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By Stuart
Not for the Faint of Heart
Six straight losing seasons … A 3-10 record in 2011 … No offensive skill position starters returning … Best player on the team, Paul Richardson, already lost for the season due to injury … A defensive line so thin the team couldn’t even conduct a normal spring game … A team ranked 100th or worse last season in rushing offense, scoring offense, total defense, scoring defense, punt returns and kickoff returns …
Need I go on?
Unfortunately, the preseason prognosticators will have no choice but to go on … and on. With pages to fill in their preseason magazines, it will be hard to find an optimistice tone in any 2012 predictions. The odds of Colorado cracking the Top 25 are astronomical (Las Vegas has the chances of CU winning the national championship pegged at 500-to-1, odds similar to teams like Hawai’i, Syracuse and Nevada), so don’t look for any preseason picks to buck the trend and consider the Buffs to be a title contending team.
Still, the beat goes on, and the predictions are coming out. Below is a repository for what is being said …
The Orlando Sentinel does an annual countdown of teams, starting with No. 120. It would be nice to get into June or July before appearing, but the Buffs are already on the list, at No. 99. Ranked just ahead of Colorado is Mississippi (2-10, 0-8 in the SEC in 2011), while just behind, at No. 100, is New Mexico State (4-9, 2-5 in the WAC last season).
The only teams on the Buffs’ 2012 schedule ranked behind Colorado are CU’s first three opponents: Colorado State (No. 105); Fresno State (No. 109); and Sacramento State (a 1-AA school, and No. 121 by default).
Part of what the Sentinel had to say:
Strengths: With only 10 returning starters, experience will be at a premium for this team this season. That being said, the defensive unit returns six starters including linebacker Jon Major, who was the team’s leading tackler in 2011. Major, along with Douglas Rippy and Derrick Webb make up the most experience part of the squad: linebackers. Ray Polk, who was tied for second on the team in total tackles (80) and interceptions (1), leads the secondary. The offensive line returns three starters including center Gus Handler. That group will be called upon to provide support to an inexperienced offense.
Weaknesses: Plain and simple, the offense is going to take a huge step back this season with the loss of Tyler Hansen and Rodney Stewart. The pair combined for over 3,500 yards of total offense and 27 touchdowns last season. Nick Hirschman was expected to be the leading candidate for the starting job but the sophomore broke his foot in the spring opening the door for Connor Wood. It could be Wood’s job to lose. Tony Jones will step up in the run department. The New Jersey freshman rushed for 297 yards and two touchdowns as a backup to Stewart.
Outlook: Colorado fans will need lots of patience over this next season as Embree continues to mold this team into his vision. With only 10 returning starters from a three-win squad, it’s not going to be pretty for much of the year. However, with lots of young talent on this team, the Buffaloes can set the stage for bigger and better things in the future. Colorado needs to hope for a quick start to the season with some winnable games against Colorado State, Sacramento State and Fresno State because after that, the schedule gets much tougher with road games at USC and at Oregon along with home contests against Stanford, Washington and Utah.
Other rankings …
Both ESPN and The Sporting News have issued their ranking of Pac-12 coaches. Colorado’s Jon Embree, entering his second season in Boulder after a 3-10 start, is ranked last by both publications.
Here’s what The Sporting News had to say about Jon Embree:
He’s at his alma mater, which is nice. He closed his first season with two Pac-12 wins in the final three games—including a truly surprising victory at Utah—which was something to build on. Not all is bad for Embree and the Buffs. And yet this is clearly the program that’s furthest from competing for a league championship. Embree puts his heart into the job and is easy to root for because of his genuine enthusiasm, but he has yet to prove himself to anyone as a head coach.
Trending: Flat. Nick Saban wouldn’t have had a winning season at CU in 2011.*
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie
Not for the Faint of Heart
Six straight losing seasons … A 3-10 record in 2011 … No offensive skill position starters returning … Best player on the team, Paul Richardson, already lost for the season due to injury … A defensive line so thin the team couldn’t even conduct a normal spring game … A team ranked 100th or worse last season in rushing offense, scoring offense, total defense, scoring defense, punt returns and kickoff returns …
Need I go on?
Unfortunately, the preseason prognosticators will have no choice but to go on … and on. With pages to fill in their preseason magazines, it will be hard to find an optimistice tone in any 2012 predictions. The odds of Colorado cracking the Top 25 are astronomical (Las Vegas has the chances of CU winning the national championship pegged at 500-to-1, odds similar to teams like Hawai’i, Syracuse and Nevada), so don’t look for any preseason picks to buck the trend and consider the Buffs to be a title contending team.
Still, the beat goes on, and the predictions are coming out. Below is a repository for what is being said …
The Orlando Sentinel does an annual countdown of teams, starting with No. 120. It would be nice to get into June or July before appearing, but the Buffs are already on the list, at No. 99. Ranked just ahead of Colorado is Mississippi (2-10, 0-8 in the SEC in 2011), while just behind, at No. 100, is New Mexico State (4-9, 2-5 in the WAC last season).
The only teams on the Buffs’ 2012 schedule ranked behind Colorado are CU’s first three opponents: Colorado State (No. 105); Fresno State (No. 109); and Sacramento State (a 1-AA school, and No. 121 by default).
Part of what the Sentinel had to say:
Strengths: With only 10 returning starters, experience will be at a premium for this team this season. That being said, the defensive unit returns six starters including linebacker Jon Major, who was the team’s leading tackler in 2011. Major, along with Douglas Rippy and Derrick Webb make up the most experience part of the squad: linebackers. Ray Polk, who was tied for second on the team in total tackles (80) and interceptions (1), leads the secondary. The offensive line returns three starters including center Gus Handler. That group will be called upon to provide support to an inexperienced offense.
Weaknesses: Plain and simple, the offense is going to take a huge step back this season with the loss of Tyler Hansen and Rodney Stewart. The pair combined for over 3,500 yards of total offense and 27 touchdowns last season. Nick Hirschman was expected to be the leading candidate for the starting job but the sophomore broke his foot in the spring opening the door for Connor Wood. It could be Wood’s job to lose. Tony Jones will step up in the run department. The New Jersey freshman rushed for 297 yards and two touchdowns as a backup to Stewart.
Outlook: Colorado fans will need lots of patience over this next season as Embree continues to mold this team into his vision. With only 10 returning starters from a three-win squad, it’s not going to be pretty for much of the year. However, with lots of young talent on this team, the Buffaloes can set the stage for bigger and better things in the future. Colorado needs to hope for a quick start to the season with some winnable games against Colorado State, Sacramento State and Fresno State because after that, the schedule gets much tougher with road games at USC and at Oregon along with home contests against Stanford, Washington and Utah.
Other rankings …
Both ESPN and The Sporting News have issued their ranking of Pac-12 coaches. Colorado’s Jon Embree, entering his second season in Boulder after a 3-10 start, is ranked last by both publications.
Here’s what The Sporting News had to say about Jon Embree:
He’s at his alma mater, which is nice. He closed his first season with two Pac-12 wins in the final three games—including a truly surprising victory at Utah—which was something to build on. Not all is bad for Embree and the Buffs. And yet this is clearly the program that’s furthest from competing for a league championship. Embree puts his heart into the job and is easy to root for because of his genuine enthusiasm, but he has yet to prove himself to anyone as a head coach.
Trending: Flat. Nick Saban wouldn’t have had a winning season at CU in 2011.*
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie
