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.
“We ain’t got tomorrow. We got now. We ain’t got next. We got now.” Coach Prime. Pre-game Speech TCU
Every Thursday, the 3-2-1 newsletter from James Clear, my favorite writer (second only to Stephen King), comes out providing words of wisdom and motivational messages. In a tribute to him, here is my 3-2-1 for the wrap-up of the Colorado Buffaloes first week of the season.
3 – Three Colorado Buffaloes are in the top ten Heisman ranking (#1 Travis Hunter, #2 Shedeur Sanders, #9 Dylan Edwards). The last time there were two top ten finalists from the same team was 2011 Wisconsin Badgers (Montee Ball and Russell Wilson (isn’t that ironic Broncos fans?)). The last time there were three in the top ten? Never.
If Buff Nation was told at the end of the dismal 2022 season that we would have a Heisman candidate on our team in 2023 we would have been ecstatic (think Laviska Shenault type talent).
If we were told we were to have two finalists, we would have written this off as nonsense. Perhaps a team like Alabama or Georgia, but not CU. Never CU.
If we were told we would have three players in the top ten, we would have walked away from the conversation not wanting to waste anymore of our time on being fooled or made fun of.
This is how far we have come. From dismal to unbelievable. The power of Coach Prime.
2 – Two years before Travis Hunter can declare for the NFL draft (to be eligible for the draft a player must be three years out of high school). Combined with the new transfer rule which limits a player from transferring a second time without losing eligibility, this essentially means Travis Hunter will be in Colorado through the 2024 season. This also means Coach Prime will be in Colorado, through the 2024 season at a minimum, as he won’t leave his protégé and possible #1 draft pick.
Coach Prime is quickly becoming a top coveted coaching candidate. The big dollars will come calling as early as the end of this season. Having him in Colorado at least two seasons (hopefully longer) is a blessing and keeps this Crazy train running in the right direction.
1 – One day to live. In one of the best pre-game speeches I’ve ever heard, Coach Prime staked Colorado’s claim on the now. Manifesting Coach Prime’s words, the Colorado Offense marched down and scored on its first possession.
As a fan, sitting in the stands, I thought of the scene from 300. This is where CU football makes its stand. I was no longer looking for hope or a glimpse of a better product. In a single drive we had leapfrogged over that level of thinking. It was about winning. It has always been about winning. It was never just about improving. All we got is now. There are no guarantees outside of now.
So, for now, we are those guys. We are the darlings of the NCAA. We are the toast of the town. It’s all in front of us. Next stop is Nebraska coming to town on Saturday. Don’t hesitate. Show up early for the tailgate. Be in your seats to see Ralphie run. All we got is this next game. More to come in a couple days on the healthy habit of hating.
Final thought: As we walked into the stadium this past Saturday, we were joined by Dylan Edwards family. I told his father Leon to check out my blog, and that I would mention his name. Leon, you are correct, all your boy does is win. Looking forward to seeing him win on Saturday and looking forward to seeing you at our Rob’s Roost tailgate (right?). We got now!
One of the most prolific bank robbers in American history is William Sutton (1860-1901). When asked why he robs banks, he is famously quoted as saying, “Because that is where the money is.” While a bank robber by trade, Sutton would have made a good NCAA Athletic Director. Sutton had a clear vision (get rich), a sound plan (rob banks), and a man of action (he is known to have robbed banks for over forty years and cleared over $2M (not adjusted for inflation in this blog)).
In 2005, after a disappointing Big 12 Championship loss to the Texas Longhorns, the University of Colorado fired its then-head coach Gary Barnett. In the proceeding 17 football seasons since, leading up to modern day, CU has had more mid-season head coaching firings (Hawkins ‘10, MacIntyre ‘18, Dorrell ’22), than bowl appearances (Alamo ’16 & ’20). You can’t make this stuff up. No vision, no plan, no action. Well, perhaps a bit of half-hearted action, on the same level as yelling for some meatloaf. Easy enough, but nothing of real substance when it comes to winning national championships.
The hiring of Coach Prime was the Miracle in Michigan pass AD Rick George needed to save his job and save the CU football program from being regulated to a lower division of play (this is not really an NCAA thing, but it would be cool if it was, just like English Soccer). The Crazy Train has arrived in Boulder, and CU has already reaped benefits beyond measure (e.g., Jump to the Big 12 (Big 16?), sold-out games, through-the-roof merchandise sales, top-of-mind program for all four and five-star high-school recruits).
Yet, Coach Prime will have to prove it on the field. To quote the great Mike Tyson “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” and come this Saturday, when our Buffaloes take on the 2023 runner-up national champion Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs, both teams will most assuredly take some punches, and it will be the team that responds with the greatest sense of urgency that will win this game. Vegas has TCU as a three-touch-down favorite. ESPN gives the Buffs an 8% chance of winning. Vegas wasn’t built on being wrong, and ESPN typically knows their business, so there has to be some merit to the pundits saying CU is destined to welt in the Texas heat. As for me, if CU can keep our soon-to-be star QB Shedeur Sanders clean, and CU’s defense can put pressure on TCU’s QB, CU will win in a shootout.
So, here’s to CU coming out swinging, punching TCU in the mouth, shocking the world on the road, and returning to Folsom field the following Saturday to kick off the 100th year of CU football by beating Nebraska for the third time in a row and going 2-0 on the season. Ma! Meatloaf!
This coming Saturday, April 22, at 1PM MT (ESPN), CU will hold its annual Black & Gold Spring football game. The Spring game serves as the conclusion of Spring practice and an opportunity for coaches to determine the level and depth of talent on the team before players are dismissed until August. While serving as a capstone of sorts, the Spring Game really is a glorified practice and is open to the public, and is typically free of charge. For the past decade, Buff Nation paid no attention to this game (practice). It really wasn’t worth anyone’s time.
Oh how the times have changed. We live in a different world than we did just a few months ago (Coach Prime accepted the job on 12/3/22), and a once afterthought event when tickets literally weren’t printed because there was no demand for them, is now the hottest ticket in town. For the first time in history, the CU Spring game is sold out, leaving fans scrambling to find tickets on Stubhub. The 45,000 tickets sold is more than the prior nine spring games combine (when tickets were free). CU has also sold out all its season tickets for the regular season. The first time in 27 years. It’s a different world for Buff Nation.
So, with that said, who’s ready? Who’s ready to ride this “Coach Prime” wave all the way to the end? While Vegas grapples with the odds of success Coach Prime will have in Colorado, as fans we all have the opportunity to board Crazy Train until it breaks down, or until we return to national prominence.
We Coming!
Doug
What you need to know – on the sidelines of Saturday’s game there will be a handful of highly ranked recruits considering whether they want to join the team. A sell-out crowd will speak volumes about the commitment Buff Nation has toward supporting their football team. A beautiful weather day will help the cause as well.
Food for thought – How many games will the Colorado Buffaloes win this season?
