By: Joe Cardoso
Last weekend in Colorado was a MOVIE, it was a long one like a Lord of The Rings type flick but like any good movie if you stayed up until the end it was well worth it. The Rocky Mountain was off the hook and when the final whistle blew CU was 3-0 and still the talk of the college football world. With rating numbers through the roof, and revenue things in Boulder have never been better. Yet again we saw a star-packed sideline all trying to get some of the vibes of Coach Prime and this team that has multiple bandwagons on the road. But, now comes the really hard part a game on the road against a team with firepower and a home-field advantage that ranks at the tops of college football.
Add in the loss of do-everything athlete Travis Hunter and the odds are not in the favor of the hottest team/story in America to date. One thing Deion Sanders always asks is do you believe today is a true test for his team and some of the insta Buff fans. The haters have their tweets saved in their drafts and have been waiting to see Colorado fall and fall hard. One thing I have learned through 3 games is that this team will come ready to play and won’t just roll over. Their head coach knows that his team is still learning
“We haven’t played a complete game,” Sanders said. “We have not played a game where the offense, defense as well as special teams has all shown up in the same manner.
It will 100% take a complete effort to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the young 2023 season and it will start with this defense playing its best game and holding the Ducks at bay. It’s corny but you can’t stop Oregon you can only hope to slow them down and make plays when you have chances which is where turnovers will come into play. Oregon has dominated the series against Colorado recently. The Ducks have won three in a row in the series and nine of the last 10 and lead the all-time series 15-9. Last season Oregon blew out the Buffaloes, 49-10, in Boulder a game Buff fans want to forget. He has been hit a ton and on the run a ton but when it comes time to step up Shedeur Sanders has come up BIG and is a legit Heisman Trophy candidate if you didn’t know.
Bo Nix has been ballin out of control and has a running mate in RB Bucky Irving a nice 1-2 punch and a part of why the oddsmakers have Oregon as a 21-point favorite. The Buffs rank 122nd in run defense and have been struggling to get off the field on 3rd down two things that spell doom when you are trying to pull off an upset.
Do I want Colorado to win? Of course, I do this story has been super cool, and living in Colorado adds to it, but the professional in me says that it’s close for maybe a quarter, and then the Ducks roll big. A loss won’t end the Colorado Buffaloes story and still sets up for a juicy matchup at home versus USC at home. I can’t be the only one who is wondering who will be at that game and also the Williams vs. Sanders QB matchup.
The bandwagon will be a little lighter and folks who have been waiting to trash Coach Prime and Colorado will have their moment but it won’t matter because the transformation of this program is still happening and I for one love the show. Who had this team making a bowl game at the start of the season Because it WILL happen and I BELIEVE. #GoBuffs