The future of CU football

[skibum]

Folsom, Crowder, Mallory, Neuheisel*, Barnett - those are the "typical" coaches in CU's history. I'm pretty sure they all had teams finish in the top 10, they all won conference championships (except the weasel), they all had players get Heisman votes (I'm not 100% sure on that, but I'm nearly positive), they all had consensus All Americans play for them. None of them won MNCs.

We can achieve, and sustain, that level again.

Now, winning another MNC is going to require a coach like one of those above "catching lightning in a bottle" in a very special season - or - CU hiring another McCartney.

MM /= McCartney. So the open question for him is if he's a .500 coach who in a special season can have a team finish in the top 20, or if he's a .700 coach who can have a team finish in the top 5 when things really come together.

I'm still not sure, but the fact that he kept Walters around as long as he did, that Bernardi is still getting a paycheck, and that we're still worried about OL and DL depth 5 season in makes me suspect that his ceiling is top 20, not top 5.


*I debated putting the weasel on this list, but in the end, the average performance over his tenure is right in line with CU's general football history: very, very good - but not necessarily great.

 

[SKOBIZZLE]

Oh, okay. Based on what exactly? Please someone give me some conclusive evidence that shows that MM’s “ceiling” is a conference championship. You have no idea, you have no tangible way to prove this point. What if he had Alabama’s players? Georgia’s? Washington’s? Oklahoma? What happens now? He still can’t win? Or are we basing this “ceiling” off CU’s players and our level of recruiting? Because let’s be honest here people, you could bring in Nick Saban and the 2018 Buffaloes aren’t going to be leaps and bounds better under him.

When the Buffs faced off against Saban's Alabama it was the crossroads. Saban's first bowl at Alabama IIRC. Wasn't that in the era before Saban was able to bring in an extra load of coaches and call them 'consultants'? That game sent both programs on different trajectories, unfortunately for us.

They went on to win the BCS 2 years later, and we spiraled down the toilet. Point being that Saban was able to start implementing his whole system with recruiting, consultants, etc. with the support of the university after that while we languished in purgatory.

I'm happy that we are at least looking forward to Saturdays again.

 

[jizzrag85]

Folsom, Crowder, Mallory, Neuheisel*, Barnett - those are the "typical" coaches in CU's history. I'm pretty sure they all had teams finish in the top 10, they all won conference championships (except the weasel), they all had players get Heisman votes (I'm not 100% sure on that, but I'm nearly positive), they all had consensus All Americans play for them. None of them won MNCs.

We can achieve, and sustain, that level again.

Now, winning another MNC is going to require a coach like one of those above "catching lightning in a bottle" in a very special season - or - CU hiring another McCartney.

MM /= McCartney. So the open question for him is if he's a .500 coach who in a special season can have a team finish in the top 20, or if he's a .700 coach who can have a team finish in the top 5 when things really come together.

I'm still not sure, but the fact that he kept Walters around as long as he did, that Bernardi is still getting a paycheck, and that we're still worried about OL and DL depth 5 season in makes me suspect that his ceiling is top 20, not top 5.


*I debated putting the weasel on this list, but in the end, the average performance over his tenure is right in line with CU's general football history: very, very good - but not necessarily great.

College football is not what it was 20 years ago. The addition of Twitter and the internet has made it so kids know everything about every school at all times, it’s ridiculous. These kids are only interested in exposure and who is winning. They want flash and attention and they want what they see on TV. I was watching Friday night tykes on Netflix and the kids are 10 and they’re already talking about how they want to go to Oregon and other schools. We sucked and now we’re massively behind the 8 ball. I don’t think a new coach is going to just magically make 5* OL/DL start signing on the dotted line. But hey, I could be wrong too, just doesn’t seem reasonable.

When the Buffs faced off against Saban's Alabama it was the crossroads. Saban's first bowl at Alabama IIRC. Wasn't that in the era before Saban was able to bring in an extra load of coaches and call them 'consultants'? That game sent both programs on different trajectories, unfortunately for us.

They went on to win the BCS 2 years later, and we spiraled down the toilet. Point being that Saban was able to start implementing his whole system with recruiting, consultants, etc. with the support of the university after that while we languished in purgatory.

I'm happy that we are at least looking forward to Saturdays again.

Alabama has the advantage of the southern kids in Georgia, Florida etc. On top of the fact they won at the right time and it’s snow balled into a “everyone jump on the bandwagon” in recruiting. CU is at a distinct disadvantage. They don’t have a TON of GREAT Colorado talent, they haven’t been great recently and all the recruits who come here have to come from multiple states away. States where football is king and they can stay home and play for USC, Stanford, Texas, TTU or hop a state and go to Oklahoma.

 

[CUAviator]

Just so we're clear, football isn't king in CA but there are good players and good teams there. I fee like if we take a Stanford approach (which I sort of think we are), we do have the name recognition and history to be great again. Now we just need CU's marketing to get involved - I can go into any Lids in the country and find a UNC, Tennessee, UGA, ND, Oregon hat...even in places where people HATE those teams. The only place I will ever see a CU anything is in Boulder/Denver. They have more CSU crap at gas stations in the state of Colorado than they do CU stuff.

 

[jizzrag85]

Just so we're clear, football isn't king in CA but there are good players and good teams there. I fee like if we take a Stanford approach (which I sort of think we are), we do have the name recognition and history to be great again. Now we just need CU's marketing to get involved - I can go into any Lids in the country and find a UNC, Tennessee, UGA, ND, Oregon hat...even in places where people HATE those teams. The only place I will ever see a CU anything is in Boulder/Denver. They have more CSU crap at gas stations in the state of Colorado than they do CU stuff.

Yup. California has 5 nationally ranked high schools in the top 25 because it’s just another sport in the state.

 

[CUAviator]

Yup. California has 5 nationally ranked high schools in the top 25 because it’s just another sport in the state.

That's exactly what I'm saying. They are good, but it is just another sport in the state. People in CA don't go friggin' SEC/Texas bananas over the sport. In those states they make tv shows/movies about football, people talk endlessly about football, they close stores on game day, high school football players are celebrities, they don't have "alternative sports" like lacrosse/soccer/water polo/mathletics. Did you happen to see how many people showed up for Stanford's opening game v SDSU vs the number of people that sat through a tornado in Nebraska?

 

[jkppkjjkp]

I was listening to 950’s pregame and they had Paul Klee from the CS Gazette. I think he’s a pretty good writer but haven’t read much of his stuff.

He said something that pissed me off. Essentially he said “CU will never attain the success they had in the 90’s. In good years they will win 7 or 8 games and go to a decent bowl game.”

I think that is a bunch of BS and still believe CU can be an elite program. Am I guilty of viewing CU through black and gold glasses?

I mean, you have to go all the way back to 2016 to find a 10 win CU team that won it's division.

In average years they can win 7-8 games, and in good years win 10-12 games.

 

[TimmyDUBs]

I mean, you have to go all the way back to 2016 to find a 10 win CU team that won it's division.

In average years they can win 7-8 games, and in good years win 10-12 games.

I’m still waiting for this to be the norm, rather than the 1-5 wins we’ve had every season except one anomaly during the past decade.

 

[jizzrag85]

That's exactly what I'm saying. They are good, but it is just another sport in the state. People in CA don't go friggin' SEC/Texas bananas over the sport. In those states they make tv shows/movies about football, people talk endlessly about football, they close stores on game day, high school football players are celebrities, they don't have "alternative sports" like lacrosse/soccer/water polo/mathletics. Did you happen to see how many people showed up for Stanford's opening game v SDSU vs the number of people that sat through a tornado in Nebraska?

Okay, true I’ll give you that. Those inbreds are something.

 

[lvbuff]

I’m just happy that I can watch the Buffs every fall. The 2018 team appears to have some good athletes. I hope they go undefeated.

On another note. Those who say CU needs another coach at this juncture to get to the next level are forgetting the set back in recruiting that always happens. It seems that MM has his finger on the pulse of his team at this time.

 

[SINKRATZ]

I’m just happy that I can watch the Buffs every fall. The 2018 team appears to have some good athletes. I hope they go undefeated.

On another note. Those who say CU needs another coach at this juncture to get to the next level are forgetting the set back in recruiting that always happens. It seems that MM has his finger on the pulse of his team at this time.

I'm not ready to get rid of Mac, but the bolded is just not true. Take a look at Michigan, or Texas, or Texas A&M, or Oregon after they brought in new coaches and see what happened to their recruiting.

 

[Duff Man]

I hope the Buffs go undefeated as well.

 

[Joe Theismann's Leg]

^THIS

I have no idea where this stuff comes from. How can the program be at a point where the ceiling is a 7 or 8 win season when we won 10 games just 2 seasons ago?

Same thing with people who say that the upside with MacIntyre is 7 or 8 wins when he won 10 here in 2016.

It's like that season didn't even happen with some people.

Really, it's just one season ago until this season is over...

This is just a case of sports radio knuckleheads trying to rile up fans. At a time when the Rockies are competing for a playoff spot, the NFL season is about to start, the NBA season is a month away it actually says a lot that he thinks he can get some play out of anti-Buffs stuff.

 

[ahoelsken]

I’m just happy that I can watch the Buffs every fall. The 2018 team appears to have some good athletes. I hope they go undefeated.

On another note. Those who say CU needs another coach at this juncture to get to the next level are forgetting the set back in recruiting that always happens. It seems that MM has his finger on the pulse of his team at this time.

We all do, but let's keep this in mind-Friday's result said a lot more about how bad Colorado State is than how good we might be. We'll know a lot more about what we have after this game.

 

[VCBuff]

Just so we're clear, football isn't king in CA but there are good players and good teams there. I fee like if we take a Stanford approach (which I sort of think we are), we do have the name recognition and history to be great again. Now we just need CU's marketing to get involved - I can go into any Lids in the country and find a UNC, Tennessee, UGA, ND, Oregon hat...even in places where people HATE those teams. The only place I will ever see a CU anything is in Boulder/Denver. They have more CSU crap at gas stations in the state of Colorado than they do CU stuff.

This kills me. I live in San Diego and I can't find a sports store carrying CU gear anywhere. These same stores usually have a few options for schools that you mentioned.

 

[FlatironsBuff]

P

College football is not what it was 20 years ago. The addition of Twitter and the internet has made it so kids know everything about every school at all times, it’s ridiculous. These kids are only interested in exposure and who is winning. They want flash and attention and they want what they see on TV. I was watching Friday night tykes on Netflix and the kids are 10 and they’re already talking about how they want to go to Oregon and other schools. We sucked and now we’re massively behind the 8 ball. I don’t think a new coach is going to just magically make 5* OL/DL start signing on the dotted line. But hey, I could be wrong too, just doesn’t seem reasonable.




Alabama has the advantage of the southern kids in Georgia, Florida etc. On top of the fact they won at the right time and it’s snow balled into a “everyone jump on the bandwagon” in recruiting. CU is at a distinct disadvantage. They don’t have a TON of GREAT Colorado talent, they haven’t been great recently and all the recruits who come here have to come from multiple states away. States where football is king and they can stay home and play for USC, Stanford, Texas, TTU or hop a state and go to Oklahoma.

Plus Saban came in after winning a MNC at LSU only four years earlier. Still had that smell of a MNC winning coach to recruits. That didn’t hurt him any.