In their 37th year of existence, the Denver Broncos were still seeking that ever elusive first Super Bowl Lombardi Trophy. The date was December 7, 1997 and the Broncos had just lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers forcing the Broncos into a Wild Card spot for the playoffs, rather than the possibility of a #1 seed. The road to the Super Bowl now ran through the Jaguars, Chiefs and Steelers, all teams the Broncos had recently lost to. Within minutes after the loss to the Steelers, all-pro linebacker Bill Romanowski was quoted as saying to then Coach Mike Shanahan, “We’re just going to have to do it (get to the super bowl) the hard way.” All Broncos fans know the rest of the story. The Broncos went on their revenge tour and won their first franchise Super Bowl a month later.
Coming into the 2023 season, the goal for the Colorado Buffaloes was to earn bowl eligibility (six wins). Early season success made the appearance of this goal a slam dunk (to mix sports metaphors). Losing three of the last four, and especially blowing a 29-point lead against Stanford, has now made this goal significantly more daunting. Rather than win one of the next five games, the Buffs need to find a way to win two of the next five. The challenge lies in the caliber of their opponents. Three of the five remaining opponents are ranked (UCLA #23, OSU #11, and Utah #13), and the remaining two were either recently ranked (WSU) or have dramatically upped their game in the last few weeks (AZ). Stealing of these games, ok. Stealing two, doubtful. Similar to the Broncos of ’97, I would like to think Sheduer and Shilo came up to their dad after the Stanford game and said, “We’re just going to have to do it the hard way”. No fear, no trepidation. Just the mentality of getting back to the business at hand.
After having a bye last week and a chance to lick its wounds and take stock of the character of the team, CU takes on the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, this Saturday evening. UCLA is favored by 18 points, boasts the nation’s #11 total defense and #17 total offense. There are no weaknesses for CU to exploit. If CU has an advantage, it lies in the fact that CU has had two weeks to prepare, their backs are against the wall, and Travis Hunter should be at full strength. A win will exercise all the lingering Stanford demons, a loss will increase the fodder of the Coach Prime haters. CU will have to play a perfect game to beat UCLA, something CU has proven they are incapable of doing thus far in the season. For all the pomp, circumstance, and crazy train excitement this team has delivered to Buff Nation this season, now is the time to deliver again. Do not go off silently into the night. Let’s get this crazy train back on track. We are ready to believe again.
“You’re absolutely right Mr. Spicoli, it is our time.” Mr. Hand – Fast Times at Ridgemont High
It’s been five years since the Buffs have been favored by double digits over a power 5 school. Buff Nation will recall it was that game, on October 27, 2018, where CU gave up a second half 28-point lead and lost to the (then) lowly Oregon State Beavers 41-34 in overtime. It was one of the biggest chokes in college football history, a black eye to a storied Colorado football program, and led to the firing of Coach Mike MacIntyre 22 days later. Ironically that loss set off a chain of events that led to the hiring of Coach Prime five years later.
Tonight, CU enters Folsom Field as an 11-point favorite to beat the Stanford Cardinal. Win, and CU is one victory away from becoming bowl eligible, which while Coach Prime says is not the goal of the CU football program, it is the goal of Buff Nation and would mark a remarkable, fantastical, nearly unimaginable successful season.
Coach Prime may be coming, but Buff Nation has always been here. For years we’ve shown up and been treated to sub-par football. We have been forced to sit through blow outs (or opt to leave early). No longer. Tonight, under the lights of Folsom Field, this is our time. This is what we have been waiting for. We are favored, we have the better team, and we have the biggest upside. It’s all in front of us, and tonight, well tonight we reap what we have dreamt about for seasons – a competitive team with a chance to return to national prominence.
While CU’s undefeated Cinderella season ended a few weeks ago, the Buffs remain the darling of the national media and the number one college football story. Coach Prime expressed disappointment that the Stanford game would have a 10 ET (8 MT) kickoff, on Friday nonetheless, but College football is ruled by the pursuit of the dollar, and recent history shows you can put the Buffs on at anytime of day or night and they will draw record eyeballs.
This is an enviable position to be in. The school makes money, the players gain followers, and Buff Nation continues to bask in the attention. In order to stay in that spot light, CU is going to have to pull a James Francis Ryan and earn it. To stay in the good favor of America, the Buffs are going to have to beat Stanford. If there is one thing we know about this country, it’s that America loves a winner. Coach Prime knows this. There is no excuse. CU must win.
“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.
