Buff Nation –
In a Colorado High School football game, if a team is winning by 40 or more points at any point in the game, the “mercy rule” goes into effect, and the “continuous game clock” begins to run, and it doesn’t stop until there is no time left. This expedites the end of the game for the safety and mental health of all involved. In college football there isn’t a mercy rule for a game or for a season. There are nine days left for Buff Nation to endure what has been the hardest season in decades. Nine days. This season was over the day CU came out without a clue against TCU seventy-eight days ago.
So, as CU prepares to take on #15 Washington on the road tomorrow, and then finish out the season against # 10 Utah (if feels like everyone in the pac-12 ranked except CU), the Saturday after thanksgiving, here are the good, the bad and the ugly for Buff Nation to ponder:
The Good: Interim Coach Mike Sanford. While CU continues to get crushed by their peers on the scoreboard, this is not due to lack of heart of effort. Coach Sanford has a contagious high-level of energy, and CU players are now playing with passion. If CU decides to hire Mike as the next permanent Head Coach, I will be 100% on board. I had the chance to attend a meeting with Mike (hope he doesn’t mind calling him Mike) a mere 90 minutes before CU took on the (then) #8 Oregon Ducks. He was over the top enthusiastic and positive about what CU can become. I instantly had a man-crush on him (which is why I call him Mike). I even took a picture.
The Bad: We don’t have Division 1 talent on this roster. It all left through the portal. No disrespect meant to all the hard-working Buffaloes who are on the team, but we can catch, throw, block or tackle. These are all important parts of football.
The Ugly: We are boxed in. Competing in College football is all about competing in the Transfer Portal and NIL (money). We don’t fare well in either. CU literally doesn’t offer the general and physical education degrees which are popular with college athletes, which makes it virtually impossible for CU to be competitive getting players who can help us win on the field. Every other Pac-12 school except Stanford (who is also free falling) has these programs in place. A house divided cannot stand. 2022 has proven that, and without some changes, 2023 will echo the same message.
Final Thought: Yes, CU was caught sleeping at the wheel as these changes occurred (IMHO), but at the end of the day (in nine days to be precise), what matters most is what CU does next. Are they willing to reinvent themselves to stay relevant (e.g., start up an integrated degree) or are they going to dig in their heels, stick their head in the sand, close their eyes, twinkle their knows, click their heels and point to the days of old when we were once somebody. Our new CU President Todd Saliman has come out strong in support of the CU Football program and his understanding of what football means to a university. My guess is CU is going to do the right thing and level the playing field in order to give CU coaches, players and fans a chance to be competitive and proud to call themselves Buff Nation. They better hustle. The (continuous) clock is running.
Go Buffs!
Doug