So Long and Farewell, I'm Outta Here: Another CU Buff Football Season Fizzles from Incompetence

Life is a wonder and there are so many things to see and do while we have the chance. It's time to take advantage once again of the opportunities to see and explore our beautiful world.

Over the last several years, I have missed some or most of the college football season due to extended travels overseas. The Colorado Buffaloes have had some of their worst seasons during that time. Despite that, I managed to post on this blog more than 100 times with observations about things done well and things that have failed.
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I think that head coach Mike MacIntyre has a lot to offer the University of Colorado. He has experience in the NFL as well as experience rebuilding down programs. He has upgraded the talent level of his team, making them stronger and better able to compete at the Pac-12 level.

When his defensive coordinator was not getting the job done, he went out and got two home-run hires in Jim Leavitt and Joe Tumpkin. The effect they have had in bringing spirit back to the Colorado D has been immense.

Unfortunately, he seems entirely committed to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. This despite the fact that Lindgren is not a power five level offensive mind.  His play calling is atrocious.

Lindgren fails to get his offense into any kind of rhythm except for maybe one or two drives before the games get out of hand. He does seem to excel in piling up yards against the 2nd and 3rd stringers of CU opponents after the Buffs are no longer in the game.

His clock management is bewildering and never seems to show a sense of urgency when it is needed. And lastly, he seems to call plays that seem designed to get his injured quarterback killed. Two years ago, he pulled the plug on five star quarterback transfer Connor Wood in favor of true freshman Sefo Liufau because Wood did not get the job done against Oregon and Oregon State.

Oregon and OSU won a combined 18 games that season. In the Oregon State game, Lindgren continued to call out passes to the sideline despite the fact that the wind was blowing 40 miles an hour and disrupting those passes. Coming off the worst season in Colorado history (2012), in which the Buffs were lucky to win one game, Wood had led the Buffs to a 2-2 record in 2013.

After starting the game 0-4 with an interception, Wood was benched in the game at Arizona State and Sefo Liufau has been the starter ever since. What has been the result?

• 2013 -- Liufau led the Buffs to two victories (Charleston Southern and a 1-11 Cal team)
• 2014 -- Despite setting numerous records, Liufau led to the Buffs to only two victories all season (over 4 win Hawaii, and 3 win UMass)
• 2015 -- Brought a three game winning streak over bad competition (Umass, Nichols, and Colorado State)

The Buffs have not won a conference game since the Cal game in 2013. Their record against Pac-12 foes since Lindgren took over: 1-19

Lindgren dumped Wood after two bad games, yet the current quarterback has been unable to get into a rhythm the entire season this year. And last year, despite numerous records, he also turned the ball over an astonishing number of times.

What will it take for Lindgren to make a change? Maybe he realizes that his horrible play-calling is to blame. Mostly, Lindgren seems like a deer in the headlights against Pac-12 competition.

If MacIntyre survives the season as head coach, it will be a miracle unless Lindgren is shown the door. If Mac is let go, Buff Athletic Director Rick George has the perfect replacement on staff in Jim Leavitt. That will allow the Buffs to retain some semblance of continuity in a program that has had too many bad coaches and too many changes over the last decade.

Whatever happens the rest of this year, it will not be on my watch. Overseas travel beckons once again and I cannot imagine any Buff fan will be having a better time than I will.

Go Buffs.

Why Aren't Pac-12 Teams Winning Conference Games at Home?

Cue the music to The Twilight Zone... because something very mysterious is going on this year in Pac-12 football. In a top to bottom conference in which every league game is to tough to win, the one historical advantage that every team banked upon were the all-important "home games."

It's an old adage in college football that if you want to go bowling at the end of the season, the key was to win all your home games and play .500 on the road. By and large, those numbers will give you at least 9 wins year in and year out (unless you play in the SEC, where most of the teams seem to have seven or eight home games every year). Nine wins means a trip for the holidays.

This year, the world of Pac-12 football has turned upside down. Eleven games into conference play, and the home teams have only won TWICE!

And it is NOT because the ranked teams are beating up on the unranked (UR) teams. In fact, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason. Out of those eleven games, these are the numbers:

• UR Stanford beats #6 USC in L.A; 41-31
• #21 Stanford beats UR Oregon State in Corvallis; 42-24
• UR Cal beats UR Washington in Seattle; 30-24
• #9 UCLA beats #16 Arizona in Tucson; 56-30
• #18 Utah beats #13 Oregon in Eugene; 62-20
• #19 USC beats UR Arizona State in Tempe; 42-14
• UR Arizona State beats UCLA in L.A.; 38-23
• UR Oregon beats UR Colorado in Boulder; 41-24
• UR Washington beats #17 USC in L.A.; 17-12

Breaking those numbers down, this is what we see:

• FIVE UNRANKED teams have won on the road in conference play.
• THREE of those UNRANKED teams have beaten RANKED teams on the road.
• ONE ranked team has beaten a lower ranked team.
• ONE lower ranked team has beaten a higher ranked team.
• Only TWO ranked teams have beaten UNRANKED conference foes on the road.
• Perennial power USC has lost TWICE at home already to UNRANKED Pac-12 teams. 

The only two times that Pac-12 teams have won at home are:

• #24 Cal beats UR Washington State; 34-28
• #18 Stanford beats UR Arizona; 55-17

Things are stranger than fiction this year in Pac-12 football. How long will it go on?

Colorado Football: The Real Story Behind Play-Calling Criticism of Brian Lindgren

Through five games this season, much has been written and talked about regarding play-calling for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Many fans have taken to criticizing starting QB Sefo Liufau, but that criticism is misplaced. Liufau does not call the plays. Offensive Coordinator Brian Lindgren does.

Sefo is a college student who spends many hours on football in addition to his duties as  a student. OC Lindgren is paid very handsomely to do his job full time. If there is any criticism about play-calling, it needs to start with Lindgren and the buck ultimately stops with the head coach, Mike MacIntyre.

It is easy to be deceived by typical game and season statistics. They do not tell the whole story.

If you look at the official statistics for the Colorado-Oregon game, they read as follows for the Buffs:

• 36 Rushing attempts for 77 yards, which is 2.1 yards per rush.
• 42 passes, 25 completions for 231 yards, which is 5.5 yards per attempt and 9.2 yards per completion.

MacIntyre, who claims that he has no problem with the play calling of Lindgren and might even point out that rushing attempts were more than 46% of the offensive calls. Unfortunately, that is a gross distortion of the truth in that sacks and quarterback scrambles for positive yardage are listed as rushing plays.

Sefo Liufau was sacked five times by Oregon for losses of 38 yards, an average greater than 7 1/2 yards per sack. By contrast, Oregon's QB's were sacked three times for a total of six yards, or an average of two yards per sack.

Take away those sacks and Colorado's rushing attack is a little better. It's not great, but a lot closer to the old standard, "four yards and a cloud of dust."

• 31 rushes for 115 yards, or 3.7 yards per rush

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More importantly, it is very enlightening if one looks at the breakdown of what Buffs offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren actually called against Oregon.

Called Running Plays -- 26 : -- which is 32.9 percent
Called Passing Plays  -- 53 : -- which is 67.1 percent.

More telling still is to break down what happened on those 53 called pass plays.

• 5 times -- Colorado QB sacked 
• 6 times -- Buff QB scrambles for positive yardage
• 5 times -- QB hit while passing or throws ball away

That means 16 times (that's 30% of all called passing plays) the Buffs tried to throw the ball but were unable to successfully get the pass into the field of play.

When the Buffs were able to successfully get a pass off, the numbers are very telling. In this stat, the numbers show where the ball was thrown to and caught, and not at how many yards were gained after the catch.

• 6 times -- Buffs threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage. (Completed 5)
• 13 times -- Buffs threw between 0-5 yards. (Completed 10)
• 12 times -- Buffs threw between 5-10 yards (completed 7, with 1 TD and 1 interception)
• 3 times -- Buffs threw between 10-20 yards (completed 2)
• 3 times -- Buffs threw more than 20 yards (completed 1)

In 53 called passing plays, the Buffs only managed to "spread the field" by calling a pass 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage six times. That's a paltry 11.3% of called passing plays that Oregon had to worry about a man down field.

If you were a defensive coordinator in the Pac-12, those kind of stats make your life a whole lot easier. You would know that 89% of the time the ball on passing plays would be tossed in front of where your safeties would likely start the play or the QB would be sacked, hit while throwing, or be forced to run.

What Lindgren does not seem to understand is that throwing the ball down the field keeps the defense honest and does not allow them to continually bring their safeties up for run support.

With the number of fast receivers on the Colorado offense, they should be used frequently to stretch the field.

In the first half against Oregon, which ended with a 17-17 tie, the Buffs threw the ball beyond 10 yards 4 times. In the second half, in which the Ducks outscored the Buffs, CU only threw it past 10 yards twice.

Neither half showed enough balls down the field. Some might even argue that balls thrown between 10-20 yards hardly counts as "down the field" in Pac-12 play. In that scenario, the Buffs really only stretch the field less than 6% of the time on called passing plays.

Against Oregon, the Buffs threw as many passes BEHIND THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE as they did 10 or more yards down field. That's a travesty. And not new. Even when Lindgren's Buffs had speedster Paul Richardson, they often threw as few as two out of 36 passes beyond 12 yards down the field.

To help the running game, the offensive coordinator needs to call passing plays that keep defensive players on their heels. When the running starts going well, it will open of the passing lanes for Colorado receivers.

More and more, Colorado players have shown they can play with anyone in the Pac-12. But they do not call their own plays. They have improved mightily on the defensive ball under Jim Leavitt and all the defensive coaches. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other side of the ball.

Brian Lindgren is the LEAST FEARED O.C. in the Pac-12.

Lest anyone think this is a new conclusion, see these prior posts:

• History Says It's No Anomaly, the Buffs Need to Run to Win  (published 09/14/2015)
• Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre Must Take Control of the Offense  (published 9/01/2014)
• Colorado Must Stretch the Field and Utilize Goodson to Win in Washington  (published 11/09/2013)
• Passing Game Predictability Working Against Buffs in Pac-12 (published 10/20/2013)                  

Healthy Reality Check for Many Colorado Buffs Football Fans

It’s Sun Devil week.

The Buffs are on the road for another night game in Tempe (Boulderdevil's old stomping grounds) to take on Arizona State. Attending this game was a top priority but last minute travel elsewhere called it off. It happens.

It is interesting reading all the comments on blogs and news stories that so many CU fans are downright angry that the Buffs lost to Oregon after playing them to a 17-17 score for the first half. Some even claimed we should never lose a game at home that is tied at the half.

Some Buff fans have either been kicked in the head or do not understand college football at all. The Ducks won 13 games last year and played for the National Championship, while Colorado won two games. The chances of the Buffs winning were slim, but they showed their heart and made it a game into the 4th quarter.

Have Buff fans forgotten the last three years the Buffs played Oregon? In 2012, they were down 56-0 at halftime, in 2013 it was 43-16, and in 2014 it was 30-3.
Being tied at halftime is a massive improvement. Why don't so many of the CU faithful realize that? It’s very sad and disheartening for the team.

Oregon had a horrible game against Utah. Everything that could have gone wrong did and every little thing went Utah's way. The result: The Ducks suffered a humiliating beat down. It happens.

One game does not make a season. 

Remember 2001 when CU thrashed Nebraska 62-36? It’s the same year that Texas smoked Colorado 41-7 during the regular season. But Colorado persevered and beat the Longhorns in the Big 12 championship 39-37. And what about the Fuskers? They went on to play for the National Championship. One beatdown does not define a season.

MacIntyre has been preaching all along that you have to play ‘em one at a time and forget the last game as soon as it is over. A good game this week does not mean a good game the following week. Likewise, a bad game does not necessarily only lead to another bad game. Amen.

Now everyone is talking about ASU like they are the greatest thing since sliced bread based on one game against UCLA. That's not true by any means. Has everyone forgotten that the Sun Devils were absolutely destroyed by USC the prior week and that Texas A&M thrashed them in the opening week. Even their other wins this season have been less than spectacular. ASU went from a preseason top 15 team to being out of the Top 25. Even their big win over the Bruins was not enough to get them back into the Top 25.

For those Buff fans who think that Arizona State is an offensive machine, the reality is that the numbers aren’t nearly as impressive for ASU as they might think. Oregon is 7th in the nation in total offense, and ASU is 36th. Colorado is 30th. As far as rushing goes, Oregon is 4th, Colorado is 17th and ASU is 57th. Yet many Buff fans are convinced that the Sun Devils will run it down Colorado's throat. It could happen, for sure. But things could just as easily go the other way.

There is a reason they play the games. Sometimes the ball bounces funny and the breaks just don’t go your way. Based on all the upsets that happen every year (notice how many top 10 teams lost last week), fans should hesitate before writing off any game.

Will ASU play like they did against UCLA, or stink it up like the games against USC and Texas A&M? Or maybe the Devils will just go through the motions like they did against Cal Poly and New Mexico. We will see. More importantly: Will Colorado come out inspired and tough like the first half against Oregon? Or will they shoot themselves in the foot like the game against Hawaii? We will see.

Turnovers are the key. When Colorado wins the turnover battle, the Buffs win. When they protect their quarterback, they win. When they don’t do those things, the Buffs lose.

But the Buff players need our support instead of being written off by fair weather fans.

Go BUFFS! Beat them Devils!

Pac-12 Football: The Split Personality Reigns Supreme

Only five weeks into the 2015 college football season and to quote Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, "What a long, strange trip it's been!" In the preseason AP Top 25 poll, the Pac-12 had SIX teams in the Top 22 and a total of EIGHT which received votes.

Preseason:
# 7 -- Oregon
# 8 -- USC
#13 -- UCLA
#15 -- Arizona State
#21 -- Stanford
#22 -- Arizona

Two weeks in and things have changed. Arizona State lost to #27 Texas A&M, Stanford lost to Northwestern.

Week 2 Poll:
# 7 -- Oregon
# 8 -- USC
#13 --UCLA
#22 -- Arizona
#21 -- Utah

Stanford and Arizona State drop out of Top 25, Utah joins.

Oregon loses to then #5 Michigan State and drops in polls.

Week 3 Poll:
#  6 -- USC
#10 -- UCLA
#12 -- Oregon
#20 -- Arizona
#21 -- Utah

USC loses to Stanford, Stanford re-enters Top 25 but is still ranked behind USC.

Week 4 Poll:
# 9 -- UCLA
#13 -- Oregon
#16 -- Arizona
#18 -- Utah
#19 -- USC
#21 -- Stanford

Utah destroys and humiliates Oregon in Eugene, UCLA manhandles Arizona in Tucson, USC rips Arizona State. Undefeated California enters the poll and Oregon and Arizona drop out of Top 25.

Week 5 Poll:
# 7 -- UCLA
#10 -- Utah
#17 -- USC
#18 -- Stanford
#24 -- California

Arizona State dismantles UCLA in L.A.,  Stanford rips Arizona. Stanford finally is ranked ahead of USC

Week 6 Poll:
# 5 -- Utah
#16 -- Stanford
#17 -- USC
#20 -- UCLA
#23 -- California

After five weeks, Utah has jumped from unranked to #5. Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona have fallen out of the Top 25. Stanford has dropped out and then rejoined the Top 25. California is ranked for the first time in years.

The powerful Pac-12 has only two undefeated teams left... and that will change this weekend when Cal takes on Utah.

Only 3 teams are undefeated in conference play (Stanford, Cal and Utah) and that will drop to two after this weekend. Stanford has a bye.

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Week by week, teams that played awful and lost the week before come back and upset a ranked team the next week. How it plays out is anybody's guess.

Will Dr. Jekyll show up and dominate? Or will Mr. Hyde ruin the day once again?


 

Color Confusion: Silver (Gray) and Black? Or Classic Black and Gold?

Which would you rather see? What catches the eyes of someone who can see in color instead of black and white?

Black and Silver/Gray?

Or this Classic Black and Gold?

 

Do we want the fans in drab?

Or brightly colored?

The powers that be at the University of Colorado need to hear from the fans.

More importantly, the fans need to fill the stands and make enough noise to disrupt the Oregon Ducks and show support for the 

Colorado Buffaloes.

GO BUFFS!

Views of Colorado vs. Oregon Game from Oregon; Black & Silver?

The University of Oregon Ducks apparently have exactly what they need this week: A trip to Boulder to play the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Oregonlive.com's "Sneak Peek: Oregon Ducks vs. Colorado Buffaloes" predicts a 17 point win for the Ducks (45-28).

While the article does say nice things about Nelson Spruce and that Colorado has three running backs with more than 200 yards rushing this season (Powell, Adkins, and Lindsay), the tone overall was rather dismissive.

It points out that the Buffs three victories have come against teams that are 2-8 on the year. The Ducks victories, however, are much more impressive. They have beaten Eastern Washington and Georgia State, who own an impressive combined record of 3-4, including wins over powerhouse teams New Mexico State, Montana State, and Sacramento State (combined record of 3-7). The Ducks beat teams that also managed to lose to Charlotte and Northern Iowa.

Writer Andrew Greif wrote the "Sneak Peek" and was apparently on vacation during the Ducks embarrassing loss to Utah on Saturday.

While Greif ignored the Ducks' shortcomings in his article, other writers at Oregonlive.com did not.

• John Canzano wrote an excellent article detailing the implosion of the Ducks, "Oregon Ducks have lost their football identity"
• Ken Goe wrote an eye-opening piece: "Utah is No. 1, Oregon plummets on my ballot for the O's Pac-12 Power Rankings"

Goe has Colorado ranked #9 in the rankings ahead of Arizona State, Oregon State, and Washington State. Better yet, he surmises that Colorado is "salivating about this week's game with Oregon."

Canzano wrote that "An era of Oregon football ended Saturday" and that he fears "... a long couple of seasons filled with exhausting nights and early-departing fans" if the Ducks don't turn it around.

One thing is perfectly clear, the Buffs have a real shot at beating the Ducks for the first time since they joined the Pac-12.

The game will depend on the mental states of the Buffs and the Ducks. Head Coach Mike MacIntyre has the opportunity to take the Buffs to the next level. All things considered, beating the Ducks this week will not be like taking down a Top 10 team. Hell, it won't even be like taking down a Top 25 team. But it will allow the Buffs to learn in their hearts that they themselves can play with teams that are normally in the running for a national championship. And it would be the first time in a decade that they could make that claim.

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Pre-game Note: What idiot called for Buff fans to wear SILVER(?) as part of the "Silver and Black Attack" against Oregon? 

Silver does not show up very well, especially at a night game. It's like asking half the crowd to show up in gray. This is especially true since ALMOST NOBODY owns silver clothes. This is like "50 Shades of Dumb" if they are trying to look good for ESPN.

This should have been a "blackout" game or "black and gold" because they contrast so well. Hopefully the Buffs will have a better game plan than whoever decided on this horrible choice of colors.

CU Buffs Game Against Oregon and the Rest of October Now Looks a Little Less Daunting

Go ahead and admit it... If someone had offered to bet you straight up that Colorado would have a better record than Oregon after four weeks of the 2015 season, you would have bet the house. The whole country would have.

If someone told you that one of the two teams (either the Buffs or the Ducks) would be giving up nearly 41 points per game and the other only 16.5, you would have been willing to wager that it was the Ducks with the better numbers.

Surprise! One week before the Oregon Ducks limp into Boulder for a night game on ESPN, the Buffs now find themselves knowing that the Ducks can be beaten. Indeed, only four weeks into the season and the Ducks have already lost twice. And even in their two wins (Eastern Washington and Georgia State), the Ducks gave up 42 and 28 points, respectively. They are not a strong defensive team.

In their game at home against Utah, Oregon gave up 62 points and were outplayed in every facet of the game.

Marcus Mariota and his Heisman Trophy are no longer running the show for the Ducks and it certainly shows this year. Things are about to get ugly. Last week, the Oregonian ran the story: "AP Top 25: Oregon Ducks fall to lowest ranking in 4 years"

This week, the Ducks are very likely to be out of the Top 25 for the first time in a long time. Or they may squeak in at around 24 or 25, but they certainly shouldn't. A 2-2 team who gives up 62 points at home to a team they were favored to beat by 10 points does not deserve to be in the top 25.

Oregon is not the only team the Buffs play in October that is struggling. 

The Buffs schedule for the month now looks like this:

• October 3 -- Oregon Ducks (2-2) Lost at home 62-20 to Utah
• October 10 -- Arizona State (2-2) Lost at home 42-14 to USC, and face UCLA next week. Will likely host CU with a record of 2-3.
• October 17 -- Arizona (3-1) Lost at home 56-30 to UCLA, and plays at Stanford next week. Will likely come to Boulder with at least two losses.
• October 24 -- Oregon State (2-2) Lost at home to Stanford 42-24, and plays at Arizona on Oct. 10th. Will likely host Colorado with at least 3 losses.
• October 31 -- UCLA (4-0) Beat Arizona 56-30 in Tucson. Face three tough games (ASU, Stanford, and California) before coming to Boulder.

Of the teams listed above, only UCLA seems to be on a roll worthy of a top 10 team.

The Colorado Buffaloes will have five chances in October to show they deserve to play in a bowl game this year.

At the beginning of the season, the October schedule looked like a "Murderers Row" to fans, but four games into the season the schedule looks a lot less scary. The Buffs know that none of their Pac-12 games will be as easy as their 48-0 blowout over Nicholls. They have been saying since camp began back in August that they have the talent to play with anyone. And they have said they are ready to win the close ones.

With the games in October, the Buffs have a chance to prove it. And it begins when Oregon comes to town next weekend.

Colorado Buffs Need to Play Smart and Keep Their Injured on the Bench

The Colorado Buffaloes enter their game against Nicholls this weekend on a two-game win streak. They are 45-50 point favorites to extend that winning streak to three games before Oregon comes calling next weekend.

In a season with 13 games and no bye weeks, the game against Nicholls is as close to a gimme as a team that has gone a decade without a winning record has the right to expect. That's right, the last time the Buffs had a winning record for the year was 2005 and Gary Barnett was still the head coach. No winning seasons for Dan Hawkins or Jon Embree, and MacIntyre's first two rebuilding seasons also fell short.

That brings us to 2015. The Buffs are 2-1 and should be 3-1 in about 30 hours. After that, the reality of playing in the "Conference of Champions" kicks in. Seven of nine of the Buffs' Pac-12 opponents will either be ranked or very close. In four years in their new conference, the Buffs have only managed to win 4 games against Pac-12 foes. That has to change for the Buffs to become an annual bowl team once again.

The Buffs will win against Nicholls. The question is: How smart will they be in achieving that goal and preparing for Pac-12 play?

Injuries are a reality for every football team. The Buffs entered last week's game against CSU with FOUR running backs in rotation to carry the ball and help protect the quarterback. By the end of the very hard-hitting game, they were down to one (Christian Powell) and he was doing a lot of limping.

The depth chart this week lists both Michael Adkins and Patrick Carr as injured. Wide Receiver Donovan Lee has been moved to running back this week to give the team more depth. He joins redshirt freshman Kyle Evans behind Powell and a gimpy Phillip Lindsay.

QB Sefo Liufau took a hit to the shoulder and suffered a slight separation that would have sidelined 99% of other quarterbacks. Instead, he re-entered the game and led the Buffs to a win from 14 points down.

Will the Buffs need their tough-as-nails QB to win against Nicholls? The answer is a resounding NO!

Sefo wants to play. Of course he does. He's a competitor. But fans and coaches want him to be fully healthy for the start of Pac-12 play next weekend. For the Buffs to win a few conference games and become bowl eligible, the Buffs are going to need to keep Sefo healthy.

Jordan Gehrke has thrown ZERO passes this year, and only 44 in his career as a backup to Liufau. He has only completed 45.5% of his passes, and his yards per attempt is a paltry 3.9 (Sefo's YPA last year was 6.4, and this year it is 5.9). Gehrke needs work with the #1 offense so that if he is called into action he is ready to actually run the plays that CU calls.

Gehrke has one start in his career. Last season at Oregon, he was thrown to the wolves. In the first half of play, he was 9-18-0 for 64 yards. That's 3.55 yards per attempt passing. He was also sacked twice. Liufau came in to play the 2nd half despite suffering from concussion symptoms and averaged only 2.9 yards per attempt.

Gehrke needs the work and the coaches need to let him use the full playbook. He cannot just hand off the ball 60 times, even though the Buffs would win even if they do not throw a single pass. Gehrke and third stringer Cade Apsay need to run the Buff offense and learn what it is like to play in a game the Buffs will win.

Everybody who is dinged up should sit out the Nicholls game.

All these guys are very competitive and want to play. We understand. We also know that playing a team of Nicholls level gives the guys a chance to "pad their stats" against a lesser opponent.

But, after a decade of losing, the only stat the Buffs should be worried about is wins. They are all that matters now. If the Buffs want to go bowling at the end of this season, they have to be smart about who they risk. 3-1 to start the season means nothing if they do not put some conference wins on the table. And that means keeping their key players healthy and getting their injured guys time to recuperate.

The coaches need to do what is best for the team for the entire season.

Cherish the Wins Over Teams Coming Off 10 Win Seasons, It's What it Takes to Win in the Pac-12

Colorado Buffaloes football fans, especially those who have been around the program for a couple of decades or more, like to think of the Colorado State Rams as "little brother" and that the Buffs should never lose to their in-state rival. Guess what? Little brothers have an annoying habit of growing up and becoming as big and strong as big brother. Colorado State has grown up and is a very strong and physical football team. Make no mistake, CSU is a good football team and will be playing in a bowl at the end of the year.

Lots of fans commenting on articles and blogs have discounted the Buffs' overtime win by saying that a win over CSU doesn't count for much. That's BS to the highest degree. Colorado State won 10 games last year, and has won 18 in the last two years. It took the Buffs the last FOUR YEARS to win a total of 10 games, and the last SIX YEARS to win a total of 18.

Since 2000, the Rams have had FOUR 10-win seasons. The Buffs have had only one. Discounting the victory over a team with 10 wins last year is ludicrous because it has not happened very much to Buffaloes over the last 10 years,

In fact, this win is only one of four. In 2011, the Buffs beat a Utah team which had gone 10-3 in 2010. In 2008, the Buffs took out a West Virginia team which had won 11 games in 2007. And in 2007, the Buffs beat an Oklahoma team which had won 11 games in both 2006 AND 2007. Those are the only four times the Buffs have accomplished the deed in the last 10 years.

One thing all those four games have in common is the very close scores. Two of the victories came by 3 points in overtime, and two came by three points in regulation time.

Why is the 10 win threshold so important? The Buffs still have a lot of those games to play this year. Four of the teams the Buffs play in the Pac-12 this year won at least 10 games last year. Two more won 9 games. They are:

• Oregon (13-2)
• UCLA (10-3)
• Arizona State (10-3)
• Arizona (10-4)
• Utah (9-4)
• USC (9-4)

Stanford won only 8 games last year, but after thumping USC in the Coliseum last week, they look like they might win more games than that this year.

The Buffs only have two teams on their Pac-12 schedule which had losing seasons last year (Washington State at 3-9 and Oregon State at 5-7). Needless to say, those teams are also looking at Colorado as a team on THEIR schedules which had a losing team last year. Those two teams (and CU) are 2-1 so far in 2015.

The Pac-12 enters this weekend with six teams in the Top 21 in the country. Four of them are in the Pac-12 South with the Buffs, and the other two are on the Buffs schedule this year. For the Buffs to meet their goal of a bowl game at the end of the year, they will need to beat one or more of those six ranked teams. To make it even harder, a seventh team on the Buffs schedule (Arizona State) is just outside of the Top 25.

This weekend the Buffs will certainly win their third straight game, and that is a big deal. The last time the Buffs won 3 games in a row was in the 2008 season when they opened with wins over Colorado State, Eastern Washington and West Virginia.

For the Buffs to once again be a team that goes bowling every year, they will need to start having three game win streaks every year and perhaps more than once a year.

The Buffs are finally starting to grow up and believe in themselves. They are developing an attitude that could very well turn into a nasty streak. And a good nasty streak is what is needed these days to be a winning football team in the Pac-12.

History Says It's No Anomaly, the Buffs Need to Run to Win

Part of Mike MacIntyre's  motivational playbook last week was referring to the Buffs' loss to Hawaii as an "anomaly" while preparing his squad for the game against UMass. Considering that the Buffs went into Hawaii with a 6-18 record and 9 game losing streak under MacIntyre, some might argue that another loss was hardly an anomaly.

Mac's a pretty smart guy, so what's important is to look deeper than just the final score of the Hawaii game. Against the Rainbow Warriors, the Buffs rushed the ball for 215 yards, which was almost 58% of their offense. The Buffs rushing for more yards than they pass for does not happen very much for Colorado. And losing when they do so is very much an anomaly, historically.

For eight years in a row and 11 of the past 12, the Buffs have lived and died primarily as a passing team. Starting with the 2003 season, the Buffs have only had one season (2006) in which they gained more than 50% of their yards on the ground. From 2003 to 2014, the Buffs had a record of 45 wins and 100 losses.

If one starts back in 1982 when Bill McCartney arrived in Boulder, the Buffs since then have had 21 seasons in which they were primarily a passing team, and only 12 in which they were primarily a running team.

In 12 seasons as a running team, the Buffs had winning records in 11 of them.

In fact, the only Buff team since 1982 that ran for more than they passed and also had a losing record was the 2006 team under Dan Hawkins (2-10). That team was truly an anomaly. Take away that team's record from the other 11 running teams and the Buffs as a running team were 93-29-4. Those teams had bowl games every year, were usually ranked in the Top 20, and several times played for the National Championship.

In 21 seasons as a passing team, the Buffs had winning records only six times, and 14 losing seasons. One year they were an even 6-6.

What makes that even worse is that three of those winning seasons for passing teams owe their success to the Buffs dominant running game reputation. In 1992, McCartney's Buffs went 9-1-1. It was the only passing dominant team in Mac's last 10 years as head coach. In 1995 and 1996, the Buffs rode the McCartney built dominant offensive line protecting Koy Detmer (and John Hessler when Koy was injured) to back to back 9-win regular seasons as passing teams under Rick Neuheisel.

Take those three teams out of the equation and the Buffs with a pass heavy attack have only 3 winning teams in 18 years and a record of 69-138-1.

The stats are fairly simple, the Buffs as rushing team over the last 33 years only lose 23% of the time (if you don't count Hawk's anomaly).  And the Buffs as a passing team lost 2 out of every 3 games over 18 years.

MacIntyre said this week that the Buffs will keep on being a running team "until somebody stops us". That is a good thing. But he needs to keep an eye on his offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren to make sure he is not the one "stopping" the Buffs. If the Buffs had kept running the ball in the 2nd half against Hawaii, instead of trying to pass the ball so much, but Buffs would have likely won. In fact, if they had not started off the game trying to pass so much (and very poorly at that) and had instead dominated on the ground from the start, the Buffs would have won handily, probably by several touchdowns.

The Buffs are going to need that running game going forward. CSU is a good team.

There are lots of good teams on Colorado's schedule. Other than Nicholls (the anomaly), most of them are better than CSU. Colorado needs to work on the details of becoming a run dominant team and to be able to do it against good teams.

Running the ball wears down other teams. Sometimes it doesn't show up on the scoreboard until the second half. And those big ole hogs up front would much rather fire off the line and blow holes in the defense than the alternative. It's much more fun. It also eats up the clock and helps deny the other teams' time of possession.

The Buffs need to run the ball and control the clock. The yards and the points will come, and it will keep the Buff defense fresh. They need to look at the past and see what works. If they want to be a bowl caliber team, the Buffs must become and stay primarily a running team.

Moment of Truth Time for Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes

In around two hours, Ralphie the Buffalo will lead the CU Buffs onto Folsom Field as they take the field against the UMass Minutemen. Last year the Minutemen held an 11 point lead in the second half before the Buffs rallied to a three point victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

It was one of only two victories for the Buffs in 2014. The other was against Hawaii, who got their revenge last week as the Buffs fell 28-20 against the Rainbow Warriors.

The Buffs came into the season brimming with confidence and spoke openly about a bowl game at the end of the season. A month's worth of miscues (or, as head coach Mike MacIntyre put it, "shooting themselves in the foot, the leg, the head") doomed the Buffs to their 9th straight loss despite a strong effort from the revitalized defense under Jim Leavitt.

The Buffs enter this game knowing that any loss before the beginning of Pac-12 play pretty much dooms this team to yet another losing year. No bowl, no nothing. That means the Buffs have to hold serve against the Minutemen, CSU next week, and then a school called Nicholls before taking on the Pac-12. To paraphrase Stuart Whitehair over at "CU at the Game" -- Who the hell is Nicholls?

The Buffs are steadfastly claiming that they have not lost their confidence. That is good. Unfortunately, the head coach and offensive coordinator (and the Special Teams guy) all seem to think there was nothing wrong last week. They seem to be in some serious denial.

MacIntyre claims that Hawaii was able to put "a little bit of pressure" on quarterback Sefo Liufau. The reality? Four sacks, numerous knockdowns, little time to throw, and unplanned scrambles because the blocking schemes were a mess. If that only qualifies as "a little bit" most fans shudder to think what it will be like when the Buffs play a top defensive team.

OC Brian Lindgren sees no problem with the Buffs play calling last week, despite the fact that the team averaged only 4 yards a play both running and passing the ball. That's pretty scary when you throw the ball 40 times and only get 159 yards for the effort. Lindgren also completely abandoned the running game after starting to dominate on the ground. The offense also wasted two of three timeouts for no apparent reason, and as the game was winding down, seemed completely oblivious to the fact the clock was running. Sure, the refs botched the last play, but that was to be expected because they were pretty awful all day.

Fans all hope that special teams doesn't do all it can to lose the game. To take a quote from the movie "The Big Chill" (they were watching the Michigan game and making many mistakes) -- "Come on, Bo (Schembechler) , teach 'em the basics!" Just insert Toby (Neinas) for Bo.

Expect the defense to take it to Mass. They know that they might be ones needing to score points if Lindgren and Neinas put the Buffs in a hole again. Mike MacIntyre does not usually panic, but if the Buffs come up short today he will need to start working on his resume.

Exceptional Quarterbacks are Very Rare, Exceptional Coaches are Even More So

An exceptional quarterback is the dream shared by fans as well as QB coaches, offensive coordinators and head coaches. He is what allows a bad team to be ordinary, an ordinary team to be good, and a good team to become great.

A great quarterback rains fire from the sky and sometimes even slashes and burns across the gridiron. Like a general who will not be defeated, he marshals his troops to the most advantageous and strategic positions to ensure victory.

Fans know that certain quarterbacks give their team a REAL chance to win to every time they step on the field. Some coaches use their proximity to exceptional quarterbacks to further, or even "make" their careers. They can do this because coaches can take credit for an exceptional quarterback. The problems arise when the exceptional quarterback leaves and the coach has not found another one to take his place.

No one can doubt that Troy Aikman was an exceptional quarterback. After two years at Oklahoma he transferred to UCLA, where he went on to become a consensus All-American and the #1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. He was a 3-time Super Champion for the Dallas Cowboys and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

One coach who rode Aikman to greater glory for himself was Rick Neuheisel. He parlayed his role as QB coach to Aikman in 1988 to fancy himself a quarterback guru in years to come. Back in the late 80's, reality set in when he was moved to coach wide receivers a year after Aikman was gone.

That didn't slow down slick Rick, however, as he moved on to the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1994, and as quarterbacks coach, he inherited not one, but TWO exceptional quarterbacks in Kordell Stewart and Koy Detmer. (Just a note: The Slickster's Wikipedia page claims that Neuheisel was the offensive coordinator for CU in 1994, but that is NOT true. Elliot Uzelac was the offensive coordinator under Bill McCartney in '94).

The 1994 Buffaloes were arguably the best CU team ever. It was loaded with NFL talent. They had SEVEN players taken in the first 3 rounds of the 1995 NFL Draft, and nine drafted overall. Needless to say, that would have been a great team no matter who was coaching quarterbacks.

Neuheisel somehow convinced CU president Judith Albino he was the right guy to fill the shoes of Bill McCartney when Mac suddenly announced his retirement at the end of the season. Rick was young, good looking, had a law degree, and seemed like the perfect guy to carry on the McCartney legacy (in Albino's eyes, anyway). Problem was, Neuheisel was not a Mac guy. He had only been in Boulder for one year. Mac gave Albino advice on who to promote to head coach, but his advice was ignored.

In '95 and '96, Neuheisel had teams that were built by Mac and led by perhaps the best football mind ever to take a snap at CU in Koy Detmer. This writer remembers when Koy came to Colorado and hearing stories from some sports writers at the Daily Camera about how football savvy the kid was.

Traditionally, when college players go to meetings it is to learn from their coaches. Stories were told then about the young gun from Texas who taught his coaches a thing or two about playing quarterback. (It helps when your father is a high school coaching legend and your brother is a Heisman Trophy winner.) Put it this way, if Koy had the body or athletic gifts of Troy Aikman or Kordell Stewart, he would have been the best quarterback ever to play the game. He was a football savant with a skinny and fragile body.

With Detmer as the primary QB, the Buffs won 10 games each year in '95 and '96. When he left, along with all those great players recruited by McCartney and his staff, the wheels fell off the bus at Colorado. With Koy on the field (or the sideline when injured), the Buffs finished the season ranked #4 in '95 and #8 in '96. Their record was 20-4.

After Detmer graduated on to the NFL, Neuheisel's Buffs won 13 games and lost 10 over the next two years. There were also reports that the NCAA was investigating Colorado for recruiting violations. Like a rat fleeing a sinking ship, the Slickster headed west and took the job at Washington.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH COLORADO IN 2015?

Brian Lindgren, the current Colorado QB coach and Offensive Coordinator, came with coach Mike MacIntyre to Colorado in 2013 after leading San Jose State to 11 wins and a top 25 ranking in 2012. It was Lindgren's first year at SJS, and the success of that team gave him great reviews as one of the best young offensive coordinators around.

When one goes back, however, it is easy to note that maybe the success Lindgren had at SJS was due mostly to David Fales, their excellent quarterback now with the Chicago Bears. Fales holds most of the SJS passing records despite being at the school for only two years.

When MacIntyre and Lindgren came to Colorado in 2013, they inherited a team that was possibly the worst in the country in 2012. What they also inherited was a 5* quarterback transfer from Texas in Connor Wood. Despite the pedigree, Lindgren was unable to coach Wood into a top quarterback. In fact, seven games into the season, Wood was benched and freshman Sefo Liufau took over the reins. Wood decided to leave football after that year.

Liufau finished out 2013 as the starter and in 2014 broke many Colorado passing records. Most of the records were due to the sheer volume of passes attempted. Sefo attempted 498 passes in 2014.

By comparison, Koy Detmer threw 458 in '95 and '96 combined. And Kordell Stewart averaged 261 passes each of his three seasons as starter. Kordell also left CU with more almost 1300 yards rushing.)

"Yards per Attempt" (Y/A) is one of they key stats for quarterbacks. Compare the following #'s in Y/A for notable quarterbacks:

9.1 -- Koy Detmer
9.0 -- Darian Hagan
8.9 -- David Fales
8.4 -- Troy Aikman
8.3 -- Kordell Stewart
6.5 -- Sefo Liufau

Each pass attempted by the first five listed was 30-40% more effective in gaining yards than those thrown by the Colorado QB who broke so many records under the guidance of Brian Lindgren.

Even more important than Y/A is the record a team has under the guidance of an exceptional quarterback. These records are for when each was the primary quarterback (starter unless injured) for their team.

30-5-3     Darian Hagan
28-6-2     Kordell Stewart
20-4        Koy Detmer
20-4        Troy Aikman
17-8        David Fales
3-15        Sefo Liufau

Sefo Liufau has been added purely for statistical and comparative reasons. Unlike the others listed above, he was truly thrust into the fire his true freshman season. No redshirt year... no backup up year.... Just take over for a team that has been struggling for a decade.

That being the case, his QB coach and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren needs to take all the criticism for lack of production from the quarterback and the offense.

If (or when) the Buffs turn it around, all the credit should go to Sefo and his fellow players. If not, the blame falls on the coaches. Like in war, privates and corporals can be heroes, but the loss of the battle belongs on the officers, and ultimately the commanding officer.

Colorado Buff Football: Praise the Players, and Criticize the Coaches by NAME

The worst thing about the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team "shooting themselves in the foot, the leg, the head" (Head Coach Mike MacIntyre quote) in their embarrassing loss to Hawaii is that the blogosphere and web and news comments have been riddled with angry fans singling out PLAYERS by name to blame for the loss. That should not happen.

ALL BLAME FOR LOSSES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL BELONGS WITH THE MEN MAKING MILLIONS OR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

IT SHOULD NOT EVER BE PUT ON THE SHOULDERS OF YOUNG MEN WHO ARE FULL TIME COLLEGE STUDENTS.

Fans need to remember that kids on the field DO NOT call the plays and they DO NOT decide who is going to play. Those prerogatives belong to the coaches, and ultimately, the Buck Stops on the Head Coach's desk.

If a fan feels that the quarterback is to blame, the reality is that the blame belongs with the QB coach/offensive coordinator (Brian Lindgren) and Mike MacIntyre. Not Sefo Liufau. The quarterback does not call the plays, the coaches do. Also, the coaches decide which young men will be playing.

If fans feel the offensive line blocked horribly on passing plays, the blame goes to the offensive line coach (Gary Bernardi), Lindgren, and MacIntyre. Not the players on the field. The coaches are responsible for training the unit as a team dedicated to protecting the quarterback. When the QB gets hammered over and over again, the blame is on the coaches.

If special teams gave up turnovers and points, blame the special teams coordinator (Toby Neinas) and MacIntyre. It's not the punter's fault that no one blocked. If a return man makes a bad decision, it is ultimately because he was not trained properly by the people who are paid very handsomely to teach him.

MANY OF THE COLORADO BUFF PLAYERS PLAYED VERY WELL. THEY DESERVE TO BE PRAISED BY NAME.

The Colorado Defense played remarkably well when one considers the pressure put on them by turnovers and play calling on the offensive side of the ball which often left the defense backed up in their own end.

Last year the defense managed only three interceptions all year. In the game against Hawaii, they grabbed three of Hawaii's passes. One was nullified on a horrible pass interference penalty called on a player 15 yards away from the interception. Ryan Moeller showed why he earned a starting nod by being all over the field. 

The rebuilt defensive front put lots of pressure on the Hawaii QB and will only get better as they get more experience under coach Jim Jeffcoat. Derek McCartney got an interception played very strong, and new players Jase Franke and Jordan Carrell made fine debuts. Ahkello Witherspoon also showed why fans were excited about him last year before he was slowed by injuries.

The influence of new defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt and new safeties coach Joe Tumpkin was obvious. This might turn out to be the best Colorado defense in a decade.

Michael Adkins was beginning to dominate running the ball. Yet, inexplicably, the man calling the plays (LINDGREN) decided to stop running the ball and try to move the ball almost exclusively through the air.

Diego Gonzalez made all of his field goals and extra points in his first game and made it look effortless even though his FG's were from 40 yards out. Many fans are excited to see this young man with the powerful leg get a chance to boom one in from 50-60 yards out or more.

FANS NEED TO HOPE THE COLORADO COACHES MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS NECESSARY TO WIN SOME GAMES. THE TALENT IS THERE, BUT IT IS UP TO THE COACHES TO USE IT PROPERLY.

The Buffs beat themselves against Hawaii. They have three more games to correct the mistakes and ready themselves for Pac-12 play. Fans should give them a chance to make those changes before wholeheartedly dismissing the 2015 Buffs. And if they must criticize, they should criticize those professionals who are being paid very well to do their jobs.

Go Buffs!

Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre Has Some Tough Decicisions to Make

Mike MacIntyre has been raving about the new facilities at Folsom Field. His office has the most beautiful view of any football coach's office in the country, college or pro. I hope he is enjoying it while he can, because it is likely that he will no longer be the occupant of that office when New Years Day rolls around.

There are things he can do to avoid that fate, but they will be difficult. He needs to hold himself and his entire staff accountable. That responsibility comes with the title and $2 Million (plus incentives) salary.

Some folks on the staff are NOT doing their jobs. The game against Hawaii was lost for many reasons and there is lots of blame to go around, so let's look at some of the most egregious examples.

Special Teams Coordinator--
 
Special Teams play against Hawaii was horrendous. Not every coaching staff has a coach whose SOLE RESPONSIBILITY is to coach Special Teams. But the BUFFS have had the same one now entering his third year. If Toby Neinas doesn't resign out of sheer embarrassment following the debacle against Hawaii, MacIntyre should do the right thing and show him the door. Or reassign him... or maybe put him in charge of the Gatorade. Anything except let him continue to coach the special teams unit.

Much time has been spent talking about replacing the punter and place kickers from last year. The good news is Diego Gonzalez looks to be solid and Alex Kinney will only get better. It's hard to be a true freshman starting his first game. Chris Graham also did well on the kickoffs. What those young men can't control is blocking, and it's up to the coordinator to have good blocking schemes. They didn't on either side of the ball.

MacIntyre needs to take over from Neinas or reassign another coach to this position. The Buffs are not good enough yet to overcome special teams blunders that give other teams easy points.

Offensive Coordinator / Play Calling 

Brian Lindgren REALLY needs to work on his play calling. The Buffs never seem to get a rhythm going against Hawaii, and that happened in many games last year as well. At one point, the Buffs had started dominating running the ball. Even the announcers pointed out how tired the Hawaii line was getting. Then, the next three times the Buffs got the ball they did nothing but throw the ball (very poorly) to go three and out each time. That provide Hawaii some rest and they got stronger again.

Time management also needs to be worked on. The Buffs have no one to blame but themselves for not having time at the end of the game. Yes, the refs were horrible in not allowing the Buffs to have a final snap. But the only reason it was an issue is because of two wasted timeouts in the third quarter. Also, with 10 seconds to play and needing a touchdown, what you are supposed to do is throw passes into the end zone. If the ball is caught, you score. If not, the clock stops. If you throw to the five yard line and the guy doesn't score, the game is over. That's what Lindgren called. HORRIBLE PLAY CALLING in crunch time.

It's time for MacIntyre to take over the play calling duties.

Offensive Line Coach

Gary Bernardi needs to let his guys know that it okay to block on passing plays. Sefo had no time in the pocket all night. Last year the Buffs gave up the fewest sacks in the Pac-12. This year looks like they will give up the most. And Sefo is going to be pretty damned banged up as well.

Also, you need to forget the "great story" aspect of some of your players and put the best football players on the field. The RIGHT TACKLE is horrible. He's smart, a wonderful being, and speaks many languages. That's nice. But he's has no football intelligence and gets hung out to dry over and over again on passing plays. Just wait until he starts playing against Pac-12 talent. I could say it's going to get ugly, but it's been ugly for 28 games now. Just because a guy LOOKS like he should be a great player does not make it so. The funny thing is, the guy looks so good that he will probably be drafted into the NFL. He'll ace the Wonderlic test, blow them away at the combine with his size and strength, and when he puts pads on in camp he will look formidable. But when it's time to pass block they will find out the flaw. Liken him to a baseball player who rips it up in the minors and then finds out he can't hit a major league curve.

The Good News

Jim Leavitt and Joe Tumpkin are awesome. It's going to be fun watching the Buffs play defense this year, and they will get better and better as they learn from these two great coaches.

Conclusions for MacIntyre

The Buffs should win handily next week. They should have won handily against Hawaii. Three guys on the coaching staff owe the team an apology (and one a resignation).


When Mac gets back into his office, he needs to take a good look around and decide what he's willing to do to keep his job. If he is not willing to make some changes, and quickly, he will be forcing Athletic Director Rick George to start making changes of his own.

Colorado Buffaloes Football 2015: What to Expect

BOULDER-- The Colorado Buffaloes left early this morning on a flight to O'ahu for their opening game against the Rainbow Warriors of the University of Hawai'i this Thursday.

Head Coach Mike MacIntyre is starting his third season at the helm in Boulder. His first two seasons produced four wins, and two wins, respectively. Entering his third season, the head coach knows the expectations for his Buffs is much higher than in the first two.

Mac took over a program that was arguably one of the very worst in the country at the Division 1 level, and absolutely the worst team from one of the Power Five Conferences. He knew he had his work cut out for him at Colorado, but he was fresh off an amazing job turning San Jose State from a perennial cellar dweller to a 10 win bowl team in three years.

Nobody expects the Buffs to reel off 10 wins this year, but seven wins and a bowl game are what most Buff fans have in mind. They need to remember that the Buffs won only two games last year. On the other hand, the Buffs were a few lucky bounces from being a six game winner last year. The goal this year is to win those close games, particularly against Pac-12 foes. The Buffs lost in DOUBLE overtime not once, but twice last year (UCLA and CAL).

Facing the Buffs is the reality that they play in the Pac-12 South, the toughest (bar none) conference division in college football. How do the other teams of that division rank in the opening AP poll?

• USC is ranked #8
• UCLA is ranked #13
• Arizona State is ranked #15
• Arizona is ranked #22 
• And Utah is ranked #30

Add to that tough division schedule is the fact the Buffs also have to play conference foes Oregon (#7) and Stanford (#21) from the Pac-12 North. That means the Buffs will be playing SEVEN teams in the Top 30 in the country, which are also all within the Pac-12. For the Buffs to win seven games this season, they need to beat every other team on the schedule besides those listed above, AND they need to beat one of those teams as well to be bowl eligible.

Even for an experienced rebuilder like MacIntyre, it will still be a tough row to hoe. But if anyone can achieve it, it is Mac and his staff. Mac is known for his organizational prowess. When he got into Boulder following the disastrous 2012 season, he started putting the foundational blocks down to build the Colorado football program back to respectability.

He brought in Brian Lindgren as his offensive coordinator. Lindgren's first year as OC at San Jose State saw the Spartans win 10 games. Lindgren took the raw and young Colorado offense which was one of the worst in the country and made the passing attack #34 in the country last year. The Buffs also rushed for more than 4 yards a carry and more than 150 yards a game for the first time in a decade.

Mac also brought Dave Forman, one of the best young Sports Performance Directors in the country. Forman came in and transformed the old "strength and conditioning" routine into a modern machine capable of increasing strength, speed, and stamina for athletes across many collegiate sports. The Buffs were routinely out-muscled back when Mac and Company arrived, but the Buffs are now able to compete in the Conference of Champions knowing they are just as strong or stronger than their opponents.

The results on the field on the defensive side of the ball have been slower to arrive to the casual fan. At the end of the day (or season), many look only at the wins and losses. But it is important to remember how the wins and losses occurred. In 2012, the Buffs were losing by an average for more than FOUR touchdowns a game (28.17 pts.). In 2013, that dropped to less than 13 points a game, and in 2014 it dropped to 10.5 points per game.

The response of the defense, which still ranked in the bottom fifth in the country last year, was not fast enough for Mac. He responded by bringing in two "Home Run" type hires for his defensive staff. The legendary Jim Leavitt was coaxed away from the San Francisco 49ers and joined the staff as defensive coordinator, and brought in Joe Tumpkin from Central Michigan University, where he had served as defensive coordinator. At Colorado, Tumpkin will coach the Safeties, which now have the added responsibility of calling the on-field defensive plays.

Leavitt is known as one of the finest defensive minds in all of football. His style of defense is known for its aggressive and attacking style. Tumpkin is known for creating hard hitting defenses which cause a lot of turnovers. That experience and prowess can only help the Buffs, which was one of the worst teams in the country last year in creating turnovers. In fact, the Buffs only had three interceptions the entire year, despite the fact that they play in one of the most pass-happy conferences in the country.

Expect much to change this year. The Buffs offense should be even better this year, perhaps a top 30 in the country if the rushing game can jump to the next level. The defense should be a great surprise to fans and opponents alike. Expect to see waves of defensive players going into and out of games to keep the players fresh. Expect more turnovers created by the defense and fewer committed by the offense.

Expect Nelson Spruce to again be one of the best receivers in the country and expect to hear his name called in the next NFL draft. Expect Sefo Liufau to cut his number of interceptions by more than half, while continuing to be a very efficient passer.

Expect Colorado to win at least seven games this year and go bowling. Expect one or more of those rated teams coming into Folsom Field this year to leave with a loss. Expect Colorado to have turned the corner after a decade of futility.

Expect the Colorado Buffaloes to be a winning football team.

2015: Colorado Buffs and their Fans Looking for a Team to HATE, or Vice Versa... or Maybe Just to Care Again!

Heading into the 2015 NCAA football season, Colorado Buff fans in Boulder and around the country are searching and hoping for a reason to care about college football again. At least when it comes to their Buffaloes.

Football is a PASSIONATE sport! It's one of the reasons that it has often been compared to war. One of the things that is necessary for that passion is deeply held feelings. And those feelings only come with time and hard fought wins and losses.

Unfortunately, the Buffs have not been in the Pac-12 long enough to have strong feelings about their conference foes. So far, it has just been "we're happy to be here" in the Conference of Champions. And since the Buffs have been nothing but the designated "Gimme" in the Pac-12 since joining the league, the other schools have been happy to have Colorado around as well.

Boulder is a new favorite among fans around the Pac-12 to travel to for away games as well. One reason is they can usually count on a victory. Boulder is also one of the most beautiful towns in the country. And, judging by the lines outside the legal marijuana dispensaries on game days, Boulder's social activities are popular among college students around the Pac-12.

Back on the gridiron, however, things are different. Due to a decade of futility, nobody in the Pac-12 spends time being worried about the Buffs when it comes to football. (That's not true in basketball and other sports where the Buffs are already teams to be feared.) Nobody in the conference fears Colorado... because the Buffs haven't earned it yet.

Last year was close. Two double-overtime losses (Cal and UCLA) would have done a great deal toward earning the Buffs some respect had the games gone the other way. But they didn't. So they enter 2015 as a team flying under everyone's radar. Again.

Only when the Buffs have broken the dreams of some conference foes will they get the respect they desire. That's how rivalries are built.

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Heading into the 1986 season, the Colorado Buffaloes were coming off a 7-5 record under Bill McCartney. That was considered an amazing feat since the Buffs had only won ONE game the year prior. Those seven wins earned McCartney his first of three conference coach of the year awards.

After the seven wins in 1985, Buff fans were excited about the possibility of even better things to come in '86. The Buffs started the year with FOUR straight losses before finally getting their first win in a nail-biter against Missouri. The next game the Buffs demolished Iowa State. The Buffs stood at 2-4 and would be hosting the hated #3 ranked Nebraska Cornholers at Folsom Field.

Almost nobody around the country, and very few around Boulder, gave the Buffs much of a chance. Nebraska had beaten the Buffs every single year since 1967, and the Buffs had not beaten the Fuskers in Boulder since 1961. Nebraska marched into Boulder undefeated and ranked #3 and ready to dominate.

Part of the turnaround made by coach McCartney was to designate the Nebraska game as Colorado's "red letter" game because he felt the Huskers were a model of consistency over decades and that if the Buffs wanted to be a national caliber team, they would have to be good enough to beat Nebraska on a consistent basis.

Husker fans laughed aloud at Mac declaring Nebraska a rival. Many of them had grown up without ever seeing Colorado win against their beloved Huskers. Back here in Boulder, Colorado fans were sick and tired of the condescending Nebraska faithful, who loved to swarm into Boulder and fill the bars and restaurants with tobacco smoke and boast about their team. Up until that point, Nebraska fans LOVED Boulder because they could count on a win and gloat their way around town.

Somebody forgot to tell Mac and his team, however. The Buffs came out and played hardnosed defense and beat the hated Huskers by a score of 20-10. Twenty-five years of frustration came to a boil in a party of exuberance that had been long missing at Folsom Field. The goal posts came down and the words "WE WIN!" blazed from the scoreboard through the night and across the front pages of the Colorado papers.

After that game, Colorado was indeed a rival for Nebraska. Husker fans refused to acknowledge the Buffs as a rival but their hatred shined through loud and clear. Whereas Boulder was once their favorite road trip of the season, they started complaining long and loud that Buff fans were "rude" to them (completely ignoring how Lincoln treats their out-of-town fans).

If you asked just about any Buff fan which team they loved to hate, Nebraska would be at the top of the list. The Fuskers and their fans were a classless bunch, by far the worst that Buff fans had encountered.

Some examples of Nebraska classlessness follow: In 1989, as the Buffs were rolling through a miraculous undefeated regular season marred by the death of their quarterback Sal Aunese. His death made national news and brought condolences from around the country.

But the slimeballs in Nebraska reacted to his death by writing "SAL IS DEAD, GO BIG RED!" across the highway where it crossed from Colorado into Nebraska. Talk about a rivalry gone wrong! Those poor jackasses were willing to glory in the death by cancer of a young man just because he played for a team they didn't like.

The next year, the Buffs won the National Championship. It should have been a unanimous National Championship, but the Buffs had to share it with Georgia Tech because Husker's head coach Tom Osborne ballot amazingly left #1 ranked Colorado off the list of top twenty teams. Osborne later claimed someone else filled out the ballot for him, but it was in HIS name and HE was responsible. Classless from the bottom and classless from the top. That's Nebraska.

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What's the point of the story? Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes have to give up being happy to be in the Pac-12. They need to kick some doors down and piss some people off. They need to ruin some team's hopes for a Conference or National Championship. They need to deny someone a bowl game. They need to make Folsom Field a place where every other team fears to play.

Boulder will still be beautiful. And the fans from around the Pac-12 can still appreciate the social activities that Colorado has to offer. But they need to make Folsom Field THEIR HOUSE once again. Only then can bowl games and championships come back to Boulder.

Dear Rick George: One Big Reason Why Folsom Field Attendance is SO LOW for Colorado Buffaloes Football

Mr. Rick George
University of Colorado Athletic Director
rick.george@colorado.edu

Dear Mr. George,

Imagine, if you will, that you decided after years away from seeing University of Colorado football games at Folsom Field that it was once again time to see the games live from the stands of one of the most beautiful stadiums and locations in the entire college football world.

What would you do?

Well, considering that the year is 2015 and that vast majority of ticket buying (and commerce in general) is done online, you would Google "University of Colorado Football Tickets".

That search would lead you to cubuffs.com (after the obligatory ads for Stubhub and ticketnetwork, of course).

One click and you are at the entrance page for buying tickets.

Excitedly, you click on the "season tickets" link. And you jump to this page for determining what kind of tickets you want. It is a little annoying to click on a link for "season tickets" only to be brought to another page listing types of tickets.

So you waste a little more time and click on "season tickets" AGAIN. How many times do we have to see the list of ticket types?

Okay, finally, we hit the green link that says "Buy Tickets" only to be sent to...

THIS PAGE asking for a promotional access code.

It tells you it is Norton Secured. It tells you it is powered by Paciolan. It gives you a link to the Privacy Policy.

IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU A PROMOTIONAL ACCESS CODE!

And without the code, your search is done. You can hit the "back" button on your browser and find a phone number to call.

Yeah, right... a phone number!

Being a member of the 21st Century, we want online access to see what season tickets are available, with a map of the stadium, and how much they cost. What we don't want is a phone number.

The competition for entertainment dollars is fierce in this country. And since Boulder is one of the most beautiful places in the country with plenty to do besides spending hard-earned money to support University of Colorado athletics, it seems to many of us that CU should be doing all it can to streamline the process for those who would like to support our Buffs by purchasing something that is freely available on television.

I am sure that head coach Mike MacIntyre would like a rocking full Folsom Field to have his team play their home games. I am sure his players would love to play in front a loud, sellout, crowd.

Maybe they don't know how difficult it is for fans to support the Buffs by purchasing season tickets. But they should.

I had season tickets for 15 years and I am appalled by how odious the process is to once again become a season ticket holder. I do remember that there were a great deal more people in the Folsom Field stands back then compared to the ever dwindling crowds that we have seen over the last decade. You know that as well, Mr. George, because you were here then too.

Now is the time to get this problem fixed. All those construction projects cost a lot of money. The University of Colorado should help itself and all of us taxpayers by doing what is necessary to help fans support the university, the program, and the players. That means fixing this mess.

I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

Mark Rubi
CU Class of '89