“It’s Supposed to be Fun”

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“It’s Supposed to be Fun”

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I have developed a reputation over the years – no doubt well-deserved – of being stressed out on Game Day. For years, I have been an ideal tailgate guest … because I am rarely able to eat before a game. I can talk football, but I fidget, impatiently waiting for the game to start so I can get past the stress of waiting. The idea of eating anything, much less imbibing on adult beverages, is usually a non-starter.

Even on Fridays before the game, as I prepare to fly from Bozeman to Denver for games, I tend to be more quiet and reserved. My attitude is noticeable enough that my lovely wife Lee will often say, as I leave for for the airport, “Remember, it’s supposed to be fun”.

Part of my problem is that it’s hard for me to look at any one game in isolation. In the ever-changing world of college football, it’s easy to go from relevant to a joke in very short order (see: North Carolina; Penn State) or to be relegated into obscurity (see: Washington State; Oregon State).

Now, it’s impossible to completely close out the future implications of any one game. CU continues to struggle to maintain relevance on the national level. Still, in order to try and maintain my sanity going forward, I resolved this past week, after watching CU blow 14-0 leads in back-to-back games, to try and enjoy the journey a little more than I have in the past.

Toward that end, I made a few mid-season resolutions.

Come along for the ride and join me, if you would like …

Resolution No. 1: I am going to enjoy the Coach Prime era for what it is, not for what others say it should be … 

Last Tuesday, Coach Prime underwent a four-hour procedure to deal with blood clots in his legs and feet. Despite the operation, he was back on the practice fields the next day. An impressive feat, but Coach Prime’s latest health issue only serves to remind us that his future in coaching remains precarious.

No Buff fan with a soul could have complained if Coach Prime had walked away from coaching this past summer. Being treated for bladder cancer is no minor feat. With his sons off to the NFL, who could have blamed Coach Prime for deciding to call it a career, get healthy, and watch his sons play professional football? Instead, he reaffirmed his commitment to CU and his team.

The Coach Prime era may come to an abrupt end at almost any moment. It could come next month, or it could come next year, but his future in Boulder remains a day-to-day proposition.

Now, there are those who criticize Coach Prime’s coaching, and certainly his results. Take your pick: His selection in assistant coaches; his game-planning; his play-calling; his philosophy when it comes to recruiting … all are fair game.

But the Coach Prime impact on the Colorado program: The sold out stadiums; the television ratings; the economic impact on CU and the Boulder community … cannot be discounted. I shudder to think where CU’s program would be today if Coach Prime hadn’t been hired.

Whatever the future of Coach Prime may be in Boulder, we should enjoy every game he remains CU’s head coach.

Resolution No. 2: I am going to stay away from social media (as much as I can) … 

There is one proven method for not getting caught up in the negativity of social media … ignoring it.

My problem with staying away from the haters and trolls of college football is that I have to live in their midst. If CU at the Game is to be a reliable source of updated information for Buff fans, the reality is that social media – message boards; Twitter/X; podcasts; YouTube – is the best way to stay current. Be it news of an injury to a key player, a Recruiting Class commitment, or a breaking national story affecting CU football, the news can be found first via social media.

So, while I will do that which is necessary to keep the website accurate and updated, I have also resolved to to avoid the haters as much as humanly possible.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly …

Resolution No. 3: I am going to enjoy Game Day … 

Sounds easy enough, unless you let yourself get caught up in worrying about what the next loss might mean to the future of the program.

The thing is, we only get six – and, on rare occasions like this fall, seven – chances to watch our Buffs in Folsom Field. Only six opportunities to watch Ralphie run, six chances to sing fight song with 50,000 of your closest friends.

I know the following will bother some of you, as Google analytics tell me that the vast majority of those reading this Essay live in the greater Denver/Boulder metro area … but as someone who has to commute 700 miles for home games, I have to ask: How can you not go to every CU home game?

For as much stress as I put on myself before games, I live for my trips to Boulder. I still get a tingle coming over the hill on the Turnpike, getting my first glimpse of Boulder. I still love to walk across the Quad and soak in all that is the Boulder campus. The walk through the tunnel into the stadium, for all of the bustle of the crowd – and smells of a 100-year old building – is still a cherished moment.

And then Ralphie runs, to thunderous cheers.

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Okay. I get that going to games is expensive. I hear you when you say you have other family commitments which take precedence. I understand that 8:15 p.m. kickoffs are a pain in the ass. I agree that traffic is a hassle, and that the urinals in Folsom are disgusting.

But I live in Montana. I wear my CU gear 12 months of the year, and, while I do occasionally get a smile or a “Go Buffs” from those I pass by in the grocery story, the reality is that, for most of the year, I’m isolated, cut off from the heart of the Buff Nation.

Trips to Folsom infuse me with a sense of belonging. One who normally shies away from crowds, I love to be enveloped by  the warm embrace of a full stadium of like-minded believers. I am with my pack; my tribe; my team.

Perhaps, if I lived in Denver, I would find reasons not to go to each and every home game, but I doubt it.

The first half of CU’s 2025 season included several frustrating finishes. The Buffs had their chances in the 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech, the 24-21 loss to BYU, and the 35-21 loss to TCU.

The Buffs came into their game this weekend against No. 22 Iowa State with a 2-4, 0-3 record.

The Buffs came into their game against the Cyclones with their backs against the wall, and were underdogs at home.

It was hard to just enjoy being in Boulder for a game which the Buffs were supposed to lose, but I did my best. I tried to enjoy the company of friends, the beautiful CU campus, the simple and pure joy of having the opportunity to watch my Buffs on a fall afternoon before a sold out crowd.

Then, four Iowa State fans set up camp in the row behind us, and it appeared likely that my goal of just enjoying the moment was to be tested all the more.

As it turned out, the Cyclone fans were pleasant, and very reasonable under the circumstances – a tense, hard-fought game with neither team able to build a two-score lead.

As it turned out, the Buffs again played just well enough to lose, just like they had against Georgia Tech, BYU, and TCU … but instead played just well enough to win.

Instead of folding, the Buff defense produced an interception and a fourth-down stop … both in the fourth quarter, preserving the lead.

Instead of folding the Buff offense took the ball over with the lead and four minutes to play, and didn’t give the ball back to the opponent. The offense produced a 38-yard completion from Kaidon Salter to wide receiver Joseph Williams … on third-and-16.

Instead of losing a close game – again – the Buffs won a close game, defeating No. 22 Iowa State, 24-17.

“It’s very important. It’s kind of vital,” Coach Prime said of the win. “Your season could go this way or that way. And the most frustrating part about it is that we’re good. And I know this sounds crazy, especially when you say the record aloud, but we’re good, we haven’t really gotten our butts kicked. I take a good whooping, I grew up taking a good whooping, so I don’t mind that, but when we’re losing it with self-inflicted wounds, it bothers you”.

The Buffs are now 3-4, with a bye week coming up. Coach Prime (and his team) will hopefully use the down time to work on their health. Social media will continue on its merry way (a “Bench Salter” thread was started in during the first half of the game on the Buff Stampede website, with 43 comments and over 2,000 views by game’s end), but I am going to ignore it the best I can.

And I am going to look back and remember the joys of the day I had in Boulder. I am going to savor the time with friends, the scenery, the sights and sounds of Folsom. I am going to relish the memory of watching the Ralphie VII run, the improbable plays the Buffs made to win the game, and singing the alma mater as the students filtered out after flooding the field after the final gun.

I am going to try and honor my pledge to remember that my trips are supposed to be fun.

(But they are sure a lot more fun when the Buffs win!) …

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This post, about the Iowa State game, from the 2025 Season, is filed under Article.
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