Buff Nation,
Welcome back to another season of Colorado Buffaloes football. When CU kicks off its 2018 season tonight against CSU, last year’s miserable 5-7, underachieving season will be behind us. Nobody is high on CU being any good this year. A decade long bowl drought leading up to the ’16 season and then and a poor showing last year has folks taking a wait and see approach to see whether CU is a pretender or a contender.
A lot rides on this season. Fail to win six games (i.e. bowl eligible), and odds are we will have a new head coach on the sidelines next season. Six wins is the minimum. Seven wins and we are respectable. Eight or more and the Buffs are back, this time for good. The key to CU’s season will be getting out of the gates early (game by game predictions below). Three of CU’s coveted six wins are within the first four game.
The good news is CU has the talent, the schedule (favorable home games, no Oregon or Stanford), and a Pac-12 South conference which is not as strong as it was last season (three QB now in NFL, three new head coaches) to be competitive in all its games.
It all starts tonight. This season is going to be epic. The whole off-season CU has held the mantra, “nothing to say, a lot to prove.” They have played their cards close to the chest. Tonight, we get to see what kind of cards we have been dealt and how well we play those cards.
Go Buffs!
Doug
2018 CU Football Season Preview
August 31, CSU (Mile High Stadium)
It’s true that CU cannot overlook CSU. While CSU got beat at home by Hawaii last week, the Rams offense is something to be taken seriously and this is a rivalry game. Okay, with that out of the way, the beat down we were expecting CU to place on CSU last year will occur this year. There isn’t a single player on the Rams who could start on the Buffs. Although CSU has the advantage with a game under their belt, and CU will be playing a lot of new faces, CU will score on more possessions than not. CU wins by 21. CU 1-0
September 8, @ Nebraska
This game is going to be a slugfest and while CU may wind up on the losing end, Michael Porter’s theory of competition tells us that CU needs to be able compete in tough games like these if they are to compete in the Pac-12. Since I am driving the 7 hours to Lincoln to witness the clash, I am predicting a win by the Buffs. NE will be too high on their first-year cure for the common cold coach, and CU has too much to prove to be intimidate by a sea of 90,000 fans wearing red who literally have nothing else to cheer for between Saturday games. CU somehow finds a way to win this game, if for no other reason than it is such a long and boring drive to get there and even longer if one gets embarrassed. CU-2-0
September 15, New Hampshire
Life is beautiful. CU returns to Boulder (literally the best place in the world) to make its home game debut against the Division IAA New Hampshire Wildcats on a beautiful Fall afternoon. While the UNH is an excellent team (ranked nationally in IAA polls and return 18 starters), they are not Pac-12 caliber, and CU is no longer one of those programs which is constantly at risk of laying an egg. This game should be nearly over by half-time. The talent and speed of the buffs is simply too much for the UNH Wildcats. Buff Nation is satisfied. Most of the student body didn’t show up until the second quarter anyway (drinking) and don’t return after halftime (drinking). CU 3-0
September 28, UCLA
Ah, the swing game of the season. Under the Friday night lights of Folsom Field, CU wipes that smug look off the Bruins’ face. Josh Rosen isn’t around anymore and CU extracts revenge for last season’s loss. Montez and his top-shelf receiving corp lites up the UCLA secondary and the CU Defense their stride under second year coach DJ Eliot. CU wins handsomely. CU is 4-0 for the first time since 1995. Boulder goes nuts. CU students (most who weren’t even at the game) would happily light some couches on fire, but they are too young to remember that used to be a thing. CU 4-0
October 6, Arizona State
While they have experienced tremendous success thus far, and surpassed everyone’s expectation, it is ASU which bugs them. It was the ASU game last year on the road that was probably the most heartbreaking loss of the season (okay, maybe it was AZ). CU had the game. They literally dropped the ball. CU doesn’t let that happen again, and CU turns in yet another victory at home. It has become clear that this year’s receiving corp is hungrier and more talented than last years (which graduated three players into the NFL). CU 5-0
October 13, @ USC
CU still gets a little weak in the knees when it comes to playing USC. The USC proves a bit too much for CU to handle and gets to QB Montez early. A costly turnover disheartens CU. CU plays tough for three quarters to no avail and then sort of bails on the effort. They are secretly please to be 5-1 and perhaps even a little satisfied. Time for Coach Mac and Coach Eliot to coach them up on the flight home. CU 5-1
October 20, @ Washington
Washington is the best team CU is going to play all year. Playing WA on the road is a butt kicking waiting to happen. Under CU can find five monster offensive lineman to start at the same time, CU will struggle to win in the trenches against teams like WA. CU tries hard, but WA has its sights on a National Championship and doesn’t have time for CU to hang around. CU 5-2
October 27, Oregon State
One more win and CU is bowl eligible (and everyone gets to keep their jobs). Oregon State is the perfect opponent at the perfect time. CU thrashes OSU, playing its finest game of the season to date. Buff Nation takes a collective sign of relief. Buff Nation can now turn its sights to something other than the lowest common denominator. For the rest of the season, the Buffs are playing for the seniors as well as all those 4 and 5-star recruits that would really love to commit to Boulder, but just need a little more evidence that what is happening in Boulder is the real deal. CU 6-2
November 2, @ Arizona
CU’s season effectively ended last year when they awoke the sleeping giant by the name of Khalil Tate, Arizona’s (then) back-up QB. This year, Khalil is a Heisman trophy leading candidate. While teams now have tape of him, this is still a tough match-up for CU. Tate has another big day against the Buffs and CU loses for the third time in a month. This is game CU could have won. The emotional scars and embarrassment from last year’s game are still not fully healed. CU 6-3
November 10, Washington St.
The weather is beginning to turn in Boulder and folks are starting to turn their sights to the slopes. For Buff Nation, there are only two home games remaining. How sad. For all practical purposes the season has been a success. Outside of one half against USC and potentially a game which slipped away against AZ, the Buffs have performed well. Still, we need one or two more wins to put the stamp of approval on this season. Washington St offers up just that opportunity. A worthy opponent for sure, a victory here would legitimize CU’s 2018 season. Thankfully, CU agrees and complies. Skiing can wait. This season is still going on. CU 7-3
November 17, Utah
In a brawl on Folsom Field in near Winter is coming temps, Utah comes out on top for CU’s first loss at home all season. While heartbreaking, CU played hard and never laid down. No moral victories, but CU knows they have a lot left in the tank to finish the season strong and go bowling. Both teams also realize they will be seeing each other in the Pac-12 South championship game next season. Both teams are on the rise and staked with young talent. CU 7-4
November 24, @ California
California continues to be on the mend and CU takes advantage. Behind their two-headed running attack of Kyle Evans and Travon McMillian, CU grinds out a win to secure an ever elusive Pac-12 road victory. CU finishes off a hard-fought regular season and now eagerly awaits their bowl announcement. Happy days are here again. CU 8-4
Bowl Prediction: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX. December 31, 2018.
Past Weekly Recaps
9/3/18 – CU Football 2018: Week One Review / Week Two Preview – Seeing Red
Week One Review
Well, that was the smackdown we were looking for. The CU team that took the field this past Friday against the CSU Rams was as big, fast and competitive as I have seen since the Buff glory years of 1990s. Hope is percolating. It was amazing to see so many new names (Abrams, Lang, Landman, Israel, McMillian, Mustafa and Shenault) seamlessly playing along household names (Montez, Gamboa, Lewis, Worthington, ,Fischer and MacIntyre). CU also came ready to play (not always the case). How good CU is vs how bad CSU was will be revealed in week two.
Week Two Preview
CU travels to Lincoln this week to take on the (once) hated Nebraska Cornhuskers. This is the perfect game for CU. CU is rolling while NE literally has not gotten started. After all the pomp and circumstance of opening day and a two-hour weather delay, NE’s week one game was canceled. Unfortunately, CU now doesn’t have any tape of Nebraska’s offense or defense, but Nebraska also doesn’t have the opportunity for improve from game one to game two (where the most improvement takes place), before taking on the Buffs. This will be a hard fought game that comes down to the last possession. CU is full of confidence (and talent), and while NE remains an enigma, CU will come into Lincoln, steal a victory and will have the Boulder Flatirons in their sites while all the NE fans will be seeing is red.