Buff Nation –
Week Ten Review
I liked the way CU played last week. While a victory would have been nice and would have effectively put to rest all the heartburn that is running through Buff Nation, CU played with a lot of heart. I liked the aggressive play calling by CU and the willingness of Coach Mac to play to win, rather than playing not to lose (the two are not the same). CU went toe to toe with a very good AZ team, and for most of the game, CU was playing without several of its top play-makers. Including injuries coming into the game, CU at one point had 11 starters out of the lineup. CU also had the misfortune of playing AZ right when their beast of a QB – Khalil Tate was healthy. Injury prone all season long, Tate had a break out game (just like last year) against the Buffs. Once Tate got going, the CU secondary seemed helpless in stopping him. College football is all about the W’s, and while playing with heart is nice, it only goes so far.
Week Eleven Preview
On what is projected to be a perfect Fall afternoon in Boulder, the #8 Washington State Cougars will kick off against the CU Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Few are giving CU a chance to win this game and for good reason. CU is 2-29 against ranked teams over the last nine years. Those two sole wins came in 2016 against WSU and Utah. After each game Buff Nation rushed the field in celebration and Athletic Director Rick George had to cut a check for $150,000 for the Pac-12 violation. I bet Rick would love to cut another check for the same reason come this Saturday. The Cougars are riding a high, and CU is in the dumps. The bitterness of the OSU loss still lingers, and the whispers of coaches being on the hot seat are starting to become shouts.
Glass half-full guy says the Cougars are overrated at #8 and may be overlooking CU with its sites on securing the Pac-12 Title. CU on the other hand has been decimated by injuries (where have you gone Laviska Shenault, we hardly knew you), had some brain freeze coaching moments (ah-hmm OSU) and some general back luck. At 5-4, CU could easily be 6-3 (ah-hmm OSU) if not 7-2, so the Buffs are not as bad as they appear, and they are still mathematically alive to win the Pac-12 South title (go figure). If CU can get healthy (e.g. Shenault, Worthington, Nixon), find a couple players who know how to defend the pass, and catch the Cougars napping, this could be a game where CU shocks the Pac-12 (this time in a good way), and perhaps shocks themselves a bit as well. CU has been either sleep walking (ah-hmm OSU), playing timid (USC WA), or playing on fumes (AZ) for the last month. A return to Folsom, against a ranked opponent on national TV, in front of Buff Nation, could create the right cocktail mix for CU to play to its potential. Maybe, just maybe, Buff Nation will have the opportunity to force Rick George to cut another check to the Pac-12. CU on the field after the game.
Go Buffs!
Doug