Welcome to the college football preseason!!!!! Let me say that in ALL CAPS FOR EMPHASIS: WELCOME!!! Colorado Buffaloes fans! If you’re a Chicago baseball fan, the college football season can’t get here fast enough. Well, unless you’re an Illini fan. The athletic program eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Illini, your Colorado Buffaloes have also experienced some very lean times lately.
Their recent performances have been so abysmal, I’m probably really reaching here to even include them as the final team to make the 77 in 77 cut. Is this a stretch? Maybe they belong in the 80s? Or 90s? These are the Colorado Buffaloes; it’s a proud program. Things have to turn around sometime?
Yes? No? Maybe?
Colorado Buffaloes last season: You and I could have played defense for them. That’s how terrible CU was on D. 69 allowed to Fresno State, 70 to the Oregon Ducks (were the Buffaloes distracted by the Oregon Cheerleaders? Is that why they defended nobody in their visit to Eugene?) Arizona hung 56 on ’em, Arizona State 51, USC…well, you get the idea. Colorado had a Rocky Mountain Low going 1-11; their lone win came in conference versus Washington State. And that was by a whopping one point. You almost thought this team was being coached by Tim Beckman last season. Mike MacIntyre takes over from San Jose State; after the DISASTER that was the Jon Embree era. The Dan Hawkins regime was pretty terrible too.
Reasons to get EXCITED!: Uhm, the basketball team made the NCAA Tournament. And they start practicing in mid October. So there’s that. Things can literally not get any worse. Let’s go with that.
Reasons to get worried :( They’re rated last in the Pac-12 in recruiting. Also dead last in OL, DL, LB, DB and QB. But 10th not 12th at RB. Hey, that’s progress right? The C Buffs have not played any defense at all lately. Newsflash I know. Well here’s a double newsflash! The Colorado Buffaloes allowed 46 ppg last season, not just last in all of college football, but THE WORST since North Texas surrendered 47.6 ppg in 2008. Have fun with that. Their quarterback situation is nothing to get excited about. It’s actually kind of a big problem. Seven starters return on defense. Normally that sentence would be a reason to get excited. However, they started for THIS DEFENSE
Key games: August 31st vs Colorado St. (important to get a win early to get some kind of confidence), Sept 7th vs Central Arkansas. It’s the alma mater of Scottie Pippen and…nothing else. So I’m guessing this an easy chance for a win. A 1-1 start for the Colorado Buffaloes would be great; 2-0 would be outstanding.
Key & Peele East/West College Bowl Roster: P Darragh O’Neil, OL Stephane Nembot, OL Gunnar Graham, DB Chidobe Awuzie
Colorado Buffaloes bottom line: There’s nowhere to go but up. I think 3-9 is doable. With some luck, maybe 4-8. McIntyre will salvage this horrible train wreck at some point. Maybe not this year, but eventually.
For the 2013 College Football rankings 1-77
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. (“Quasi-endorsed” by Philadelphia Eagles Coach Chip Kelly) He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker
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