Seven home games, an Alamo Bowl rematch at Folsom Field and a Big 12 opener in unfamiliar territory are among the highlights of the schedule for Colorado’s third season under head coach Deion Sanders.

On Tuesday, the Big 12 announced its schedule for the 2025 season, and it includes CU visiting Houston in the conference opener in Week 3, on Sept. 13.

CU’s nonconference schedule has been set for several years and the conference opponents have been known since last year, but Tuesday’s announcement laid out the path for Sanders and the Buffs as they look to get back to the postseason for the second year in a row.

The new-look Buffs (9-4, 7-2 Big 12 in 2024), aiming to replace stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, who are off to the NFL, will open the season against Georgia Tech on Aug. 30 at Folsom Field, followed by a home date with Delaware on Sept. 6. CU has never played either team.

CU’s other nonconference matchup will bring Wyoming to Boulder in Week 4, on Sept. 20. The Buffs and Cowboys have played 27 times but not since a 24-0 CU win in Boulder on Sept. 19, 2009. CU leads the all-time series 24-2-1.

The conference portion of the schedule will begin a bit earlier than usual for CU, which will meet up with Houston for just the second time. CU won the only other matchup against the Cougars, 29-17, in the Bluebonnet Bowl on Dec. 31, 1971, in Houston.

Although CU has played the Cougars just once, this will be its eighth all-time trip to Houston. The Buffs traveled to Houston for the Bluebonnet Bowl four times (1967, 1971, 1975 and 1986) and the Houston Bowl in 2004. They also played in Houston for the 2002 and 2005 Big 12 championship games.

Aside from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, this will be the first time CU has played a conference game within the first three weeks since 2014.

CU’s Big 12 home opener will bring BYU to Boulder on Sept. 27 in a rematch from this past season’s Valero Alamo Bowl, won by BYU, 36-14. The Cougars will be making their first trip to Boulder since beating the Buffs 41-20 on Sept. 26, 1981. CU leads the all-time series, 8-4-1.

The rest of the home schedule includes conference games against Iowa State on Oct. 11, Arizona on Nov. 1 and Arizona State on Nov. 22.

CU hasn’t faced Iowa State, a longtime Big Eight/Big 12 rival, since 2010. The Buffs lead that series 49-15-1. Arizona and Arizona State are familiar foes from the Pac-12 days of 2011-23. CU leads the Arizona series, 17-10, and trails against ASU, 4-10.

The Big 12 road schedule will take CU to TCU on Oct. 4; to Utah on Oct. 25; to West Virginia on Nov. 8; and to Kansas State on Nov. 29 in the regular season finale.

CU won its only other trip to TCU, in Coach Prime’s debut, on Sept. 2, 2023, and is 1-1 against the Horned Frogs. The Buffs lost in their only trip to West Virginia, on Oct. 1, 2009, and are 1-1 against the Mountaineers.

Utah and K-State are familiar conference foes, with the Buffs trailing the all-time series with Utah (33-34-3) and leading the series with K-State (45-21-1).

For the first time since 1982 — and for only the third time in program history — the Buffs will have more than six games at Folsom Field. They had seven home games in 1982 and eight in 1978.

This year’s schedule also includes two byes in the second half of the season. Following seven straight games, the Buffs will be off in Week 8 (Oct. 18) and Week 12 (Nov. 15).