Buff Nation
Finally. The Buffs are back! Let’s get on with life as we’ve known it, and as we want it. For some reason I feel like Sinead O’Connor whining about how long it’s been since we were last at Folsom field (21 months, 14 days).
Tonight, in a Friday Night Lights (FNL) special, our beloved (but not yet feared…still working on that) Colorado Buffaloes take on the mighty University of Northern Colorado (UNC) err…need to look this up real quick…Bears. The mighty Northern Colorado Bears. In less than seven hours, under the lights of Folsom Field, all that is wrong with the world will be made right. Who’s got it better than us? Nobody!
While the UNC Bears may not be a household name, their head coach certainly is. Ed McCaffrey of Denver Broncos fame, check out his epic block in Super Bowl XXXIII , will be coaching his first college football game (fun fact: one of his sons is the Offensive Coordinator, and one of his other sons is QB1). Not to be too cavalier (recall heartbreaking losses to OSU (the day the music stopped for Mike McIntyre and staff), Montana St, Sac State and others), I just can’t see the Bears hanging with the Buffs for any extended period of time. The Buffs are focused on winning the Pac-12 championship (not happening this season, but it’s coming) and the Bears are simply focused on playing (they didn’t play last season, so literally this is their first game in 650 days).
Look for the Buffs to quickly establish the running game and dominate from the second quarter onwards (Buffs win this one by four touchdowns). The Buffs return a ton of players, have a burgeoning rock star in Freshman QB Brendon Lewis, a solid stable of running backs, corps of receivers, stout offensive line, and a defense that is ready to prove itself and lead by Nate Landman, one of the best to wear the Black and Gold. The Buffs have the potential to surprise the Pac-12 like they did last year. The challenge is six of the Buffs 12 opponents are pre-season ranked in the top 25, and also have something to prove.
Given they only play 12 games, and they need to win six for bowl eligibility (the bar of success for this season), the Buffs have no wiggle room. They have to win all the games they are expected to win (including the UNC Bears – geez that just rolls off the tongue now), and a game or two they are not favored to win and/or on the road. To put it another way, despite the talent they return, most pundits project the Buffs to finish at or near the bottom of their conference. I predict the Buffs win their six games and go bowling by virtue of wins over (UNC, MN, AZ, @CA, OSU and @UCLA).
So, with that said, let’s do this thing. Run (New) Ralphie Run!
Go Buffs!
Doug