NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
It was a LONG time ago when Bill McCartney took the Colorado Buffaloes to the National Championship. Since then it’s been a lot of up-and-down seasons, and last season was as bad as it gets. To get the program back on track and in front of a national audience the Buffaloes got flashy and expensive luggage in the form of new head coach Deion Sanders aka “Coach Prime”. This is totally out of the norm for the University to shell out this amount of money and give Deion full control of everything. Soon as I walked on campus, I could feel the energy and vibe and it was so positive.
After a hell of a run at Jackson State the NFL Hall of Famer gets his shot at a Power 5 school in a major conference and all eyes and ears are on him. Since his presser, it has been nonstop cleaning house and starting a new culture with a roster overhaul and upgraded facilities. I am on social media a LOT some would say too much and I would love to know what college football program is crushing it like the Colorado Buffaloes, from YouTube to Instagram the wave of QUALITY content is nonstop. But, football is played on the field not paper or cell phone screens so what can we expect from the 2023 Buffs?
Colorado Buffaloes Offense:
Record: 4-8 (97th of 130) (Schedule & Results)
Conference: Pac-12 (South Division)
Conference Record: 3-6
Coach: Karl Dorrell (4-8)
Points For: 225
Points/G: 18.8 (121st of 130)
Points Against: 320
Opp Pts/G: 26.7 (72nd of 130)
SRS: -6.60 (103rd of 130)
SOS: 1.65 (51st of 130)
(Stats Via 2021 Colorado Buffaloes Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com)
Things HAVE to get better on this side of the ball, don’t they? Being at the bottom of every category in the conference and towards the bottom nationally as well. They get Maxwell Award watch list QB Shedeur Sanders who now gets to be on a bigger stage and show us what he’s got besides a famous father. He has put up awesome numbers but how does that transfer to D1? And God forbid he gets injured 3 freshmen wait in the wings.
The running backs will be led by Houston transfer Alton McCaskill along with a true freshman by the name of Dylan Edwards a 5’9 ball of dynamite. A theme from top to bottom with this roster is new faces and wide receiver is no different, with a couple of South Florida transfers and Travis Hunter who likes coach Prime is a dynamic two-way player and former top-rated prospect.
Be ready for weekly highlights from Hunter on both sides of the ball. He and Sanders should be staples on viral videos all season long. None of that matters if the offensive line doesn’t protect and create running lanes. The numbers are 14 linemen on scholarship and 10 have been starters last year. Sounds good until you find out on 2 have power five experience, not to mention playing together for the first time. Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan and Van Wells return making up 2 of the ten players back from last season. This is a work in progress in the truest sense. 11 transfers make up the depth and who starts and shines will be found out in real time.
Colorado Buffaloes Defense:
On day one the Buffs have an outstanding cornerback duo in Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain playmakers who will give QBs nightmares. After that, it is a parade of transfers looking to make a mark and earn playing time with plenty of opportunities to be had. Linebacker showcases players from big-name schools that are now under the spotlight. LeVonta Bentley who played four seasons for the Tigers.
Jordan Domineck comes in from Arkansas and Demouy Kennedy left Alabama for Boulder. As the season goes this group should show major improvement over last year’s unit. New household names will pop up and get on our radar. Can the front four create pressure and open up things for the talented secondary?
Conclusion:
We have never seen what Coach Prime is doing this year. A total roster and program overhaul and a schedule that is NOT full of cupcakes. Will they make noise in their final Pac-12 season? I see an upset or two in the cards and if they can put points on the board things could get interesting. The college football world will be watching and a program that was an afterthought for years is now front and center.
Moving to the Big 12 was a masterstroke for recruiting and overall chances of being a big player in the CFB landscape. Sanders knows how to build up the hype and today’s player buys into that. Now the real challenge comes in the form of wins and putting the Buffs back on the map. Save the receipts because something tells me the Coach Haters are going to be deleting tweets and walking back comments. Remember kid’s screenshots last forever.
I picked a great time to move to Colorado! Represent the Buffs with the latest gear from our partners over at Fanatics.
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