

won by 17 as a 15.5-point favorite

W 31-17 @ Iowa State #108 of 668

won by 14 as a 7.5-point favorite

W 33-0 vs Utah State #55 of 668

won by 33 as a 26.5-point favorite

W 43-10 vs Arkansas #141 of 668

won by 33 as a 13.5-point favorite

W 66-14 vs Idaho #163 of 668

won by 52 as a 38.5-point favorite

Last three games

Colorado · 2-3

Rated 163rd in our preseason ratings, 109th now, up 54 spots.

Three straight losses.

L 7-29 vs Texas TechTop 25 #10 of 668

lost by 22 as a 13.5-point underdog

L 13-23 @ Baylor #37 of 668

lost by 10 as an 8.5-point underdog

L 7-41 @ NorthwesternTop 25 #15 of 668

lost by 34 as a 3.5-point underdog

W 52-21 vs Weber State #227 of 668

won by 31 as a 38.5-point favorite

W 14-13 @ Georgia Tech #78 of 668

won by 1 as a 6.5-point underdog

Week by week

Colorado

Wk 1Wat Georgia Tech14-13
Wk 2Wvs Weber State52-21
Wk 3Lat Northwestern7-41
Wk 4Lat Baylor13-23
Wk 5Lvs Texas Tech7-29

Utah

Wk 1Wvs Idaho66-14
Wk 2Wvs Arkansas43-10
Wk 3Wvs Utah State33-0
Wk 4Wat Iowa State31-17
Wk 6Wvs Kansas41-24

Power rating by week

Utah is rated 10.8 points ahead as of week 6. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Colorado’s rushing EPA against Utah, 74 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Colorado’s EPA/play against Utah’s defense
Colorado offense, 12th percentile · Utah defense, 79th
Colorado’s rushing EPA against Utah’s defense
Colorado offense, 6th percentile · Utah defense, 80th
Colorado’s explosive plays against Utah’s defense
Colorado offense, 37th percentile · Utah defense, 13th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

UtahColorado

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Utah leads the series 36-33-3

72 meetings since 1903 · Utah won the last meeting

2025Utah 53-7
2024Colorado 49-24
2023Utah 23-17
2022Utah 63-21
2021Utah 28-13

Each line is Colorado’s chance to win through that meeting.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Colorado fans are in a better mood than Utah fans (45th vs 35th among FBS fanbases), even with Utah favored.

Utah favored by 15.5 · Total 49.5

How games like this usually go

Utah by 15.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 251 games since 2025 with a favorite of 14.5 to 21.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Colorado.

The books’ cut: 4.3%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Colorado is worth +6.1 points (±4.0) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 83rd percentile.

46% at home, 26% on the road against FBS opponents (21-25 home, 11-31 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +2.1 at home vs. away over 91 games — inside the ±6.2 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. 5,361 ft of altitude — real, and smaller than the folklore: high venues run a point or two better against the number, noisily. The visitors travel about 350 miles to get here.

Where next

Conference standings

Place in the conference, then conference record.

Colorado15th0-2
Utah4th2-0

Full Big 12 standings

No. 11 Utah beats Colorado 27-24