Joel Klatt doubts Colorado's ability to compete with top teams in college football

It’s been an impressive season for Colorado, but FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt understands the Buffaloes have limits. Second-year coach Deion Sanders has gotten the team to 7-2 on the season and in second place in the Big 12, meaning it can make the conference championship if it wins out.

Then if they are able to win that game, it would mean an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff as a conference champion. Klatt, a Colorado alum, was posed the question during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd as to how they would match up against some of the other teams in the field.

“They can’t hold up at the line of scrimmage,” he said. “Their defense is vastly improved at the line of scrimmage and they can win up front on the defensive side, but their offensive line would not hold up against Oregon. They would not hold up against Ohio State. They would not hold up against Georgia. They would not hold up agianst Texas. All due respect, I’m a Buff. This is just, you asked me a question and that’s my honest take.”

Colorado has improved from where it was on the offensive line last year but is still giving up an average of 3.5 sacks in the game to rank 123rd in the country. In spite of this, the Buffaloes No. 8 in the country in passing offense behind quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver Travis Hunter.

Klatt can’t help but be impressed by what Colorado has done this season. The Buffaloes won only one game two seasons ago and now might have a chance to be one of the 12 teams competing for a national title.

He can certainly seeing some of their star power being enough to get them out as Big 12 champs, but he believes the talent will win out on the other side if they do make the CFP.

“They are, at their best, the best team in the Big 12 right now,” Klatt said. “They’ve got the best core of wide receivers in the Big 12. The defense has played incredibly well and they are disruptive. I would call them a top two or three defense in the Big 12 right now, which is an insane growth from what we saw a year ago. The way they got after the quarterback against Texas Tech last week was impressive.

“Offensively, you know what they’re gonna be able to do with their speed, but their offensive line is still the biggest issue that they have aside from game management and the idea that they don’t manage the clock very well and they don’t manage fourth-quarter situations very well. But their offensive line is still what they have to play around on the offensive side.”

Colorado will look to keep rolling as it faces Utah in Week 12.