Week seven of the United Soccer Coaches poll was released on Tuesday morning, and the Colorado Buffaloes (10-1-1, 4-0-1 Big 12) moved up two spots, where they now sit at No. 14 in the country.
The Buffs moved up despite their underwhelming match at home against Baylor last Thursday which ended in a 1-1 draw. Nevertheless, they now sit on top of the Big 12 table, sharing the number one spot with West Virginia and Texas Tech. All three are now 4-0-1 in conference play.
This ranking is the highest in the program in over seventeen years, as Colorado has not been ranked No. 14 or higher since the 2007 season. That rank came from the pre-season poll, in which the Buffs would fall lower and lower in the rankings until they fell out early on, never returning.
In that 2007 campaign, the Buffaloes made it as far as the second round of the NCAA playoffs, in which they were eliminated at home 0-1 against Portland. In total, the team finished 10-8-4, which the 2024 squad has already tied in wins with six games left in the season.
The Buffaloes had the chance to be placed as high as No. 12, as both the Auburn Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish slid down the rankings. Both vacancies were instead filled by the Iowa Hawkeyes and Pepperdine Waves, putting Colorado at a respectable No. 14 spot.
Aside from the draw against Baylor on Thursday, the Buffaloes netted a 1-0 shutout against Kansas on Sunday, getting back in the win column and solidifying their forward progress up the rankings over the weeks.
With their draw and win this past weekend, Colorado has now gone 11 games without a loss since their brutal late-game collapse against No. 8 North Carolina. That contest marks the only loss of the season for an otherwise flawless 2024 campaign.
Next up will be just one contest this week for the CU squad, and it will be an intra-conference ranked matchup, as the Buffs will host the No. 23 TCU Horned Frogs (8-2-2, 3-0-2 Big 12) on Saturday.
Cover photo by Madison Kerest/Sko Buffs Sports
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