Preseason Archive

Preseason

//posted 6.13.2009

Fall Camp Notes

August 27th:

Anything you can do, I can do better …

Take that, Steve Fairchild! In a move apparently designed to get fans in their seats on time for the 5:00 p.m. kickoff on September 6th (good seats still available!), Dan Hawkins on Thursday indicated that he will not name a starting quarterback until the day of the game. With CSU also being reluctant to name a starter, this could be the first opener in memory when neither starting quarterback is known prior to kickoff.

The lack of information may give each team’s offense a slight edge in preparation against the defenses, forcing the opposing defensive coordinator to prepare for more sets than they might have otherwise. Still the fact remains that while both teams have different personnel than a year before, neither team’s offensive philosophy has changed significantly.

My uneducated guess – both teams will have their starters in place by this weekend. The quarterbacks will know it, their coaches will know it, and their teammates will know it The quarterback is too important a position to not have your starter taking the vast majority of reps the week before the game.

But it does make for good…

Preseason – 2008 – Fall Practice coverage; Roster battles; predictions

//posted 6.14.2008

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Preseason picks – a summary of eight publications

On June 1st,I took a stab predicting what the preseason magazines would say about the Buffs and their 2008 opponents. Below is a compilation of eight different magazines and websites. Take a look at where the Buffs fell in the eyes of experts, as well as how good a job I did at predicting what they would say. Without giving too much away, I guess my reputation as seeing the glass as half empty is secure …. Read Predicting the Predictions…

Preseason 2008 – a look at the depth chart

There will be points put up by the Buffs’ offense. The difference between a break out season and a season ending with Buff fans hoping for a bid to the Texas Bowl will be the play of the defense. Which defensive players hold the keys to a successful 2008? See if you agree with my assessments ….

Read Preseason 2008 – CU depth chart…

Preseason 2008 – a look at the schedule – reasons for optimism (and fear)

What will be the Buffs’ record be as they walk off the field at Memorial Stadium in…

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Preseason

//posted 7.30.2007

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A preview of the 2007 Colorado Buffaloes – the strengths and weaknesses of the roster; the schedule; and the competition in the Big 12.

The Colorado Buffaloes enter the second season of the Dan Hawkins era confronting a problem the program hasn’t faced in over twenty years – low expectations. Coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2006, the Buffs are not expected to make much of an impact on the national stage in 2007. This lack of faith runs contrary to the preseason prognostications coming on the heels of the Buffs’ other three losing seasons in the past twenty years.

The Buffs had losing campaigns in 1997 (5-6), 2000 (3-8), and 2003 (5-7 ). Even with those losing records, however, the predictions for the following seasons called for the Buffs to rebound. In 1998, the preseason magazines called for a winning campaign. The consensus was that the Buffs would finish third or fourth in Big 12 North, and return to the national rankings. The Sporting News, for example, had the Buffs in at #23 nationally; Lindy’s had the Buffs at #24 (CU finished 8-4 overall, 4th in the Big 12 North and outside the national rankings). In 2001, after…

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2001 – An Introduction – CU ranked 27th despite 3-8 record in 2000

//posted 8.1.2001

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2001 – National and Big 12 Recap

The Miami Hurricanes won the 2001 national championship, doing so in convincing fashion. The Hurricanes, under first-year head coach Larry Coker, finished the season 12-0, the nation’s only undefeated team. Miami capped its unblemished season with a 37-14 demolition of Nebraska in the Rose Bowl.

Finding a worthy opponent for Miami to play in the Rose Bowl was left for the Bowl Championship Series computers. Nebraska, despite not winning its Big 12 conference title (or even the North Division), edged out Colorado by .05 points in the BCS computations for the opportunity to face the Hurricanes as the #2 BCS team. That the Cornhuskers did not justify the invitation in the lopsided loss to the Hurricanes left Colorado and Oregon, #3 and #4 in the BCS standings, to ponder what might have been. The Ducks, 11-1 and Pac-10 Conference champions, took out their frustrations by dismantling Colorado, 38-16, in the Fiesta Bowl to finish #2 in the nation.

Despite lopsided losses in BCS bowl games, the Big 12 had a banner year. Colorado won its first Big 12 championship with a 39-37 win over Texas to lead four Big 12 teams into the…

Preseason – Neuheisel hired / CU Preview

//posted 6.4.1995

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1995 – The “Neu” Kid on the Block

Introduction – Overview of 1995; The Choice of Neuheisel has new CU head coach

National and Big Eight Recap – 1995

In 1995, the Nebraska Cornhuskers repeated as National Champions, dominating the Florida Gators 62-24 in the National Championship game played at the Fiesta Bowl. Previously unbeaten Florida came into the contest with an air attack led by record-setter Danny Weurffel. Head coach Steve Spurrier had his “Air Spurrier” offense on track until it ran into a buzzsaw of a defense in Nebraska’s “Blackshirts”. Nebraska was led by quarterback Tommie Frazier, who led the Cornhuskers to a 12-0 record, but could not procure for himself the Heisman Trophy. In the closest vote since 1990, Ohio State running back Eddie George beat out Frazier for recognition as the college game’s best player. George’s teammate, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, swept the lineman awards.

In the Big Eight, in the final year of the Conference, the teams sent the Conference out with a flourish. In addition to Nebraska’s title, three other members finished in the top ten of the national rankings. Colorado, Kansas State, and Kansas all finished 9-2, 5-2 in Big Eight play. In…

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

//posted 8.1.1994

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Adios, Southwest Conference

Quick – Name the last eight members of the Southwest Conference.

Not so easy, is it?

Entering the 1994 season, the long-anticipated demise of the SWC became official. The 1994 and 1995 campaigns would be the last for the storied conference. After 80 seasons, the Southwest Conference would fold up its tents; its teams left to a new future.

Arkansas, the only Southwest member outside of the state of Texas, had defected to the Southeastern Conference in 1990. Now Texas, Texas A & M, Baylor, and Texas Tech, commencing with the 1996 season, would join the Big Eight to form the Big 12. Southern Methodist, Rice, and Texas Christian, meanwhile, would join the Western Athletic Conference. The Houston Cougars, originally set adrift to fend for itself as an independent, would eventually settle upon an affiliation with Conference USA.

Why would a conference as steeped in history as the SWC fold? Several reasons were proposed: 1) the increased popularity of the NFL in Texas had eroded the state’s college fan base; 2) the widely-held belief that the conference was made up of two teams (Texas and Texas A&M) and a series of woeful second-tier teams; and 3) the…

Preseason – 1993 – Buffs take on the most difficult schedule in the nation

//posted 8.17.1993

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Scouting the Nation

As the summer of 1993 wound down, (a great summer for me and my lady, thank you very much) the pre-season magazines appeared. There was little or no consensus as to which team would emerge from the upcoming season ranked No. 1 on January 1, 1994. Florida State received much of the ink, but Alabama was also getting support for a repeat of its 1992 National Championship.

When the pre-season Associated Press poll came out, five different teams received first-place votes. Included with Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, and Syracuse was Stanford, which was ranked no higher than 15th overall.

There was consensus as to the Colorado Buffaloes and their season, however, at least as to several issues.

First, everyone agreed that the Buffs’ 1993 schedule would be brutal. The non-conference slate included ranked Miami (No. 5 in the pre-season poll) and Stanford (15th), along with the nearly-ranked Texas (30th overall) and Baylor (31st). If Colorado could survive September, conference clashes against Oklahoma, improving Kansas, and, of course, Nebraska, loomed.

“Maximum Challenge” was the motto chosen by the team for the season, and a glance at the schedule explained why.

1993 Outlook – CU Roster

While there was…

1993 National and Big Eight Recap – “Hitting the Jackpot”

//posted 3.5.1993

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National and Big Eight Recap – 1993

Bobby Bowden, head coach at Florida State, finally won his first National Championship in 1993, with his Seminoles edging the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 18-16, in the Orange Bowl.

Bowden, a coaching veteran of 28 years, led Florida State to a 12-1 record in 1993. Florida State’s number one ranking marked the seventh consecutive year the Seminoles finished ranked in the top ten. Charlie Ward, the Seminoles’ quarterback, became the first Heisman Trophy winner to play for a National Championship team since Tony Dorsett for Pittsburgh in 1976.

Wisconsin was the feel good story of the year, going 10-1-1 to earn its first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1962. The Badgers capped their surprising season with a 21-16 win over Pac-10 champion UCLA to finish ranked sixth in the nation. No. 4 Notre Dame, which defeated No. 7 Texas A&M 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl, finished the season ranked No. 2.

In the Big Eight, the Big Red of Nebraska stormed through the conference undefeated to earn a birth in the National Championship game against Florida State in the Orange Bowl. With the loss, the Cornhuskers finished 11-1 and ranked third in the nation. Trev Alberts of Nebraska was…

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Preseason Archive

Preseason

Preseason – 2008 – Fall Practice coverage; Roster battles; predictions

Preseason

2001 – An Introduction – CU ranked 27th despite 3-8 record in 2000

Preseason – Neuheisel hired / CU Preview

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

Preseason – 1993 – Buffs take on the most difficult schedule in the nation

1993 National and Big Eight Recap – “Hitting the Jackpot”

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