“If you can’t see what’s coming with (Colorado) Football, you’ve lost your mind.” – Coach Prime
Buff Nation
On a perfect fall weather day at Folsom Field, no one was leaving because everyone was believing. With multiple chances to lay down (down 21-0 in first quarter, 34-14 at half and 41-14 deep into the third quarter), the CU Buffs stood their ground as did the 54,000 white-clad, sold-out Buff Nation crowd. When the clock struck double zeros and the Buffs were on the short end of a 48-41 shoot out against #8 USC, the sense of what was to come was stronger than what could have been. The time for watching the game sitting down, let alone leaving early is over (except for my brother who never really followed anyone’s rules). These Buffs are now standing room only, staying till the end entertainment.
For all the joy, celebration, and attention the Buffs have received this year, they are still a team without an identity. Akin to my college roommate’s band aptly named “Identity Crisis” purely because they couldn’t think of a better name, entering week six of this season the Buffs face their own identify crisis. The defense has yet to jell, and the rushing game has proved inconsistent, and in spite of the exceeding expectations, we don’t know how good this team is.
In college football, the identity of the team represents who they are, and how they proceed with taking care of their business. Respective fan bases embrace and take on that identity. One thing leads to another, and sold-out games become the norm, and “free tickets” become a thing of the past. Get it right, and it’s material for Hollywood movies and dominant football programs. Get it wrong and wallow in mediocrity like so many schools do year in and year out, CU being the biggest violator of the bunch.
This coming Saturday afternoon, CU travels to Tempe to play the Arizona State Sun Devils. The ASU game represents a defining moment in the season. Win, and we are almost assured of a bowl eligible season (win two of out three with Standford, UCLA, and AZ). Yet, it’s never easy to win on the road, especially with a team that was 1-11 last year. Tempe seems particularly elusive given the 1-6 record CU holds in Tempe.
Who do you say I am? These were the monumental words Jesus asked his disciple Peter, to determine whether he believed. On Saturday, CU will be able to answer for themselves who they are. A team that doesn’t lay down, a team that takes care of business on the road, a team that is changing the two-decade old dialogue about Colorado Football.
Who do YOU say I am? Buff Nation says you will beat ASU by double digits, earn bowl eligibility in 2023, and…in 2024…win the Big 12 championship and contend for the national championship. That’s who we say you are. We are CU!
“One thing that I can say, honestly and candidly: You better get me right now. This is the worst we’re going to be. So you better get me right now.” – Coach Prime.
Buff Nation –
The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914, not only served as the catalyst for the start of WWI, but also indirectly served as the catalyst for the United States’s rise as a global superpower. Pre-existing political and social tensions, along with a complex web of alliances, provided as the necessary fodder for WWI, which then led to the WWII (Treaty of Versailles), which in turn led to the rebuilding of Europe (Marshall Plan), which ushered in the golden age of the United State as the world’s first modern day superpower. The USA continues to be a global leader over 100 years later, all because some low-level dignitary in a far-off land took a bullet to the head. Right?
In a similar one thing leads to another series of events, history will show that the Colorado Buffaloes defeat in Oregon this past Saturday will serve as CU’s greatest victory of the season, and will set off a series of events, that will ultimately lead to Colorado winning their second national championship soon. The sequence of events is below. Believe.
Shedeur Sanders returns to Colorado for the 2024 season. The defeat in OR dropped Shedeur’s draft capital enough to where it now makes more sense to return to Colorado for another season of college football and growth. The hot start Shedeur had in the first three weeks of the season had some projecting him as a top five draft pick. That is no longer the case. Coach Prime said that Shedeur takes a back seat to no one. Playing another year of college ball increases the probability of that happening.
Coach Prime returns to Colorado for the 2024 season. While it was highly doubtful Coach Prime would leave Travis Hunter and the rest of the transfers, after a single season, the return of Shedeur (and hopefully Shilo) leave zero doubt Coach Prime will return for his second season as Colorado’s head coach.
CU closes the talent gap. The OR blow out shined a light on the talent gap that still exists between CO and the top tier schools. Shedeur and Coach Prime’s return to Colorado in 2024 will facilitate another top transfer class and recruiting class. The 6-8 dawgs CP continues to mention will sign with CO, and in ‘24 CU will be on par with the top ten teams in the country.
Coach Prime receives a long-term market changing contract. It wasn’t raining when Noah began to build his Ark. Coach Prime returning to Colorado in ’24 provides a bit of a clear skies forecast, but the storms will be gathering, teams will be calling, and CU will want to make sure it has it’s Ark build before the first drops hit the ground. No one wants to be around the day Coach Prime leaves town for another program.
CU Goes Bowling in ’23 and Coach Prime wins Coach of the Year – while winning six games in 2023 is not a stretch, and probably not helped by a loss in OR, the repercussions of the defeat in Eugene has exposed some truths about the program that this team can grow from and increase the probability of winning the games they should win (e.g. ASU, AZ, Stanford). Getting to a bowl is the goal. That extends CU’s season and exposure to future recruits. It extends CP’s platform time. At six (or seven) wins, Coach Prime also earns Coach of the Year. That, in turn, helps with point #3 above and gives more credence to #4 above. It’s all related. There is indeed Victory in Defeat. Thank you, Oregon.
This coming Saturday CU will host #8 USC. CU will once again have its hands full but will be more competitive and prepared than they were against Oregon. USC has Caleb Williams leading their team in his final college season before he takes over the reigns for the Denver Broncos as the #1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. CU has NEVER beaten USC. This is their last chance before the two teams part ways. I’m still debating on whether to take the points or not. CU’s defense makes me queasy. CU’s offensive line is upsetting. Travis Hunter out is disappointing. So many head winds.
I wish somebody would have told me, babe That someday, these will be the good old days… ‘Cause someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change You’ll miss the magic of the good old days. – MACKLEMORE
Buff Nation –
As I stood on the CU business field waiting for ESPN College Gameday to start its live broadcast, I couldn’t help but recall doing the same thing 28 years ago when College GameDay was here to broadcast the #3 Texas A&M vs #7 CU game. I was working my first real job out of college, and Koy Detmer was the QB. College GameDay was in town twice that year, and CU was ranked the entire season. For me, those were the good old days. Almost as if to interrupt my thinking, Coach Prime took the stage, and then The Rock made a cameo, and then I noticed how the crowd had swelled behind me. It dawned on me that these too are the good old days which I will reflect upon sometime in the future. Three weeks into the 2023 season, CU continues to be the darling of the college football world, and we are living out the good old days real time. This won’t always be the case, but it is now. We got this!
Several hours later, as College GameDay morning turned into tailgate afternoon, which eventually turned into the sold-out “Black Out” game time at Folsom, this crazy train of a season almost came off the rails. With two minutes remaining, CU was down by 8 on its own two-yard line; CSU had a 99.4% win probability according to the algorithm ESPN uses for these types of things. This was the ultimate trap game, and CSU had come in with reckless abandon, starting a pre-game altercation, racking up 17 penalties (12 of them personal), delivering a lacerated kidney to Travis Hunter, and, in general, doing their best Tony Montana impersonation by bringing a gun to a knife fight. It wasn’t until well after the stroke of midnight, and two overtime periods that CU was able to safely exit the ball with a 43-35 win, just ahead of the crowd rushing the field for the second time in as many weeks.
Post-game, Coach Prime demonstrated he fully understood the profound urgency to not lose to CSU when he stated, “We can’t let this dude (CSU Coach Novell) win. His press conference would be unbearable”. Absolutely. It’s about getting the W, but when playing CSU, it often feels more like avoiding the L.
With the non-conference schedule successfully navigated, CU goes on the road this Saturday to play #10 Oregon. TCU, NE, CSU. All fine wins, all fine teams. None are the caliber of Oregon. Oregon is an institution that specializes in victories. Like USC, who CU will host at home the following week, there is little room for error. Your offensive line is a bit suspect? It will be exposed. Your defensive line is a year away from being top-caliber. It will be exposed. Your best player on both sides of the ball isn’t playing. Sorry to hear that. Don’t care.
The Oregon game is Coach Prime and his coaching staff’s biggest challenge to date. There is no hiding. The nation turns its eyes once again to Colorado, expecting the unexpected, but for how long can this last? Oregon, led by Heisman candidate QB Bo Nix, is favored by three touchdowns. Once again, I have gone with my heart and taken CU and the points. I too expect the unexpected. These are the good old days after all and I…I believe.
This past Saturday, in front of a sell-out crowd at Folsom Field, our Golden Buffaloes came through with a dominant 36-14 beatdown of Nebraska (the largest margin of victory since the 62-36 win at Folsom on 11/23/01 – The greatest CU game ever played on home turf). The victory afforded those Buff Nation faithful willing to rush the field, a chance to capture that coveted 50-yard line selfie for their Shutterfly album (always good, always memorable).
With a three-game winning streak over the Cornhuskers (the first such streak since 1956-58), The Buffs can now put that storied rivalry on a shelf, as it’s time to move on to the next for Coach Prime and his resurgent Buffaloes team.
The Colorado football program is the Cinderella story of college football, if not of all sports, and the eyes of the nation are waiting to see what the program does next. For CU, next up is Colorado State (CSU). This is yet another rivalry steeped in tradition (kudos to the CU administration for setting up such an epic non-conference schedule).
ESPN College GameDay will be on-site (the first time since 9/14/96), when our #18 ranked CU Buffs take on the Rams from Fort Collins. This is the first time their rivalry game has been hosted at Folsom since 2009. The prior 10 meetings have been hosted in Denver, as part of the Rocky Mountain Showdown rivalry series. An 8 PM kickoff bodes well for an all-day (drinking) tailgate (inside voice).
In this crazy train season, CSU represents a different kind of test of CU. Coming off big-time victories over big time programs, CU has its first opportunity to secure a convincing victory over a team that all pundits expect CU to beat. CSU doesn’t have a single player that could start for CU (fact), let alone secure a second-string position (speculation). CSU on the other hand will be looking to shock the world in the same manner CU did two weeks earlier at TCU. Sitting between an emotional “it’s personal” game against Nebraska and a “prove it to the world” road game against #13 Oregon, lowly CSU presents a perfect trap game for CU.
I doubt Coach Prime will let that happen though. Coach Prime has proven that he doesn’t allow the moment to get too big (or too small) for him. CU is favored by 23 points, and my DraftKings beat says they will cover. No disrespect to CSU, but the Rams are going to have a real tough time stopping CU’s offense (even with Fairview High School alum Henry Blackburn manning the CSU secondary (Let’s Go Henry!)). CU may score on every offensive series.
Come the stroke of midnight on Saturday, CU should be 3-0, and will continue with their magical season. Here’s to Cinderella getting home safely and well rested for the upcoming king’s ball at Oregon. Given three of my four kids are girls, I know my Cinderella references, and I’m a big fan.
“Nebraska”. Has there ever been a word that Buff Nation says with such disdain? It’s a word that is nearly spit out of one’s mouth. There is nothing better than a storied college rivalry to bring out the best in us.
It’s good to hate. It’s a healthy habit many adopt come the Fall season in support of their alma mater. To hate for no reason is for the uneducated. That is not what we are talking about here. To hate for rivalry reasons in college football is a privilege and an honor. It must be earned. It must fester into being personal. Echoing the theme of Gordon Gekko, hate, for lack of a better word, is good. It facilitates a team and their respective fanbase to focus on a common purpose – to win. Hate creates an emotion in us which is second only to Love (I have no scientific evidence to back this up).
Colorado (CO) and Nebraska (NE) are like brothers separated at birth. They were original members of the Big 8 (1960-1995) and original members of the Big 12 (1996-2010). While they hated each other, they were stronger because of it. In 2011 the brothers were separated. One shipped off to the Pac-12 and the other to the Big Ten. Neither program has been the same since. Hate is good.
In the 50 years (1960-2010) that CU and NE played each other on an annual basis, NE was in the Top 25 national ranking 72% of the time. CU was in the Top 25 national ranking 30% of the time, and 15 times during that span, they were both ranked in the Top 25. They were great together. Hate was good for both teams.
Since the split in 2011, Nebraska’s Annual (Top 25) Ranking Percentage (ARP) has dropped to 15%, and CU’s ARP has dropped down to 8%. That is a decline of 79% and 73% respectively. The lack of a true rival, a rival the team and fanbase loves to hate had a negative impact on their respective football success. For CU, the forced Pac-12 rival Utah was never able to supplant the hatred we had for Nebraska. We yearned for our lost brother who we loved to hate. One could argue, Nebraska also never found it’s true soulmate in the Big Ten. Stronger together. Even if they hated each other, that hate fueled success on the field, and brotherhood in the stands.
This Saturday, Nebraska returns to Boulder (6:30 AM Tailgate / 10 AM Kickoff). Both programs are trying to claw their way back to a level of domination they once had. This game will be a clash of titans. Nebraska won’t be able to stop CU’s offense, and CU is going to struggle to stop Nebraska’s run game. Nebraska is going to come in angry that they let a victory over Minnesota slip through their fingers, and CU will be coming into Folsom determine to prove last week’s win over TCU wasn’t a fluke. Do you believe?
Saturday will also mark the 100th anniversary of football at Folsom field, Coach Prime’s home debut, and on the heels of a glorious victory at TCU. The fact that it’s Nebraska who is our scheduled opponent is near divine intervention. This is a match made in heaven. Nothing could be more perfect.
Most of the Colorado players and coaches (Coach Hagan excluded) won’t fondly recall when CU beat NE in ’86 (QB-Hatcher) and we rushed the field. Or when CU beat NE in ’89 (QB-Hagen), and we rushed the field. Or when CU beat NE in ’01 (QB-Pesavento), and we…rushed the field. Or when CU beat NE in ’19 (QB-Montez) we rushed the field.
Come this Saturday when CU beats NE by double digits (QB-Sanders) …we will rush the field. It’s what Buff Nation does when NE goes down in Boulder. So, make sure your shoes are laced up. Let’s meet at the 50 for a selfie.
