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Friday Fast Facts – Georgia Tech Week
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Leading off …
— “T.I.P.S” … My weekly written preview, along with my predictions for CU’s 2026 season opener at Georgia Tech, can be found here.
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The Big Picture …
— .500 record in road openers … CU has a 19-19-3 record all-time in season openers on the road. Three years ago, in Coach Prime’s debut as the Buffs’ head coach, CU went on the road as a 20.5-point underdog, and defeated No. 17 TCU, 45-42. Coach Prime is 6-11 on the road overall in Boulder, with the Buffs having lost their last six games in hostile stadiums. CU’s last road victory came on November 9, 2024, in a 41-27 road win against Texas Tech;
— A home game for some Buffs … Colorado’s roster carries a distinctly Southern accent. In all, 17 Buffaloes hail from the state of Georgia — more than any state except Texas — a pipeline headlined by second-year quarterback Julian Lewis and a Carrollton High School contingent that also includes his high school teammate Bryce Hicks and brothers Alex and Christian Ward;
— Will (coaching) experience help? … Coach Prime’s staff for his fourth season is extraordinary. It includes over 250
years of coaching experience, 59 years of NFL playing experience and college playing experience at every level — junior college, FCS, Group of 6 and all four Power 4 conferences;
— The ESPN Football Power Index … Not a surprise, but Georgia Tech (9-4 last season) are favored at home against Colorado (3-9), to open the 2026 season. The Yellow Jackets, though, are “only” 7.0-point favorites over the Buffs. The ESPN Power Index gives CU a 41.5% chance of winning, with Georgia Tech given a 58.5% chance at victory;
— The game will be telecast nationally by ESPN, with Mark Barrie on play-by-play, Chase Daniel on color, and Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines … 850 KOA radio will have Mark Johnson with the play-by-play, and former CU head coach Gary Barnett as the analyst.
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Player Notes …
— Will (players) experience help? … The 2026 roster currently sits at 103 players with 82 on scholarship. That breaks down to 17 first-, 14 second-, 21 third-, 24 fourth-, 23 fifth- and 4 sixth-year players, meaning 73 are in their third or higher year of college ball;
— So you’re telling me there’s a chance … A total of 20 Buffaloes earned spots on national preseason watch lists, headlined by second-year quarterback Julian Lewis (Maxwell Award) and linebackers Gideon ESPN Lampron (Bednarik, Butkus) and Liona Lefau (Butkus);
— At least they’re smart … The football team posted a 3.004 GPA in the spring, the best spring and second-best semester on record at CU. The six highest semester GPAs have all come in the seven semesters since Coach Prime took over.
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— Ralphie Notes …
Want to be the Ralphie know-it-all at your tailgate next weekend? Here are some Ralphie factoids …
- Ralphie is a girl. Ralphie has always been a female bison because of their size and temperament. Male bison can weigh 1,000 pounds more and stand a foot taller, while female bison typically have a more agreeable disposition.
- And a big one at that. Ralphie VII weighs almost 800 pounds and eats up to 30 pounds of hay per day. She also drinks 10 to 15 gallons of water daily. This fuels her to run up to 25 miles per hour on game days.
- Ralphie has been running for 59 years. In 1966, Ralphie stood on the sidelines but did not lead the team out on the field. Starting in the 1967 season, head coach Eddie Crowder approved the idea of the football team following her out on the field. CU beat Baylor 27-7 and the tradition of Ralphie leading the way stuck.
- The origins of Ralphie’s name are unclear. Initially called “Ralph”, her name was changed to Ralphie as a more fitting name for a female buffalo. Her original handlers still don’t agree on the origins, but the name became so iconic that even after Ralphie I’s retirement, each buffalo continued to carry the moniker.
- Seven different buffalo have served as Ralphie. Ralphie I retired in 1978, and the legacy continued with Ralphie II carrying the torch that same fall. Ralphie VII began her duties in 2025 and will continue to lead the Buffaloes on to the field this season.
- All seven Ralphies have been gifted to CU. The first Ralphie was donated to CU in 1966 by John Lowry, father of CU freshman Bill Lowery. The current Ralphie, Ralphie VII (“Brandy”), was raised and donated by the Beauprez family who have many proud CU alumni.
- Ralphie is kept on a private ranch in a secret location. Both Ralphie V and Ralphie VI are living out their retirements on the same ranch as Ralphie VII. The location is kept a secret to protect their well-being, safety and happiness.
- Ralphie is technically not a buffalo. Ralphie is officially classified as an American bison, but the term buffalo is commonly accepted and used to represent the historical significance to the American West. She is a genetically pure bison, with features of both woods and plains Bison subspecies. “Bison” and “buffalo” are used interchangeably, but a key difference is that buffalo is a cultural term, while bison is a scientific one.
- Ralphie is cared for by a team of student handlers. Over 100 CU students try out every year for a coveted few spots on her team. The men and women who run with Ralphie are known as “Ralphie Handlers” and train year-round to keep up with her.
- Ralphie is funded by CU fans and the Boulder community. In 1976, over $25,000 was donated to send Ralphie to the Orange Bowl and fund her future care. All of her feed, vet care and transportation are funded by generous CU donors who help to keep her running year after year.
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— Colorado and Georgia Tech – head-to-head
Colorado and Georgia Tech met for the first time last season, with the Yellow Jackets emerging with a 27-20 victory at Folsom Field. (My Essay for the game, “Reading the Tea Leaves“, can be read here).
There is, of course, a “history” between the two schools, as the Buffs and Yellow Jackets shared the 1990 national championship.
On the evening of January 1, 1991, No. 1 Colorado defeated No. 5 Notre Dame, 10-9, in the Orange Bowl. Earlier in the day, No. 2 Georgia Tech defeated No. 19 Nebraska in the Florida Citrus Bowl, 45-21. For once, CU fans were cheering for Nebraska, so, naturally, Nebraska tanked the game, surrendering the most points ever given up by a Nebraska squad in a bowl game.
Bowl victories in hand, January 2, 1991, became a day of celebration in both Boulder, Colorado, and Atlanta, Georgia. The two major polls, the Associated Press poll of the nation’s sportswriters and the United Press International poll of college coaches, were split. The AP poll gave the national championship to Colorado; the UPI poll gave the nod to Georgia Tech.
The Associated Press poll was the fifth tightest in the 55-year history of the poll. Colorado received 39 of the 60 first place votes, while Georgia Tech received 20 and Miami one. Overall, CU received a total of 1475 poll points; Georgia Tech 1441.
In the United Press International poll, the margin was even slimmer. Georgia Tech received 30 first place votes to 27 for Colorado (and two for Miami). In the point totals, though, the Yellow Jackets just edged out the Buffs, 847-846. It was widely reported that the last coach to vote came in at 5:15 Eastern Time on January 2nd. At the time, the vote was dead even. At the time – and for decades afterword – Nebraska’s Tom Osborne refused comment as to whether his vote denied Colorado the consensus national title, but Missouri head coach Bob Stull, whose team had been victimized by the “Fifth Down” controversy, indicated that he had in fact voted for Colorado.
But, 35 years after the fact, Tom Osborne admitted he was one of the coaches who switched his vote to Georgia Tech, preventing his rival from being named a unanimous national champion.
From USA Today … Nearly 35 years later, former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne finally is willing to talk about which team he voted to win the national championship for the 1990 college football season.
Did he select Big Eight Conference rival Colorado as the nation’s No. 1 team after the Buffaloes beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1991?
Or did he instead coronate Georgia Tech, which beat his Nebraska team that same day in the Citrus Bowl?
Osborne, 88, discussed it by phone with USA TODAY Sports as Colorado and coach Deion Sanders prepare to face Georgia Tech in a season-opening game in Boulder on Friday, August 29th. It will be the first meeting of Colorado and Georgia Tech despite forever being linked by what happened in the voting for that national championship.
“If you wanted to know how I voted, I did vote for Georgia Tech,” Osborne said.
Osborne was seen as an important vote because his team was the only one that played both teams in the 1990 season. He previously has declined to talk about it publicly, even though many speculated he voted Georgia Tech No. 1, perhaps even to deny league foe Colorado of a national championship prize that he had had yet to win.
Osborne denies he did it to spite Colorado. “I would never do that,” he said.
… Continue reading story here …
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“We would like to have won it (unanimously)”, said Colorado head coach Bill McCartney upon returning home to Colorado, concluding that coming out on top of the majority of all of the polls was “good enough for us”. In all, Colorado finished first in the Associated Press poll, the USA Today/CNN poll, the National poll, and the Scripps Howard power rankings. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, bested the Buffs in the UPI poll and the Scripps Howard writers poll.
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— Colorado and Georgia Tech … historical
— In the 12 statistical categories tracked by Winsipedia, Colorado leads in six; Georgia Tech leads in six.
— Both schools have been playing football since the 1890s. Georgia Tech has the edge in all-time wins (782 to 745) and all-time winning percentage (.584 to .565). The Yellow Jackets built up a nice lead in both categories when Georgia Tech was coached by John Heisman (yes, that John Heisman) between 1904-17. During that span, Georgia Tech went 102-29-7, winning the national championship in 1917. That being said, Georgia Tech, formerly coached by the Heisman namesake, has never had a Heisman winner. CU, of course, has had two (Rashaan Salaam in 1994; Travis Hunter in 2024).
— On CU’s side of the ledger … the Buffs have the advantage in categories such as consensus All-Americans (33 to 22), NFL draft picks (293-223), and conference championships (26 to 15).
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— Colorado and Georgia Tech … Notes and Numbers
— Georgia Tech started out as Georgia School of Technology, switching to the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1948. The school fight song, “The Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech” is based on the older English and Scottish drinking song, “Son of a Gambolier”. The “Ramblin’ Wreck” mascot is a 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe, which has been the school’s official mascot since 1961;
— The aforementioned John Heisman was Georgia Tech’s head coach in 1916, when the Yellow Jackets posted the most lopsided win in college football history, defeating Cumberland, 222-0. Why the rout? Heisman said he intended the victory to belittle the sportswriters who focused on the number of points scored instead of the skill of the players, and also to get even with Cumberland for defeating his baseball team by using ringers;
— During the Heisman era, Georgia Tech picked up the nickname “Golden Tornadoes” … but the nickname didn’t last. In addition to the “Yellow Jackets”, Georgia Tech teams have also been known as the “Engineers” and “Blacksmiths” The Yellow Jacket mascot, who looks like a bumblebee, is known as “Buzz”.
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Big 12 Notes …
— Four Big 12 teams ranked … The Big 12 Conference placed four football programs in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 with Texas Tech its highest ranked team at No. 12. BYU (14th), Utah (21st) and Houston (23rd) round out the league’s ranked teams, with Arizona, TCU, and Oklahoma State (which hasn’t won a Big 12 game since 2023) the Big 12 representatives in receiving votes. (Georgia Tech also received votes, coming in a tie for 39th).
— Big 12 This-and-That … 15 teams of the 16 Big 12 teams are in action this weekend, with TCU taking the weekend off after losing to North Carolina, 15-10, in Dublin, Ireland. Other notes …
- Big 12 teams will take the field on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, which includes three games against Power Four opponents. Colorado plays at Georgia Tech on Thursday, Cincinnati faces Boston College at home on Saturday, and Baylor takes on Auburn in Atlanta on Saturday;
- The Conference will have four head coaches making their Big 12 debuts this week; Iowa State’s Jimmy Rogers, K-State’s Collin Klein, Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris and Utah’s Morgan Scalley;
- No other conference in America has more go-ahead scores in the final two minutes of games over the last two seasons than the Big 12 with 25.
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