What's the biggest "What if" in CU football history?

[The Alabaster Yak]

I thought this was an interesting question. What if Bill McCartney didn't retire when he did? What if CU's administration didn't self-impose recruiting sanctions? What if CU hired a different coach after Barnett or after Hawkins? What are some good "what ifs" in CU football history?

 

[hokiehead]

what if CU hadn't left the XII for the Pac?
what if the refs hadn't given the 5th down in the Mizzou game in 1990?
what if we hadn't lost to Illinois in 1990?
what if the 1990 MNC for coaches poll hadn't gone to GIT? what if the 1990 MNC hadn't been split at all?
what if the CUAD had fired HCMM after the 2017 debacle of a season?
what if CUAD never hired Mel Tucker?

 

[Darth Snow]

What if CU had taken Frazier instead of Kordell?

 

[Big Jim]

What if Barnett hadn't said "not only is she a girl".

 

[darth-horax]

What if Kordell gets sacked against Michigan?
What if Sefo stays healthy against Michigan and beyond?

 

[skibum]

I think the biggest "what if," *by far* is what if CU had stayed in the Mountain States Conference in 1947-48 instead of jumping to the old Missouri Valley Conference to become the 7th member of what was then the "Big 6."

 

[Duff Man]

My main two:

What if CU and Texas had accepted invites to the Pac 10 in 1994?

What if CU had done a national search after McCartney retired?

 

[Buffnik]

What if Tom Osborn had taken the job?

 

[Fight CU]

What if D2 Danny never left Boise State

 

[Bliff Cranch]

What if no clipping penalty on Ismail return?

 

[SINKRATZ]

What if Ochs hadn’t thrown that interception against Fresno State in 2001.

 

[96BUFFS5504]

1990 Orange Bowl. Buffs fail to score on several opportunities early and then lose the momentum to ND in the second half.

Would have ended a magical season perfectly.

 

[Gary Indiana]

It's very telling of the CU mindset that half of the "What Ifs" that people are coming up with would actually negatively impact the Buffs. We can't even fantasize properly. Can't we just dream, people!!

 

[vinniew_11]

What if Carson Palmer and Junior Seau committed to CU?

 

[96 Buff]

What if the Buffs hadn't stepped on their dicks against Nebraska in 1994?

 

[96 Buff]

What if the administration for the past 20 years actually gave a **** about winning?

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

What if Ochs hadn’t thrown that interception against Fresno State in 2001.

I thought about this one, but the only answer I came up with was that they would have earned the right to get their ass kicked by Miami in the natty, instead of Oregon in the Fiesta. Not sure it would have mattered much in the long run.

 

[goalline]

What if Embree had plenty of water bottles?

 

[Leon Sandcastle]

This is a HUGE overlooked turning point in the program in my opinion:

What if EB and Embree never left to go to UCLA, and Jeremy Maclin, MJD and Mercedes Lewis kept their commitment as a result.

 

[Duff Man]

What if Kubiak actually takes the job in 1999?

 

[14er]

What if Bob Simmons was hired instead of Neuheisel?

 

[Leon Sandcastle]

What if Marolt couldn't talk Mac out of taking the SMU job

 

[FlaBuff]

What if you jokers bought just a few more 12ers of Pepsi?!?

 

[-BMP-]

What if we had kept blue as a primary color?

 

[hokiehead]

what if many 5 star recruits valued the outdoor recreational opportunities in the state as much as the rest of us transplants do.

 

[FlaBuff]

What if we had kept blue as a primary color?

Well for one thing I’d have been FlaBulldog, or FlaPirate, or FlaMiddie…

 

[hokiehead]

what if Denver didn't have an NFL team?

 

[skibum]

what if Denver didn't have an NFL team?

Hokie wins /thread.

 

[CarolinaBuff]

What if we hadn't shot ourselves in the foot against ND in the first Orange Bowl against them? Should have had 21 points at the half.

 

[PAC MAN]

What if Dan Hawkins actually ran out the clock at KU instead of padding Cody’s stats?