Lady luck shined down on the Colorado Buffaloes as they rested during their bye last weekend. Unlikely losses by Kansas State and Iowa State have thrust the Buffs into the conversation of legitimate contenders for the college football 12 team playoffs.
Win out over these final four games (the Buffs should be favored in all of them), and Colorado will find itself playing BYU on December 7 in Arlington, TX for the Big 12 championship, which comes with an automatic bid to the playoffs for the winner. A date which has been labeled one of infamy in U.S. History, would be considered a day of virtue by Buff Nation if the Buffs come away victorious.
So, in spite of the ski resorts opening early this season, let’s try not to get too far out over our skis. The Buffs can’t go 4-0 on the remainder of the season without going 1-0 tomorrow. On the road in Lubbock, TX, the Buffs will take on Texas Tech (2PM MT kickoff). Coming off a tremendous victory over Iowa State last weekend, the Red Raiders will be looking to take down the Buffs and continue to contend for a Big 12 title of their own.
Coach Prime and the 2024 Buffs have exceeded all pre-season expectations. Congratulations. Yet, too whom much is given, much is expected, and for the Buffs, two-thirds of the way through the season, expectations are sky high. To quote the great Ricky Bobby, If you ain’t first, you’re last, and for the Buffs to make the playoffs, they are going to need to be first in the Big 12.
The games to remember are played in November and the Buffs are in pole position to make it a memorable month of football for Buff nation. It’s Arlington or bust (starting in Lubbock).
Just like our boy Mark Wahlberg’s transformation from Chris Cole to Izzy in Rock Star, after a few false starts, our 2024 Buffs have transformed themselves from a one trick pony side hustle into a full fledged big top entertainment attraction which would have made P.T. Barnum proud.
While there was a lot of pomp and circumstance when Coach Prime arrived in Boulder last year with his Louis Vuitton luggage, 2024 was always deemed to be the year we would see if the grand experiment would pay off. Is it possible to build a team almost 100% through the transfer portal? A victory tomorrow night over Cincinnati, will answer that question with an emphatic yes. It will also deliver bowl eligibility (6 win minimum) which hasn’t been seen in these parts in 2,924 days (10/22/16). The 2020 Covid 4 game qualifier doesn’t count. A win also gets me $1,000 on the over/under 5.5 games for the season. So, there’s that. Baby needs shoes (baby)!
Tomorrow’s game is sold out. Not only is it Family Weekend, but the Buffs are must see TV. This is the fifth nationally televised game of the season. While the fans will be decked out in black, the sidelines will be packed with high star recruits.
It’s time to feel the the sensation of being a destination football program. It’s time to feel the vibration of the metal stands as 50+ thousand fans stamp their feet. The Buffs are back. Feel it feel it
“If you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hits.”
– Rocky Balboa
Buff Nation –
The Buffs pulled a Cougar late Saturday night against Kansas State by holding on too tight, clutching defeat from the jaws of victory. All dressed up in Gold and nowhere to go, Buff Nation would have to wait before they enter the upper echelon of the nation’s ranked opponents.
Yet, even with the loss, the Buffs are 4-2 at the mid-point of the 2024 season. Competitive in all but one of their games this season, the Buffs have proven they don’t suck anymore. In all probability, they will also make a bowl game. Yet, now “just” a bowl game seems hollow. It seems only fine. It feels like there is more on the table, and it’s time go out and get what they are worth. The opportunity before them will disappear soon.
The Buffs are at a tipping point in the season between good and great. Win at AZ and the Buffs roll through the rest of their schedule (more or less), but definitely find themselves in a Big XXII conference footrace with an upper tier bowl game as a consolation prize. Lose, and the Buffs will be chasing middling achievement for the remainder of the season.
Every week, millions tune in to see what the Buffs are up to. Coach Prime continues to capture the attention of the nation. What is it worth to have one of the best players in the country in Travis Hunter and arguably the best college QB in Shedeur Sanders as teammates? What is the legacy, the leave behind, the residual effect? How will 2024 be remembered? It’s time for the Buffs to switch to guns and buzz the tower on this season.
In their strong to quite strong performance against UCF just prior to their bye week, the CU Buffs gave notice that they were ready to step into the Buff Nation circle of trust.
This was the Buff team we had been hoping for. A strong run game to compliment the passing attack, and a strong rush defense to compliment the skilled secondary. Yeah, we see you Buffs. We see you.
Yet, Buff Nation, more than most, know that love hurts. We know love leaves scars and just because we bruise on the inside, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. We cannot be blamed for proceeding with caution.
One quality win is an anomaly, and two is a tread. Come Saturday night, under the (late) lights of Folsom field, those who are still awake in America, will see Folsom Field as electric as it has ever been. After an all-day pre-game/kick-back/dardy (“day party” for those who don’t have the college vernacular down) 50,000 fans wearing gold apparel will fill Folsom to capacity for the “Gold Rush” pivotal game of the season.
Beat #18 Kansas State and the entire ceiling of how high this football club can climb will be ripped off. No longer will success be limited to bowl qualification. A 5-1 record has not been seen in these parts since 2001. With that type of record, and that type of momentum, pun aside, a win will move the goal post of success further out. We will begin to talk of conference championships and… (inside voice) playoffs.
Come early Sunday morning, Buff Nation will know if that win over UCF, which provided so much hope was 24K Magic or if we are just living in a fool’s paradise.
“We are on the way, not to compete but to win. Not to show up but to show out. Not to be among the rest but to be the absolute best.”
Coach Prime (Introductory Press Conference – 12/4/2022)
Buff Nation –
Coach Prime was hired over 650 days ago to turn this Colorado program around. A third of the way through the 2024 season the Buffs are 3-1, but it wasn’t easy, and that was the softer part of the schedule. Come this Saturday, the Buffs play on the road against undefeated University of Central Florida. The Knights boast the top rushing offense in the nation and are a 14-point favorite. Given CU’s inability to protect the quarterback, no one is expecting CU to win.
The Buffs may not have the best team, but they have the best player (#12) and one of the best QB’s (#2), and the best receiving corps in the nation. Coach Prime has often said he is a man that needs to be needed. I guess that can apply to all of us but come Saturday we need Coach Prime to deliver on his first major win of the season. To quote Fatboy Slim, a victory right here, right now would bring this program full circle and into the conference championship conversation. If CU wants to be taken seriously, they need to make the weight. It’s time to win a game they are projected to lose.
After nearly a two decades wandering in the wilderness, the Buffs are still on a vision quest, trying to find their way back to championship football. The 52,000 Buff Nation faithful who packed Folsom last Saturday in the pouring rain are evidence that the Buffs are not alone on this journey. A win on Saturday would be two miracles in as many weeks, and catapult CU’s season into one Coach Prime talked about all those days ago at his news conference.
