CU Football 2023 – Vision. Plan. Execute.

Buff Nation –

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 100^th year of CU football by beating Nebraska for the third time in a row and going 2-0 on the season.  Ma! Meatloaf!

Go Buffs!

Doug