How to Pick the Buffs’ Won/Loss Record in 2013

It’s been seven long seasons since Colorado posted a winning record, the longest drought in school history.

As a result, optimism, even cautious optimism, is hard to come by in the Buff Nation.

Still, there are those who are gulping the Mike MacIntyre Kool-Aid. The talent has always been there, the argument goes, with poor coaching and even worse game management to blame for the Buffs’ historically awful 2012 campaign. Proper conditioning, proper game planning, a better offensive scheme and better utilization of personnel will give Colorado not only the ability to be competitive this fall, but even find a way to six wins and a bowl game.

Then there are those who have been beaten down for too long, and have no expectations for the immediate future. An average score a year ago of 46-17, they argue, isn’t turned around overnight. The Buffs will have to move out of the 100’s in the major statistical categories before victories can be part of the equation. Improvement will be keeping the score close until the second half, but expecting more than a victory or two against CU’s schedule is simply asking too much.

The truth is probably somewhere in between. It’s not realistic to expect an offense, which scored 17 points or fewer in six of nine Pac-12 conference games last fall, to suddenly catch fire, and start lighting up opposing defenses. It’s not realistic to expect a defense, which gave up 34 points or more to every Pac-12 offense it faced in 2012, to immediately start to impose its will upon the explosive offenses it lines up against.

So, how can fans gauge the Buffs as they make their way through the 2013 season?

One rule of thumb is to gauge participation of freshmen. “You lose one game for every freshman you play” is an old football axiom.

Last season, the following true or red-shirt freshmen earned starts for the Buffs during a miserable 1-11 season: wide receiver Nelson Spruce, offensive linemen Brad Cotner and Stephane Nembot, running backs Christian Powell and Donta Abron, defensive linemen Samson Kafovalu, Tyler Henington, Josh Topou and Justin Solis, and defensive backs Kenneth Crawley and Marques Mosley.

Let’s see, that adds up to …. eleven.

Damn. Who knew it would be so easy to predict wins and losses?

Okay, apparently if we can figure out how many freshmen will earn starts this fall, we can predict CU’s won/loss record.

Here is the CU roster, broken down by position, along with likelihood of a freshman in that unit seeing playing time:

Quarterback: It’s possible Sefo Liufau could start at some point this fall, but if that happens, it’s going to be a long year. Hopefully, Liufau will red-shirt, and be around to play in 2017 as a fifth-year senior.

Running back: Red-shirt freshman Terrence Crowder entered the fall well down the depth chart. Phillip Lindsay, as a true freshman, is more likely to see playing time, and perhaps get a start, this fall.

Wide receiver: True freshman Devin Ross has already been mentioned as a true freshman who will play. Jeff Thomas is another candidate to be a part of the receiver rotation.

Tight ends: Red-shirt freshmen Sean Irwin and Austin Ray are both in the mix at a position which is as open as any on the roster.

Offensive line: Red-shirt freshman Alex Kelley is already being counted on as a starter at right guard. The hope would be that none of the true freshman see any action, much less start.

Defensive line: Derek McCartney is moving up the depth chart at defensive end, while Kory Rasmussen figures to be in the rotation at defensive tackle. Jimmie Gilbert is a true freshman who will play this fall. Markeis Reed impressed in the spring at linebacker, but will play as a defensive end this fall.

Linebacker: Addison Gillam enrolled in January as a gray-shirt freshman along with Reed, and emerged from spring ball as a starter. Clay Norgard, moving over from the offense, is a good bet to seen on the field in 2013.

Defensive back: With so many sophomores and juniors who have played as freshmen the past two seasons, you wouldn’t think there would be many openings for freshmen. Chidobe Awuzie, however, has already made his presence known, with red-shirt freshman John Walker another player who should get playing time this fall.

How many starters from the above group (and how many losses to count on as a result)? Offensive lineman Alex Kelley, linebacker Addison Gillam, wide receiver Devin Ross and defensive back Chidobe Awuzie are likely to earn their first starts before conference play begins. After that group, wide receiver Jeff Thomas, one of the red-shirt freshman tight ends, and defensive linemen Derek McCartney, Jimmie Gilbert and Markeis Reed are good candidates to be on the field for the first play from scrimmage some time this fall.

That adds up to nine freshmen … and nine losses?

Yuck.

Let’s look for some other means by which CU fans can chart the Buffs’ season.

There are some obvious clues as how the Buffs are faring:

– If Connor Wood doesn’t claim the starting job at quarterback, and doesn’t show command of the offense, CU will struggle;

Paul Richardson must stay healthy. Not only for his ability to make big plays, but for his ability to draw attention away from other potential weapons in the CU arsenal. If opposing defenses must key on Richardson, the running backs and other receivers will have more space in the defensive backfield in which to make plays;

– The defensive line must get pressure on the quarterback. Colorado was 87th in the nation in sacks last year. If Pac-12 quarterbacks have time to find open receivers, CU will have to outscore the opposition to win … an unlikely prospect this year.

– The secondary must create turnovers. Only Auburn and South Florida had fewer total interceptions last fall than CU’s three. While Colorado had three total interceptions last year, Oregon had 26. ‘Nuff said.

For me, though, the key to CU’s season lies in the trenches, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Want to chart how many CU wins is likely to post this fall? Chart the starting lineup from week to week along the offensive line. It says here that CU must – repeat must – have its starters stay healthy in order to be successful.

Colorado lost two offensive line starters from last season – David Bakhtiari to the NFL; Alexander Lewis to Nebraska and the penal system (and, no, I’m not being redundant). The Buffs have two returning starters at tackle, senior Jack Harris and sophomore Stephane Nembot. After those two, however, the depth chart at tackle immediately drops to underclassmen who have seen fewer than 100 snaps in their careers.

On the inside, it’s a game of musical chairs – part by necessity; part by design. In camp, offensive line coach Gary Bernardi has shuffled his interior linemen between center and both guard spots, using senior Gus Handler, junior Kaiwi Crabb, redshirt freshman Alex Kelley and sophomore Brad Cotner (when healthy). Junior Daniel Munyer, who has missed virtually all of fall camp recovering from a broken fibula, is expected to be ready for the opener against CSU.

“We’re making sure we’re giving the inside guys good looks at all three spots,” Bernardi said. “And we’re making sure the tackles can play both sides. That makes their life easier right now when they’re doing the zone blocking. But we’ll do both (zone and conventional man-on-man). That’s part of our offense – the multiplicity.”

This group, said Bernardi, appears capable of doing both, but he added, “That’s something you get a feel for after a couple of games. We really haven’t had the whole unit healthy and together and we haven’t been under duress in a game situation.”

The pistol offense will provide the offensive line some cover for the Buffs’ lack of depth and experience. Zone blocking is the predominant scheme; it requires more zeroing in on the right target than pancaking the D-lineman in front of you.  “I could see that,” Jack Harris told CUBuffs.com when asked if the new scheme would help the offensive line, when compared to last season’s power blocking scheme, “especially with the misdirection and the confusion it can cause a defense. It slows them down from coming downhill so fast and makes them think a little more. You don’t just have to run over guys; if they don’t know what they’re doing then you can knock them down instead of doing it head-to-head.”

But even if the pistol offense aids the offensive line, it can’t help the Buffs if there is no experience out there to run it. CU’s offensive line depth is perilously thin. If there are any injuries (and when does an offensive line go a season without injuries?), the ability of the new CU offense to be productive could be significantly curtailed.

So, though not as exciting as other statistics, there are two lines in the box score each week you can track as a means of predicting future success … the number of freshmen starters, and continuity along the offensive line.

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t chart more obvious measures of success at the same time. You can track Connor Wood’s touchdowns/interceptions ratio, Paul Richardson’s yards-after-catch, Chidera Uzo-Diribe’s sack total, and the number of Darragh O’Neill punts as a means by which to gauge CU’s success …

… or just make note of how many points CU scores in relation to those posted by the opposing team.

12 Replies to “Picking CU’s 2013 W/L Record”

  1. At the risk of sounding like a Kool-Aid drinker, I am cautiously optimistic that they can win 4 games this year: CSU, Central Arkansas, Cal and Utah.

  2. Stuart i am not sure about Sefo not starting till 2017? If your head coach is saying Liufao has phenomenal maturity and is a unique individual who is worthy of the opportunity i don’t see how he rides the bench till 2017? Yes he probable should red shirt this year and most likely be ready to go next year not 2017!! But your right that we might see him sooner if Connor does not meet expectations although i hope he does well he certainly deserves the opportunity. From everything you are reporting on as well as others it just seems we have a coaching staff that knows what they are doing it’s been quite a while since the Buffs have had consistent good quality coaches.My thoughts are 6-6 season and i know that is a stretch but with a different approach and attitude i believe it is possible. Here are the six wins i think they will have
    CSU-CENTRAL ARKANSAS-FRESNO ST.-ARIZONA-CALIFORNIA-UTAH GO BUFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Jim,
      I probably didn’t state it correctly, but my point wasn’t that Sefo wouldn’t play until 2017, but that I would rather have him around in 2017 as a fifth-year senior starter than play him this season.

      We’ll see how it plays out, but if it turns out that Sefo ends 2013 with 50-60 passes for the year, that will pale in comparison to what CU would have got out of him had he red-shirted in 2013, and still had him around to start in 2017.

      1. You are correct i miss read that statement my apologies!! I do hope they red-shirt him this season i think that will benefit him greatly. Thank you for taking the time to have this great web site!! GO BUFFS

  3. well if this works out with the freshmen starting and the guys who where there last year sitting this could be a long year. I have been a fan of this team threw the good years and the bad ,always thinking if they beat the Rams and the huskers at the end of the year I was some what happy . but after 7 years of this losing and the the coaching very poor I will be happy if they beat the Rams and will just see how it goes from there.Don`t get me wrong I want a winning season badly so we start looking and getting players who want to play for a winning program . I hope this coach and the men he got to come with him do better then Hawk did . Come on Buffs show some heart and desire to win and if you lose by a few points hold your head up ,be proud of who you are and winning will come. Go Buffs

  4. Stuart,

    You seem stuck on the “glass half full vs. glass half empty” axiom. The difference from this year to last year is simple…

    this year there is a glass that actually holds water, while the last several years were characterized by a pasta strainer… no matter how much water you put through it, it was never “half” anything, it was always just empty!

    Think of the Buffs as a race car made up of 100 different parts. Although each part may work perfectly as tested, they do not become a racing machine until they are put together by knowledgeable mechanics and driven by qualified drivers.

    For five of the last seven years, the Buffs were missing either mechanics or drivers, and for the last two years they were missing both of them. This year, for the first time in a long time, the Buffs have excellent mechanics and outstanding drivers. There may be some bumps in the road until all the fine tuning is done, but we will be in the race this year.

    As opposed to last year, when our car was sitting on cinder blocks in the garage. Watch them Buffs this year, and prepare to be proud of the effort AND the results.

    1. Yes, we have the mechanics and drivers now but we need to upgrade to higher performance parts going forward.

      1. BuffWest,

        It’s really hard to evaluate the parts (players) without the proper coaching (mechanics and drivers), that is why it will be so important for the team to get on the field.

        We should not judge any of our players by how they looked under the worst coaching staff in the country the last couple of years. Mac2 and staff gave every player a chance to earn playing time based solely on how they did in the spring, summer and fall camp.

        You cannot evaluate a 500 horsepower engine while it is still in the crate, and even after it is in the car it is dependent on both the fuel injection system and the drive train. Beyond that, the suspension and the tires also play a huge role.

        The last coaching staff could have been given nothing but 4 and 5 star recruits and still put a lousy team on the field. By the same token, McIntyre took a bunch of 2 star and unrated recruits in San Jose and turned them into a top 25 team.

        Coaching is the key here and Buff fans should give the coaches and players a chance to prove themselves. I have a feeling that the Buffs are going to convert a lot of skeptics this year and next.

  5. How about this method? Calculate one loss for every rookie member of the coaching staff. This includes position coaches who switched from a previous coordinator position. Seems like a no brainer after last years experiment. Hell…..Now we should go to the flippin Rose Bowl if my calculations are correct!

  6. (Note sarcasm)
    Is the “Freshman Rule” a multiplier effect – I.e. you start 9 freshmen on one day, you lose 9 games or start 1 freshman for 11 games you lose 11 games??? Or is it; you start one freshman, no matter how many games = you only lose one game? If the latter is the case, let’s start Gillam and make sure that for 12 games this season, we make sure that the first snap of every O/D/ST series there are no other freshman on the field. One loss…I can live with that!

  7. I count a few less freshmen likely to play and maybe start. Gillam and Awuzie are givens. Gilbert is likely. Irwin/Ray are potential. That’s 5 losses before we ever get to the issue of talent discrepancy. I’d say 4-5 wins best case scenario presuming Wood and/or Gehrke play with Sefo redshirting.
    FWIW. #GoBuffs

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