Reaching a bowl game for the Colorado Buffaloes has been the hope going into most seasons over the past decade, but the program has only reached three bowls since 2016. We’ve detailed here at Buffaloes Wire how making a bowl game this year will be an uphill battle, but perhaps a new bowl caveat changes the match slightly.
On Wednesday, On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that with the Ponsettia Bowl’s return in 2026, it will pit legacy Pac-12 schools like Colorado against the new Pac-12 champion if the champion is not College Football Playoff-eligible.
Former Pac-12 schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington) will still play in “Pac-12” bowls this upcoming season, rather than moving to their current conference’s bowl affiliations.
The Poinsettia Bowl is on the lower tier of bowl games and previously featured a Pac-12 vs. Mountain West matchup, which should now give a 6 or 7-win legacy Pac-12 school a bowl berth.
Poinsettia Bowl finalizing deal to pit new Pac-12 champ, if it doesn’t qualify for playoff, vs. Pac-12 legacy team in 2026, sources told @On3. Pac-12 legacy teams are former Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah & Washington
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 21, 2026
BYU played Wyoming in the last Poinsettia Bowl, with the Cougars taking down the Cowboys 24-21. The game will continue to be played in San Diego, but no stadium has been announced since the demolition of San Diego Stadium a few years ago. The most likely location would be Snapdragon Stadium, the San Diego Aztecs’ home venue and the home of San Diego FC and the San Diego Wave FC. That stadium also hosted the Holiday Bowl this past season.
Colorado has a long way to go before bowl eligibility becomes a real possibility. Still, the new makings surrounding the remade Poinsettia Bowl set it up as a legitimate bowl option for the Buffs entering 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Poinsettia Bowl format could help Colorado football make a bowl game