DENVER – Colorado was unable to follow up on its surprising run to the Pac-12 South division title in 2016, tumbling to the basement a year ago as part of a disappointing campaign that did not include a bowl game. Now, the Buffaloes are looking to bounce back as they kick off the new season Friday night against rival Colorado State at Broncos Stadium in Denver.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Colorado -7.5
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Colorado’s 5-7 record in 2017 marked the program’s 11th losing season in the last 12 and the fourth in five years under coach Mike MacIntyre, who is 12-33 in league play since coming to Boulder from San Jose State.
The Buffaloes must rebuild after losing 12 starters, including running back Phillip Lindsay, the program’s all-purpose yards leader, and a talented trio of wide receivers.
“Yeah, it’s a lot more fun to be in first place than down where we were (in 2017),” MacIntyre told reporters in July during his Pac-12 media days news conference. “We lost a lot of good players (from) the year before and so we had some guys out there who were a little bit newer. We didn’t quite make enough situational plays in some games.”
Colorado State has its own questions to answer following a disappointing 43-34 season-opening home loss Saturday to Hawaii, which entered the game as a two-touchdown underdog.
ABOUT COLORADO (2017: 5-7)
The Buffaloes will at least have an experienced starter returning under center in junior Steven Montez, who threw for 2,975 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and is second among the Pac-12 returning total-offense leaders at 276.1 yards per game.
Only three other offensive starters are back, though, and none of them are wide receivers Bryce Bobo, Shay Fields or Devin Ross - who combined for 151 catches, 1,824 yards and 11 TDs a season ago.
The defensive picture is brighter for Colorado with its top three tacklers returning in linebackers Drew Lewis and Rick Gamboa and safety Evan Worthington.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE (0-1)
A dearth of defense was the primary issue in the Rams’ loss Saturday as Hawaii jumped out to a 37-7 lead and finished with 617 yards of total offense, including 514 and five total TDs from quarterback Cole McDonald.
New starting quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, a graduate transfer from Washington, nearly rallied the Rams - completing 34-of-50 passes for 537 yards and five TDs. Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo called offensive plays from the coaches box after returning to practice late last week following a 10-day stay in the hospital while dealing with peripheral neuropathy.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Colorado owns a 65-22-2 advantage in the Rocky Mountain Showdown series, including 17-3 and 44-7 wins the last two seasons.
2. Worthington was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention selection in 2017 and is the latest standout in the Colorado secondary, which has produced a quartet of top four-round NFL Draft picks in the last two drafts.
3. Colorado State enters the season with a run of five straight bowl appearances and is looking to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2013.
PREDICTION: Colorado 34, Colorado State 16