Lather, Rinse, Forget

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Lather, Rinse, Forget

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I had my Essay for the TCU game all done and ready to publish. The frustrating 35-21 game was still fresh in my head on Saturday night, but at least with a 5:30 p.m., kickoff, I didn’t have to stay up until the wee hours to get the game story posted and the Essay underway.

Entitled, “Robert Livingston, I Presume”, My Essay for the game opened like this:

Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873) is a legend among explorers and adventurers. During his incredible life, Livingstone undertook three major expeditions into the Dark Heart of Africa, travelling a phenomenal 29,000 miles, a greater distance than the circumference of the earth. Among his discoveries in his decades of exploring were Victoria Falls and the source of the Congo River.

In 1871, when no one had heard from Livingstone in some time, he was presumed dead. Another explorer and journalist, Henry Stanley, though, found Livingstone very much alive. It was Stanley, who, upon finding Dr. Livingstone, allegedly uttered those famous words, ‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’.

Meanwhile, back in Boulder … CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s defense hasn’t lived up to expectations in the first half of the 2025 season. While the Buff defense has not exactly been presumed dead, there are certainly questions about its location …

Clever, huh?

I went to discuss how, despite the accumulating losses and the M*A*S*H unit the Buff defense has become, Robert Livingston’s unit has actually been – to at least some extent – holding its own the first half of the season (the Buffs went into the TCU game surrendering fewer points per game (22.8) than did the 2024 team (23.1) which went 9-4.

It wasn’t a particularly exciting Essay, with hope sprinkled in with the despair, but I wasn’t super happy with it, either.

Still, having the Essay done and ready to post early Sunday morning, I was able to crawl into bed with my work for the game mostly done.

Then I had a dream.

In my dream, I was returning from a game with a former Buff player who I met through the website. We were driving down an alley, getting close to his home (I presumably had driven to his house, and we had taken his SUV to the game). As we neared the turnoff to his driveway, a teenager driving a beater of a truck came barreling down the alley towards us. Only by swerving out of the way at the last moment were we able to avoid a collision.

Looking back through the rear window as the teenager continued recklessly down the alley, I remarked, “You would have won the battle, but lost the war”, which earned a laugh in response. And it was true: A collision would have totaled the old truck, but would have barely made a dent in the mammoth SUV we were in. But, as anyone who has fought with insurance companies over repairs, or waited endless weeks for the dealership to squeeze you in to make the repairs knows, coming out of an accident with less damage isn’t always “winning”.

As we parked the SUV, my friend noted that he had a new puppy, who would eagerly greet him when he walked through his back door into his home. I repeated the well known saw: “Your dog is only a part of your life, but you are their entire life”. I told him that my favorite part of any work day was coming home to the enthusiastic greeting of our dogs, knowing that a walk was the next part of their day. I told him how much I enjoyed my afternoon walks with the dogs, especially this time of year, with fall colors in full bloom in Bozeman, with just a nip in the air despite the bright sunshine.

We then parted awkwardly. I went for a handshake; he went for a fist bump. It was then we both realized that we had made the entire drive back to his house without discussing the game … it was too painful.

“Lather, Rinse, Forget”, I said, earning me a wistful smile in return.

And that, friends, is what we have to learn to do. We know what to expect from our 2025 Buffs, but are powerless to stop what we know is coming.

In my “T.I.P.S.” for the BYU game, my preview and prediction Essay (posted each Wednesday before the game, if you are new to the website), I wrote:

This is my first pick against the Buffs. I very much hope to be wrong, but I’m afraid this game will end like the Kansas State game last season, and the Georgia Tech game four weeks ago … CU plays – at times – well enough to win, but in the end, it’s the visitors who do just enough to emerge with a win.

Prediction: No. 25 BYU 24, Colorado 20

Final score: No. 25 BYU 24, Colorado 21

For the TCU game, I wrote:

Once the Buffs get their break through win, I will happily start predicting CU victories once again. Until then, though, the 2025 Buffs are going to have to prove they can beat a Power Four school …

Prediction … TCU 34, Colorado 21

Final score: TCU 35, Colorado 21

I take no solace in being right. Many of you know your team well enough to know what’s coming as well.

It’s like having a child who is making mistakes. Some mistakes – like testing with your hand to see how hot it gets – you prevent out of instinct.

Others, you just let happen. You know the child won’t do well on their test because they didn’t study, but it’s a lesson they have to learn. You know the child will be angry, and even shocked, to learn that the consequence of not cleaning their room is that they can’t go out and to the fun activity they had planned.

The 2025 Colorado football team has become way too predictable. We know what’s coming, but all we can do is watch the train wreck happen right before our eyes.

Fortunately for the Buffs – and the Buff Nation – the second half of the season is ripe with opportunities.

There isn’t a single team in the second half of CU’s schedule which is bullet proof:

• Iowa State was undefeated heading into the weekend, but fell behind Cincinnati, 31-7, on Saturday before rallying to make it closer with a 38-30 final;
• Utah was humbled by Texas Tech at home a few weeks ago, 34-10, and still must face Arizona State and BYU before playing CU;
• Arizona was exposed by Iowa State, 39-14, and will play BYU and Houston before traveling to Boulder;
• West Virginia is 2-4, with one of those wins coming over Robert Morris. The Mountaineers have yet to stay within two touchdowns of a Big 12 opponent;
• Arizona State lost to Mississippi State before rebounding with consecutive close 27-24 wins over Baylor and TCU. The Sun Devils will be tested by Texas Tech and Iowa State before coming to Folsom; and
• Kansas State is also currently 2-4, with dreams of a Big 12 title already long gone. What will be the Wildcats’ state of mind for the regular season finale?

This is not to say that CU is primed to go on a run, but the law of averages should work in the Buffs’ favor in the second half of the season.

The offense, at least early in games, has shown it can produce points.

And the defense, even with all of the injuries, has kept the Buffs in games.

The Buffs just need to make plays at crucial moments, plays which turn defeats into victories.

It’s going to be another rough week for Buff fans. I will do my best to stay away from the message boards and the talking heads who are crowing about CU’s failures this fall.

I will walk my dogs, and enjoy the fall weather. I will get on a plane next Friday, and soak in all that my fellow Buffs, Boulder, and the ambiance that Folsom Field has to offer.

I will once again hope against hope that the Buffs will put together a full 40 minutes on both sides of the ball, and show the Iowa State Cyclones, the Big 12 … and their own fans what they are capable of accomplishing.

If not, it will be another Saturday night of …

Lather, Rinse, and Forget.

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