“You ain’t a beauty, but hey, you’re alright” – Bruce Springsteen
Buff Nation –
Last Thursday, on a warm summer night, under the lights of a sold-out Folsom Field, the Colorado Buffaloes opened the 2024 football season against the North Dakota State Bison (NDST). Coach Prime and the Buffs had one job. Win the game and start getting ready for Nebraska.
The win over NDST was never going to be pretty. It did not have to be. It just needed to be a win. Mission accomplished. It wasn’t a beauty, but it was alright. The Bison will win the FCS national championship. At least, I hope they do. They are no slouch and would give any team in the Big XXII a run for their money.
While the Buffs still have questions on defense, and their offensive line played just average, they kept the main thing the main thing and secured the W. Congrats Coach Prime. You did your job.
Now, time to get serious. The University of Nebraska. The NU word is the FU word for any true Buff fan. No team in the history of Colorado’s 134-year existence stirs the innards of Buff Nation more than Nebraska. When it comes to these two teams, hate is still good.
All W’s count toward bowl eligibility, but some count more than others when defining who you are, past, present, and future. This game, more than anything other, matters the most with regards to CU’s storied history. One BNF reader shared “If we win this game and lose every game the rest of the year, it would still be a winning season…this game defines the season!”
CU will have their hands full to win this game, but I would not bet against Shedeur and Travis as they continue their magical mystery tour of being the best tandem in college sports. If CU’s offensive line shows incremental improvement, CU will win in a shootout. CU’s receiving corps is lethal. Nebraska will struggle to cover four NFL bound receivers.
Nebraska, like CU, is desperate to return to the days of glory. CU has been a thorn in their side as of late. Husker nation is placing their hope if 5-star Freshman QB Dylan Raiola who was a late decommit from GA. He played well in his first game against UTEP, but it was UTEP, so who really knows. Either way, we have two teams fighting for redemption.
A win in Lincoln will serve as the marquee victory of the young 2024 season and propel CU into bowling, if not playoff (inside voice) contention. Let’s go Buffs, in the name of love, bring the hate.
Go Buffs!
Doug
——————————
Opponent Preview:
Nebraska Football Fun Facts:
NU Football holds the all-time NCAA record (all sports) for consecutive sellouts (#397).
On game day, Memorial stadium becomes the third largest city in NE. Folsom Field becomes CO’s 21st.
NU / CU have played 72 times over the past 125 years. A win on Saturday would give CU a four-game win streak, their longest. NU’s longest is 18 (freaking eighteen!) NU holds a 49-21-2 overall record against CU.
Nebraska had the fewest players transfer via the portal (9), while CU had the most (41).
Nebraska is one of 22 states in the Union without a professional sports team.
Just over a year ago, Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes shocked the nation by beating #17 TCU on the road in the 2023 season opener. Crazy train had left the station, and everyone was welcomed to jump on board, and over the course of the next few weeks, the entire college football world did.
A win over hated Nebraska, set up ESPN College Game Day for the CU vs CSU showdown. A bitter backyard, I am going to lacerate your kidney game ensued with the Buffs going 3-0 on the season. The Rock, Lil Wayne, Blenders Glasses were all the rage. Yet, all that glitters is not gold, and CU finished the season on a 1-8 skid unable to win the close games, nor the ones which they were up by twenty-nine points.
An offseason which saw Colorado once again lead the nation in transfer portal activity came with mixed reviews. On paper CU has significantly upgraded its offensive (which was offensive) and defensive line (which was also offensive).
CU’s skill positions (QB, WR, CB) can play with any in the BIG XII, and stand a good chance of cracking a game open if given the opportunity. That opportunity, the secret sauce of the 2024 season, lies in the Buffaloes offensive line providing a couple more seconds of protection to QB1. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are touted to be two of the top ten picks in the 2025 draft. That combination on offensive can cause significant problems for defenses given the time. Coach Prime claims he has another six players who should get drafted as well. With that type of talent, CU should win between 7-9 games this year.
So, it begins again, tomorrow night in a rare Thursday night game at Folsom Field vs the North Dakota State Bison (yup, the Buffaloes vs the Bison). The Bison are 60-11 in the past five seasons and make a living off of getting paid by bigger schools to go on the road and wreck their host’s season. CU would be well served not to look past the Bison in prep for Nebraska next week. Win, and CU stands a good chance to go 4-0 on the season and be bowl eligible by Halloween (best case scenario). Lose and the ceiling will cave in on the CU football program and it will take all season to crawl out of it (worst case scenario). I doubt there is an acceptable middle ground. So, there you have it. Coach Prime claims he is a winner and has won at everything he has done in his life. Excellent. Win tomorrow night please.
Go Buffs!
Doug
——————————
Opponent Preview:
The NDSU Bison are based in Fargo, North Dakota, and part of the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference. The “Thundering Herd” are the all-time winningest football program in FCS history which included 17 National Championships (9 at the FCS level). The Bison are led by seasoned QB Cam Miller, and pride themselves on sound tackling and a strong running game. They play old school, basic blocking and tackling football. Sounds about right coming out of the plains of Nebraska, err North Dakota.
“We just simply, truly don’t know how to win yet.” Coach Prime (post-game Arizona press conference)
Buff Nation –
Winning is an art form which is a byproduct of being competitive. While the latter doesn’t guarantee the former, it’s the former that is the ultimate measure of success in college football. This past Saturday, CU was once again competitive against a ranked opponent but failed to win, losing by three in the last seconds (34-31). The loss was the third in a row where one could argue CU should have won rather than deserved to lose.
In his fifth century BC military treatise – The Art of War – Sun Tzu calls out several aspects of a military campaign a general should consider before and during battle. One of those aspect is the ability to observe and adapt. Of all the aspects of the game which are most frustrating about these Buffs, is the ability to perform at a high-level at the end of the game. Essentially garnering everything which has been exposed and learned during the game and leverage that information to secure a victory.
Thankfully, the season is not yet over, and CU has another opportunity to impose their will. Similar to CU, their next opponent, Washington State, has been struggling of late. Both these teams will be looking to stop the hemorrhaging. Even on the road, I believe CU wins this game. Despite the consecutive heartbreaking losses, they will perform. To quote yet another philosopher, that which does not kill you makes you stronger (Nietzsche). CU is not dead yet. Tonight, we will see if they are indeed stronger or if indeed the season ends prematurely without a bowl bid.
Winning is an art form. Some programs have it. Some do not. CU had it for many years and then lost it for many years. These 2023 Buffaloes have shone a light on what winning can look like once again. It’s learning how to win, which remains elusive. It’s an art form. One learned over through hard work and commitment to the trade. For CU, may that hard work and commitment pay off tonight with a victory over the Cougars. Time to make Sun Tzu proud.
“Don’t shove me…I’m tired of being shoved.” Will Kane (High Noon)
Buff Nation –
In 1952, the Academy Award-winning movie High Noon, starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, made its debut. A story about the difficulty of standing one’s ground, especially when all have abandoned you, has been claimed to be the favorite movie of multiple US Presidents, including Harry S Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Bill Clinton (who reportedly showed the movie 17 times during his tenure in the White House). In a movie that plays out in real-time (think Jack Bauer -24), the clock is literally ticking while a noon train filled with a gang of gunslingers brings trouble. In a life-and-death circumstance, the cast of characters vet through their options and ultimately make their final answer.
At (high) noon this Saturday, the almighty (especially next year) Colorado Buffaloes, kick-off their final home game of the season against the upstart Arizona Wildcats. Arizona has beaten three ranked teams consecutively in the last three weeks earning their own top-25 ranking (#21), their first since 2017. I couldn’t prove it out, but this may be the first time an unranked team has beaten three ranked teams in three consecutive weeks (fun fact(ish)).
While CU doesn’t stand alone (it’s a sell-out game), they do face their own proverbial showdown, a final shot (no pun intended) at proving their character in front of their home crowd. The 2023 Buffs have already proven they have heart and can compete. Point differential in games lost last year was 32.4 (over four touchdowns!). Point differential in games lost this year is 13. The only game CU has not been competitive is the loss at Oregon. Take out that blow out point differential and the average margin of the four other losses this season is 7.3 – basically a touchdown (one possession!). It may not feel like it, but in nearly every game they have played this season, they have been right there. Yet, more is required. Especially tomorrow, at home, in front of the Buff faithful for the last time of the season. Not only does Gary Cooper take a courageous stand in High Noon, but he also delivers in his action by being the last one standing in a Hollywood classic gunfight. This Saturday, it’s time for the Buffs to not just take a stand but be the last one standing. The clock is ticking, and the Buffs better be loaded for bear.
“Don’t be sad …cause two out of three ain’t bad.” – Meat Loaf
Buff Nation –
With two-thirds of this inaugural Coach Prime football season in the bag, our Colorado Buffaloes sport a 4-4 record. Three more wins than all of last season and two games shy of bowl eligibility with four games still to be played. These 2023 Buffaloes have exceeded the expectations of the college football pundits and most of Buff Nation.
Yet, heading into the third and final part of the season, Buff Nation is on edge. Losing three of the last four, including the inexcusable loss to Stanford, along with the perception that CU is getting worse rather than better, Buff faithful are left scratching their heads and biting fingernails unsure if bowling is in our future. The final home stretch looks daunting. CU will be the underdog in all of the games. While (a finally healthy) Travis Hunter possesses the ability to change the tenor of a game on any given play, and Shedeur continues to dazzle in his ability to with-stand constant pressure and pounding (he’s the most sacked quarterback in the nation), and even the defense seems to be finding a clue, win number five will remain elusive until the Buff string together a complete game. Something they proved incapable of doing since the victory over Nebraska in early September.
Tomorrow night under the lights of Folsom Field (8pm Kickoff / 4:30 PM tailgate), the Buffs have their next opportunity to get back in the win column when they take on the #16 Oregon State Beavers. I still believe CU is capable of putting forth their breakout game, and their best opportunity is these next two home games. Win tomorrow night, and CU will go on to beat Arizona the following week and earn Coach Prime the coach of the year award. Lose, and CU will continue to slip into wait till next year mentality.
