What's new
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

pivotal year...

Liver

modded mod
Club Member
Junta Member
as we sit here in the dog days of summer, eagerly awaiting the tiniest tidbit of Buff news, is it not abundantly clear to all how important this year is?

nearly every football related post speculates on the staff's future or discusses the "minimum number of wins."

i know that a lot of folks have lost some faith. after 3 crappy seasons, it is pretty easy to do. and, i am still not sold that these guys know how to do it in the big leagues. but, rather than recount all the many reasons for concern, i think i'll highlight a few positives that may mean something.

1. we've got more potential difference-makers at more positions than we've had for a few years. the last few years, i've had a hard time identifying very many legit b12 stars on the roster. but, now, we've at least got a few guys who appear to have the makings of being really good in a really tough league. you can't win in this league without athletes. while we still don't have enough and the ones we have are still not all experienced enough, at least we've got some guys that might make the other team worry a bit.

2. the schedule, especially by CU standards, isn't that daunting. there are some definite challenges and some potential for getting jumped, but if the Buffs are going to be competitive in the near future, they should be able to manage this schedule.

3. i would hope that 3 years has helped instill the hawkins way of doing things. everyone pulling on the same end of the rope is important. i know there is dissent and there have been transfers, but i would hope that they all know what is expected of them in terms of practice and prep and execution, even if they don't necessarily like or agree with the coaching.

i really don't see a 10+ win season, but i'd love to be surprised. stranger things have happened, especially when a team gets on a roll and starts believing in itself.

i hope they've got this thing wired this year. if not, we are going to be looking for a new coach and in rebuilding mode again, sooner rather than later....
 
2. the schedule, especially by CU standards, isn't that daunting. there are some definite challenges and some potential for getting jumped, but if the Buffs are going to be competitive in the near future, they should be able to manage this schedule.

For me, this is the most important aspect of this season. Our schedule is about as favorable as it gets in a major conference. There are some tough road games (WVU, UT, OSU) but we also have a schedule that has the potential for us to go undefeated at home (yeah, I said it:thumbsup:).
 
I am really looking forward to our home north games. We have never lost to Kansas 4 straight years, and while KU has takent the last 3, all of them were winnable by the buffs especially in '06 and '07.

Mizzou is on both homecoming and halloween, this SHOULD be a night game, If it is the crowd will be electric. We seriously need to pay Mizzou back for the last two years, Mizzou has lost a lot, especially on offense, need to win this one!

I want the fuskers bad. They stole that one from us last year on a lucky kick, we had that game dammit! I hate those close call losses over Nebraska, need to pay them back.
 
I am really looking forward to our home north games. We have never lost to Kansas 4 straight years, and while KU has takent the last 3, all of them were winnable by the buffs especially in '06 and '07.

Mizzou is on both homecoming and halloween, this SHOULD be a night game, If it is the crowd will be electric. We seriously need to pay Mizzou back for the last two years, Mizzou has lost a lot, especially on offense, need to win this one!

I want the fuskers bad. They stole that one from us last year on a lucky kick, we had that game dammit! I hate those close call losses over Nebraska, need to pay them back.

I have to agree with you on all accounts, except the Huskers didn't steel the game last year with a lucky kick. The Husker kicker is really that good and he is a good kid too. It was a good game. Played tough on both sides of the ball by each team. There were both good and bad breaks delt to both teams by the officials. That is the way sports goes.

But I am sure that game will P!$$ off lots of Buff fans when they look back at it and as the next game in Boulder approaches.
 
This season it's definitely "put up or shut up" for the Hawkins regime. If it goes like I think, the Buffs return to prominence, we reel in an excellent recruiting class, and Hawkins begins a decade+ run of success at CU to end his career.
 
This season it's definitely "put up or shut up" for the Hawkins regime. If it goes like I think, the Buffs return to prominence, we reel in an excellent recruiting class, and Hawkins begins a decade+ run of success at CU to end his career.

Yep. And conversely, if Hawk lays another egg, recruiting drops off and they're back to rebuilding.
 
I look at this season in 3 sections....

Should be wins - no excuses- CSU,TOLEDO,WYOMING,A&M , Iowa state.

Games at home we need to win- missouri ,kansas and nebraska

Games we'll be hard pressed to win-WV,TEXAS,OKIE STATE



I see us going 5-0 in the first group, 2-1 in the second group and 0-3 in the 3rd group with WV being the wild-card.

So, I'm saying 7-5 with a bowl win 8-5 for 2009
 
I look at this season in 3 sections....

Should be wins - no excuses- CSU,TOLEDO,WYOMING,A&M , Iowa state.

Games at home we need to win- missouri ,kansas and nebraska

Games we'll be hard pressed to win-WV,TEXAS,OKIE STATE



I see us going 5-0 in the first group, 2-1 in the second group and 0-3 in the 3rd group with WV being the wild-card.

So, I'm saying 7-5 with a bowl win 8-5 for 2009

I don't see why most people count the nb game as a should win and the wvu game as a hard pressed win.
 
I don't see why most people count the nb game as a should win and the wvu game as a hard pressed win.

WV is a road game, cu on the road under hawk is bad. Devine and that wr jock saunders will give cu all they can handle. Morgantown is a tough place to play.

Nebraska is at home and despite how injury plagued CU was, they came within a 57 yd fg of winning in lincoln.

Their top 2 wr's are gone,as is ganz and lucky. Their defense will eb good and that rb is tough but, CU better win that game at home and I think they will.
 
I look at this season in 3 sections....

Should be wins - no excuses- CSU,TOLEDO,WYOMING,A&M , Iowa state.

Games at home we need to win- missouri ,kansas and nebraska

Games we'll be hard pressed to win-WV,TEXAS,OKIE STATE



I see us going 5-0 in the first group, 2-1 in the second group and 0-3 in the 3rd group with WV being the wild-card.

So, I'm saying 7-5 with a bowl win 8-5 for 2009

8-4 unless you think we'll lose to Kjuco. 9-4 with bowl win.
 
I only see one "no hoper" on the schedule, and that's at UT. Every other game is winable, IMO. UT is a legit contender for the MNC, and winning there would be a miracle. OSU is good, but not world beaters, and the same can be said for WVA.

This is a pivotal year. I'll be very disappointed with anything less than 8 wins.
 
I only see one "no hoper" on the schedule, and that's at UT. Every other game is winable, IMO. UT is a legit contender for the MNC, and winning there would be a miracle. OSU is good, but not world beaters, and the same can be said for WVA.

This is a pivotal year. I'll be very disappointed with anything less than 8 wins.

I'm shoulder to shoulder with you on your post.:thumbsup:
 
I have to agree with you on all accounts, except the Huskers didn't steel the game last year with a lucky kick. The Husker kicker is really that good and he is a good kid too. It was a good game. Played tough on both sides of the ball by each team. There were both good and bad breaks delt to both teams by the officials. That is the way sports goes.

But I am sure that game will P!$$ off lots of Buff fans when they look back at it and as the next game in Boulder approaches.
I just re-watched that game 2 days ago. It was very different from what I recall. My impression from watching this time was that both teams played well, both teams made mistakes and both teams got lucky. The CU team came to play, got off to a quick start and bitch slapped the fuskers early. The fuskers regrouped, stayed in it and toward the end clearly had the physical edge as they ran over the top of the Buff D. Pretty even match. Lucky kick at the end made the difference.

As for your kicker, let's be honest, that was completely a lucky shot. 50-50 at best. I do give him credit for delivering in the clutch which is extremely important. CU used to have that, we were spoiled with it until Crosby left, and now it's obvious how bad we are in that area. You have the edge there without question, but let's not pretend your kicker is going to be contending for any awards. He's an average to slightly below average kicker who delivered a career and program record kick in the clutch. Nice job kid. Enjoy your best day and the peak of your football career as much as possible. Then make sure you get a degree before you leave Fuskerville because your next sport will be in a suit behind a desk.
 
I only see one "no hoper" on the schedule, and that's at UT. Every other game is winable, IMO. UT is a legit contender for the MNC, and winning there would be a miracle. OSU is good, but not world beaters, and the same can be said for WVA.

This is a pivotal year. I'll be very disappointed with anything less than 8 wins.

With so many questions from last year left unanswered how can anyone say that?

Hawkins probably put his foot in his mouth.
 
With so many questions from last year left unanswered how can anyone say that?

Hawkins probably put his foot in his mouth, again.


FIFY.:smile2:

It seems only yesterday I was reading a Hawk quote saying, "We're going to win now, with what we have". Must be my imagination....
 
Last edited:
With so many questions from last year left unanswered how can anyone say that?

Hawkins probably put his foot in his mouth.

It has more to do with the quality of the competition than anything else. UT is a truly elite football team, but none of the other schools on the schedule are in that same category. Go down our schedule, and every single team has just as many questions as we have, save for UT. That's how anyone (and in this particular case, I) can say that.
 
WVU will be worse than most people think and Missouri will be better than most people think, IMO.

I thin there are serious questions in Morgantown about whether Stewart is the right guy for that job, plus they lost their best player and QB.

Mizzou lost some talent for sure, but I just don't see them falling that far in 1 year (I hope I'm wrong).

I think we can have a very good season, but I don't see us getting through KU, MU, and NU unscathed.

8-4 sounds right to me with losses to Texas, OSU, Mizzou, and KSU (we seem to lose a game we shouldn't every year, I think at KSU seems like that game this year).
 
Mizzou lost some talent for sure, but I just don't see them falling that far in 1 year (I hope I'm wrong).

They lost a TON, including their 3 year starting QB, their #1 WR and an All-American TE. That's a hell of a lot to absorb and just keep on going.

I took a look at their stats. They lost all of the following pass catchers from last year:

Jeremy Maclin - 1260 yards receiving
Chase Coffman - 987 yards
Tommy Saunders - 833 yards
Jared Perry - 567 yards
Danario Alexander - 329 yards

That's 3,976 of their 4,625 passing yards gone. And the guy who threw the ball is gone, too.

It looks like they must have lost some OL, too. They only have 1 SR on the OL this year.

Their defense was already ****ty last year, giving up almost 28ppg, they just had the offense to outscore people.
 
Mizzou has lost way too many players from last year's team that I would be very unhappy if CU loses to MU at home this season. MU would be the easiest out of the KU, MU, and NU trio to win in Boulder. CU should be able to go 3-0 against that trio at home.

KU, @ KSU, and MU will make or break CU's season and the Hawkins regime in Boulder.
 
as we sit here in the dog days of summer, eagerly awaiting the tiniest tidbit of Buff news, is it not abundantly clear to all how important this year is?

nearly every football related post speculates on the staff's future or discusses the "minimum number of wins."

i know that a lot of folks have lost some faith. after 3 crappy seasons, it is pretty easy to do. and, i am still not sold that these guys know how to do it in the big leagues. but, rather than recount all the many reasons for concern, i think i'll highlight a few positives that may mean something.

1. we've got more potential difference-makers at more positions than we've had for a few years. the last few years, i've had a hard time identifying very many legit b12 stars on the roster. but, now, we've at least got a few guys who appear to have the makings of being really good in a really tough league. you can't win in this league without athletes. while we still don't have enough and the ones we have are still not all experienced enough, at least we've got some guys that might make the other team worry a bit.

2. the schedule, especially by CU standards, isn't that daunting. there are some definite challenges and some potential for getting jumped, but if the Buffs are going to be competitive in the near future, they should be able to manage this schedule.

3. i would hope that 3 years has helped instill the hawkins way of doing things. everyone pulling on the same end of the rope is important. i know there is dissent and there have been transfers, but i would hope that they all know what is expected of them in terms of practice and prep and execution, even if they don't necessarily like or agree with the coaching.

i really don't see a 10+ win season, but i'd love to be surprised. stranger things have happened, especially when a team gets on a roll and starts believing in itself.

i hope they've got this thing wired this year. if not, we are going to be looking for a new coach and in rebuilding mode again, sooner rather than later....

Reading some of the message boards it appears that Hawkins credibility has taken a little bit of a hit. A lot more disgruntled fans than last year at this time. The Buffs need a good year...I don't think 7 wins quiets the fans very much. Hawkins needs to show this year that he can delivery on some of his claims.

I like your point about difference makers, CU needs some guys to stand up and take over a game. Like Dizon and Wheatley did at TT a couple of years ago - it seemed like they will CU to victory that game.
 
Reading some of the message boards it appears that Hawkins credibility has taken a little bit of a hit. A lot more disgruntled fans than last year at this time. The Buffs need a good year...I don't think 7 wins quiets the fans very much. Hawkins needs to show this year that he can delivery on some of his claims.

I like your point about difference makers, CU needs some guys to stand up and take over a game. Like Dizon and Wheatley did at TT a couple of years ago - it seemed like they will CU to victory that game.

I still think DH is the man for the job. BUT, he hasn't really shown a whole lot IMO. Beating OU was huge. Getting jobbed by Montana St. was huge, in a different way. After three years, you should see a difference in CU. This year is pivotal, and I for one, hope we start to see that mojo, funk in the trunk, be the bow, shaka zulu, mass amore gizmo translate into wins over everybody CU should beat and a couple of upsets. 8-4 is what I'm looking for.
 
It has more to do with the quality of the competition than anything else. UT is a truly elite football team, but none of the other schools on the schedule are in that same category. Go down our schedule, and every single team has just as many questions as we have, save for UT. That's how anyone (and in this particular case, I) can say that.

I see what your saying. We have the best schedule in awhile for a streak of wins.

My point was that last years team was such an aberration thats its hard to look at that campaign and make any kind of assumptions about improvement. I honestly have no clue what to predict. The lost players are not helping either.
 
They lost a TON, including their 3 year starting QB, their #1 WR and an All-American TE. That's a hell of a lot to absorb and just keep on going.

I took a look at their stats. They lost all of the following pass catchers from last year:

Jeremy Maclin - 1260 yards receiving
Chase Coffman - 987 yards
Tommy Saunders - 833 yards
Jared Perry - 567 yards
Danario Alexander - 329 yards

That's 3,976 of their 4,625 passing yards gone. And the guy who threw the ball is gone, too.

It looks like they must have lost some OL, too. They only have 1 SR on the OL this year.

Their defense was already ****ty last year, giving up almost 28ppg, they just had the offense to outscore people.

The underclassman scrimmaged against those guys which should have made them better players. Sort of like our dominant streak in the late 80s and early 90s there were skilled players waiting in the wings.

I think Missouri will not be very bad. But I agree with your point that a lot of weapons are off the table for them.
 
Thing about Mizzou is that Chase Daniel was born to run that offense. It was not much different than the offense he ran in high school. He was a perfect fit and you add in an elite playmaker like Maclin, that is some serious firepower. Gabbert was an elite high school QB, but it remains to be seen how well he can operate the offense. You have to think there will be some growing pains.
 
The underclassman scrimmaged against those guys which should have made them better players. Sort of like our dominant streak in the late 80s and early 90s there were skilled players waiting in the wings.

I think Missouri will not be very bad. But I agree with your point that a lot of weapons are off the table for them.

Mizzou always recruits well, but you can't just replace guys like Daniel, Maclin and Coffman. You can replace the role players easily, but those three were studs. I'm quite happy for them to be gone.

Not saying Mizzou will be terrible by any stretch, just that I expect them to revert back to the same old Mizzou they've always been. Always dangerous, but rarely great.
 
Back
Top