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Woelk's Best and Worst

BuffNut99

Club Member
Club Member
I thought a pretty darn good list:

In honor of Colorado`s upcoming 15th -- and very possibly final -- year in the Big 12, here`s one completely arbitrary list of CU`s best and worst moments in the league (with the disclaimer that I`m quite sure I`ve forgotten deserving moments in each category):
Best -- Can`t separate these two.
On Nov. 23, 2001, Gary Barnett`s Buffs shocked the college football world by pummeling No. 2 and previously unbeaten Nebraska, 62-36, behind six touchdowns from Chris Brown. The win ended a nine-game CU losing streak to the Huskers -- but perhaps more importantly, signaled the beginning of the end of the Huskers` dominance in the Big 12.
Eight days later, Barnett`s Buffs struck again, knocking off No. 3 Texas, 39-37. The victory moved the Buffs up to No. 3 in the national rankings and earned Colorado a Fiesta Bowl berth.
Worst -- Might get some argument here from some corners, but the 70-3 loss to Texas in the 2005 Big 12 title game makes the top of this worst moments list on the field because of the score, the stage (national television) and the ensuing fallout. The defeat was CU`s third straight in a stretch that saw the Buffs outscored 130-22, and it proved to be Barnett`s last game as the Buffs` head coach.
Best -- Led by sophomore guard Chauncey Billups, Colorado knocked off Bobby Knight`s Indiana Hoosiers in the first round of the 1997 NCAA basketball tournament. Ricardo Patton`s Buffs finished 22-10 that season (11-5 and second in the Big 12). After beating Indiana, the Buffs took a shot at another legend -- North Carolina`s Dean Smith -- and actually led the Tar Heels at the half before falling, 73-56, in the second round.
Worst -- The recruiting "scandal" and its ensuing fallout is tops for off-the-field moments. Before all was said and done, CU lost its president, chancellor, athletic director and football coach -- but not before some of those administrators imposed a ridiculous set of recruiting restrictions that did nothing but hamper adepartment already reeling from the allegations.
Best -- Led by double-digit scorers Erin Scholz, Raegan Scott and La Shena Graham, Ceal Barry`s CU women`s basketball team wins the inaugural Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City in 1997. The Buffs then beat Marshall and Stephen F. Austin before falling to Tennessee in the Buffs` fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons.
Worst -- One of the saddest moments not just in Big 12 history, but in the annals of college sports. A couple of hours after the Oklahoma State men`s basketball team played in Boulder in January 2001, one of three planes carrying OSU staff and players crashed near Byers. Two players and eight staff members died.
Best -- After trailing No. 3 Oklahoma 24-7 in the third quarter in 2007, Dan Hawkins` Buffs rallied to stun the Sooners, 27-24, on Kevin Eberhart`s 45-yard field goal as time expired.
Worst -- Take your pick here: Jeremy Aldrich`s missed field goal in 1999 against Nebraska in the waning moments of regulation, or Alex Henery`s 57-yard kick for Nebraska (the longest in NU history) with 1:43 remaining in the 2009 game. Both resulted in heartbreaking Buff losses.
Best -- Maybe the biggest upset on this list. In 2008, CU hosted the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Buffs had never been a threat to win a conference track title -- until that season, when Mark Wetmore`s Buff men stunned the conference by winning the league championship on their home track.
Worst -- After the wins over Nebraska and Texas in 2001, the Buffs spent several weeks talking about why they belonged in the national title game. Oregon then showed which team actually got the shaft by throttling the Buffs, 38-16, in the Fiesta Bowl.
Best -- OK, this isn`t a specific moment; rather an acknowledgement of a dynasty. Wetmore`s CU cross country teams have won 12 conference men`s titles and 11 women`s crowns in the 14 years of the Big 12`s existence. They`ve also won three men`s NCAA championships and a pair of women`s titles. The list of All-Americans and Olympians is long. Try Adam Goucher, Shayne and Alan Culpepper, Dathan Ritzenhein, Kara Goucher, Billy Nelson, Jorge Torres and Jenny Barringer for a start.
Worst -- One thing nobody will miss when the Buffs leave the Big 12? The officiating. It started out bad and has gotten progressively worse over the years. Other conferences publicly admit when their officials make mistakes. The Big 12 doesn`t even have the courage to do that.
Best -- In January 2003, Stephane Pelle hit a jumper with 25 seconds left and Kansas misses three shots in the final seconds to give the Buffs a 60-59 win in Boulder, ending a 27-game losing streak to the Jayhawks.
Worst -- The 58-0 Colorado loss at Missouri in 2008. Not only was it a thumping in every sense of the word, it also ended CU`s 242-game scoring streak.
Best -- Led by Fran Munnelly, Bill Hempen`s 2003 soccer team defeats Nebraska, 3-1, in the regular season finale to clinch the program`s first regular season Big 12 title.
Worst -- In 2006, thanks to mounting budget woes, Colorado elects to cut the men`s tennis program.
Best -- It`s not often I`ll include a loss on a list of best moments, but the 17-12 CU defeat at Nebraska in Rick Neuheisel`s second year deserves mention. The Buffs were ranked fifth; Nebraska fourth. A dropped pass by a CU receiver (we won`t name names) makes the difference, but the Buffs still go on to defeat Washington in the Holiday Bowl and finish the season ranked eighth in the nation.
Worst -- In 2007, the NCAA hits Colorado with a number of sanctions because the athletic department had been undercharging non-scholarship players for training-table meals from 2000 to 2005. Barely a month later, the "violations" committed by CU were no longer even against NCAA rules.
Best -- Barry`s Buffs advance to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2002 with wins over Southern, No. 22 LSU and No. 5 Stanford before falling to Oklahoma.
Worst -- Colorado`s 19-10 loss to Montana State in Dan Hawkins` debut.
Best and worst -- In the fall of 2005, Buff golfer Edward McGlasson collected his first collegiate victory and immediately dedicated the victory to CU coach Mark Simpson. A couple of months later, Simpson died after a long battle with cancer.
Other memorable moments and figures: Chris Brown`s 1,744-yard rushing season and Heisman candidacy in 2002. ... A second-place conference finish by the men`s golf team in 2009. ... Jeremy Bloom`s electrifying presence on the field as a football player, and later on the slopes as an Olympian. ... A five-set home win by the volleyball team over No. 1 Nebraska in 2006. ... The CU men`s 2003 NCAA hoops tourney team with Pelle, David Harrison and Michel Morandais. ... Any one of Jenny Barringer`s multiple NCAA records. ... Any or all of soccer star Nikki Marshall`s goals.
PS - The "unnamed receiver" was Chris Anderson, and no I haven't forgiven...
 
the 03 men's hoops team beat two Final Four teams in Boulder that year: not only KU, but UT. That Buff team is one missed Michel Morandais FT in Lincoln from being in the top half of the NCAA bracket with a chance to really have a shot to make some noise (10-6 instead of 9-7 in conference play). Instead, in the 7-10 game IIRC, get the worst possible draw you can get in the NCAA: a talented Tom Izzo team that underachieved in the reg season. for reference: see last year's tournament. at 10-6 in conference, you are the 6 or 7 seed.....not the 10 playing Sparty.

Worst: in the same hoops related vein, i'd add the Patton team that beat Tech head to head, tied with them in the conference standings....and get passed over for Bobby Knight's team when the NCAA invites go out. Thanks a lot ratings and Dance hype machine.
 
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Best- 2008 CU wins a recruiting battle for the top RB prospect in the country. After a much publisized recruiting battle with Texas, Darrell Scott commits to becoming a Buff during ESPN's live coverage of national signing day.

Worst: In 2009, Darrell Scott announces his decission to quit the football team in the middle of his sophomore season. After nine months in limbo, Scott posts on Facebook that he'll be transferring to the University of South Florida. During his short stay in Boulder, Scott earned limited playing time behind Rodney Stewart. Coaches attributed absence from the starting line up to various injuries.
 
I would argue that losing to Montana State was far more embarrassing than losing to one of the best college football teams of all time. I think that is simple the author protecting Hawkins.
 
I would argue that losing to Montana State was far more embarrassing than losing to one of the best college football teams of all time. I think that is simple the author protecting Hawkins.

Relax, chief. I don't think the list was in order from most to least.
 
I would argue that losing to Montana State was far more embarrassing than losing to one of the best college football teams of all time. I think that is simple the author protecting Hawkins.

I don't know about that. The MSU game wasn't televised so people only knew about it by hearing. The 70-3 loss was during the Big 12 championship game that was watched by millions. Plus it was right after the big loss to the nubs that made our fans look like idots.
 
Doesn't any list like this have to include the loss to CSU in 2009 @ Folsom? A CSU team that ended up being the worst team in the history of the MWC. I know Montana State was "embarrasing", but you guys had to put up with our sh!t for an entire offseason. :)
 
I would argue that losing to Montana State was far more embarrassing than losing to one of the best college football teams of all time. I think that is simple the author protecting Hawkins.

I disagree, we were the North division champions and got throttled on a national stage by 67 points. I don't care if they were one of the best teams of all time, that was completely pathetic. No other game better displayed the talent disparity betwen the Big 12 South and North during the last decade.

Montana St, while awful, was the first game under an entirely new coaching staff with a roster talented enough to lose to UT by 67. In retrospect it was terrible because it proved to be a sign of things to come, but if Hawk was winning 8-9 games a season now it would be a small deal attributed to the lack of talent left by GB. I actually think the CSU loss last year was worse than Montana St.
 
I disagree, we were the North division champions and got throttled on a national stage by 67 points. I don't care if they were one of the best teams of all time, that was completely pathetic. No other game better displayed the talent disparity betwen the Big 12 South and North during the last decade.

Montana St, while awful, was the first game under an entirely new coaching staff with a roster talented enough to lose to UT by 67. In retrospect it was terrible because it proved to be a sign of things to come, but if Hawk was winning 8-9 games a season now it would be a small deal attributed to the lack of talent left by GB. I actually think the CSU loss last year was worse than Montana St.

Fact is no DH win should be on the list (including OU) because his losses are far worse. Hard to pick between losing to little brother, Montana State, Toledo, etc.

Simple fact is when we got thumped by TX it launched the DH era. That is equivalent to getting throttled twice in one game and helped launch one of the worst CU football eras in history. Hands down the worst moment for CU in the Big XII.
 
Well, that's a little much, CUFan. I agree overall, but the OU win can not be ignored. That win, in hindsight, is totally meaningless now, but at the time it was seen as THE moment things looked like they'd turn. It never happened, but I think many people saw that win as "Finally, this is the BSU coach we hired!" moment.
 
Just hard for me to put a meaningless win up there as one of the best moments. At the time it seemed like a turning point, but as you stated that was clearly not true.

Wouldn't the win against K State in 2001 in Manhattan qualify as far superior?
 
Just hard for me to put a meaningless win up there as one of the best moments. At the time it seemed like a turning point, but as you stated that was clearly not true.

Wouldn't the win against K State in 2001 in Manhattan qualify as far superior?

I don't care who was coaching, beating the #3 ranked Sooners after going down 24-7 was a GREAT moment. The fact that the team has never matched that level of play almost makes the OU win that much more impressive. I wouldn't call a game like that meaningless.
 
I don't care who was coaching, beating the #3 ranked Sooners after going down 24-7 was a GREAT moment. The fact that the team has never matched that level of play almost makes the OU win that much more impressive. I wouldn't call a game like that meaningless.

How could it not be meaningless? What did we gain from that win? The rally was a great rally and a moment to remember, but let's be honest it was a fluke.
 
How could it not be meaningless? What did we gain from that win? The rally was a great rally and a moment to remember, but let's be honest it was a fluke.

Huh? Fluke? Does CU in your name stand for Creighton?
 
Huh? Fluke? Does CU in your name stand for Creighton?

Was that win the turning point for future success? Did we consistently beat teams that were as good or even worse than us? I ask again, what did we gain from that win?

Without a doubt, that season was Hawkins best. There were some good wins, OU included, and even the comeback against Alabama was fun. There was cause for hope by the end of that season. However, that was fools gold. Therefore, it is hard for me to even consider putting a meaningless game in a list of GREAT moments.

Good win in my book. Team showed a lot heart.
 
Huh? Fluke? Does CU in your name stand for Creighton?

Based on what has happened since that day, I'd consider that win to be a fluke as well. He's right, what did that win accomplish? What was supposed to be a turning point, like the 1986 NU game, turned out to be a fun game to watch, but really nothing of significance to the program itself. We turned around and lost to Iowa State a couple weeks after that game. Meaningless.
 
This seems really familar to me. It sounds like the cu fan that was hoping we would lose so that we wouldn't go to a bowl game and the players could get healthy.
 
I don't know about that. The MSU game wasn't televised so people only knew about it by hearing. The 70-3 loss was during the Big 12 championship game that was watched by millions. Plus it was right after the big loss to the nubs that made our fans look like idots.

the texas game was worse... montana state sucked... and it was bad... but losing to tejas 70-3... even the 58-0 shutout was worse than montana state... the team on the field vs MSU was a weak team to begin with... and add a qb who shouldnt have been out there to begin with...and if you remember correctly... we were begging for hawk to take the redshirt off cody...
 
Doesn't any list like this have to include the loss to CSU in 2009 @ Folsom? A CSU team that ended up being the worst team in the history of the MWC. I know Montana State was "embarrasing", but you guys had to put up with our sh!t for an entire offseason. :)

It was truly embarrassing. However, the worst part was watching a bunch of morons jumping around on our field. Nice security...Hope we get to play up in Fort Collins sometime so we can all take a giant crap in the middle of that field.
 
How could it not be meaningless? What did we gain from that win? The rally was a great rally and a moment to remember, but let's be honest it was a fluke.

CU fans gained about 1,000 days of scoreboard over the Sooners. That might not mean much in the big scheme of things, but it's pretty damn meaningful when talking football in my neck of the woods.
 
It was truly embarrassing. However, the worst part was watching a bunch of morons jumping around on our field. Nice security...Hope we get to play up in Fort Collins sometime so we can all take a giant crap in the middle of that field.

ill drop a deuce in the middle of hughes
 
It was truly embarrassing. However, the worst part was watching a bunch of morons jumping around on our field. Nice security...Hope we get to play up in Fort Collins sometime so we can all take a giant crap in the middle of that field.

No one would notice.
 
the texas game was worse... montana state sucked... and it was bad... but losing to tejas 70-3... even the 58-0 shutout was worse than montana state... the team on the field vs MSU was a weak team to begin with... and add a qb who shouldnt have been out there to begin with...and if you remember correctly... we were begging for hawk to take the redshirt off cody...


So you agree with me? :lol:
 
Doesn't any list like this have to include the loss to CSU in 2009 @ Folsom? A CSU team that ended up being the worst team in the history of the MWC. I know Montana State was "embarrasing", but you guys had to put up with our sh!t for an entire offseason. :)

Sorry. Nope. The fact is that CSU is a meaningless game. CSU beats CU around 30% of the time. So it's not a complete shock. And due to how the BCS is structured, the loss to CSU has no impact on the conference results. As you know, winning the conference guarantees CU a birth in the BCS regardless of what happens during OOC. A loss to K-State or ISU is a bigger blow than the silly and meaningless loss to the lammies.

I also want to point out that CSU fans acted like a bunch of whiney low-rent punks when they 'boycotted' the 2009 game because it wasn't played at Invesco. Having 3K lammies in attendance (200 according to Dave Plati) isn't nearly as annoying as being overrun by 10k Husker fans who are neather cheap nor indifferent about their football team.

If it weren't for the dance on Ralphie, this year's game would be completely meaningless. Fairchild got the team ready to play and CSU deserved to win. Congrats.

Office Smack is the only downside with the CSU loss. Fortunately, not many CU grads stoop to work in the same vocations as Colorado State's former students. Fortunately for me, the only time I get greif about CSU's loss last season is limited and I can fix the problem by ordering my pizza from somebody else.
 
Based on what has happened since that day, I'd consider that win to be a fluke as well. He's right, what did that win accomplish? What was supposed to be a turning point, like the 1986 NU game, turned out to be a fun game to watch, but really nothing of significance to the program itself. We turned around and lost to Iowa State a couple weeks after that game. Meaningless.

Who cares if it was meaningless, it was a great win for CU. I didn't realize that importance or lack thereof, was indicative of a team deserving to win. My definition of a fluke is some bizarre play, that had nothing to do with effort, significantly impacting the outcome. As I recall, this was a hard fought win by the Buffs, nothing "flukey" about it.
 
How could it not be meaningless? What did we gain from that win? The rally was a great rally and a moment to remember, but let's be honest it was a fluke.

Well if we lose that game we end up with a losing record in the Big 12 and don't go to a bowl game, so it was definitely not meaningless.

A moment can be great on it's own merits, it doesn't have to lead to something greater to be significant. Do you also discount the Big 12 title victory since we went on to lay an egg in the Fiesta bowl?
 
Well if we lose that game we end up with a losing record in the Big 12 and don't go to a bowl game, so it was definitely not meaningless.

A moment can be great on it's own merits, it doesn't have to lead to something greater to be significant. Do you also discount the Big 12 title victory since we went on to lay an egg in the Fiesta bowl?

No I don't because we didn't lay an egg. We got spanked by a better team. At team that clearly should have been in NC game.

Not trying to get everyone worked up here, I just don't think it was one of the GREAT moments. Good to be sure. Just my opinion.
 
No I don't because we didn't lay an egg. We got spanked by a better team. At team that clearly should have been in NC game.

Not trying to get everyone worked up here, I just don't think it was one of the GREAT moments. Good to be sure. Just my opinion.

Semantics. "Great" in the Big 12 < Great in the Big 8.

Woelk might have used "Good" or "Didn't suck" instead.
 
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