by How Legit Are the Colorado Buffaloes?
The biggest headline of the weekend took place in Fort Worth, TX when Colorado knocked off reigning national runner-up #17 TCU in a 45-42 thriller. Even though there is a little too much hype revolving around this program right now in my opinion with Deion pulling the “I got receipts” card on reporters and the mainstream media acting like they won a national title, most of us need to readjust our expectations of the Buffs.
It’s not an overreaction to say that this team has a good shot at potentially being bowl eligible and they very well may win 5-6 games. The presence of elite talent is crystal clear. Shedeur Sanders just dropped 510 yards through the air, Dylan Edwards is a bell-cow RB, and Travis Hunter is doing Charles Woodson-type things.
But let’s not forget that it’s only been one game.
Hate me or love me, if these two played again tomorrow, I would take TCU… but I would certainly not take TCU by 20.5 points. The spotlight is on how electric Colorado’s offense was (which it was), but let’s not overshadow the fact that TCU finished with 24 less total yards and just three fewer points.
This TCU team lost a ton of production in the offseason too, including their biggest names on offense and OC Garrett Riley. New OC Kendal Briles did well chalking up the Horned Frog offense on Saturday afternoon, but it was evident that Sean Lewis (Colorado’s OC) simply outcoached him, especially in the final quarter. That was a key difference.
I’m not here to be a pessimist, I’m here to be a realist. Deion put so much preparation into this game and next week’s game vs Nebraska during the preseason that it makes you wonder how they stand against the rest of the Pac-12 field. Can Hunter really play 129 snaps every game? How will depth concerns affect this team down the road? What will happen when Colorado runs into a superior defense?
Look, I think that what Deion is doing is amazing content and great for the sport. Good for him and good for this Colorado program that desperately needed a spark after decades of underachievement. But let’s pump the brakes a little and wait to see how good these Buffs really are when they travel to Eugene on Sept. 23.