Houston – In 12 months, Colorado has gone from counted out to counted on.
CU coach Gary Barnett knows how well his football team handles adversity. The question now is, how will the Buffaloes fare this season as favorites?
“We’re going to have to achieve from internal motivation,” Barnett said. “That’s the true test.”
Picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 North last year, motivation was as simple as posting an “Against All Odds” sign or preaching a “Nobody Believes In Us But Us” attitude. This year, 18 returning starters from an 8-5 team and a still-staggering North Division trying to find its legs have Colorado placed on top in the preseason media poll.
“Twelve months ago, we were on everyone’s bad list,” tight end Joe Klopfenstein said. “Everyone’s sort of forgotten about that and moved on.”
But not everyone is buying the hype.
“I don’t think there’s any team that can line up and if we play our best game and they play their best game, that can beat us,” Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer said.
The Cyclones appear to be the Buffs’ toughest competition in the North. Picked second in the preseason poll, Iowa State missed a chip-shot field goal in a late-season loss to Missouri that prevented its first trip to the Big 12 title game.
Barnett, meanwhile, coaxed another Big 12 title game appearance last season from a team most thought would flounder in the midst of off-field distractions. For CU to make its fourth trip to the Big 12 title game in five seasons, Barnett said the key is going to be how the Buffs – and everyone else – handle their business on the road.
“The North should be a crapshoot,” Barnett said. “The road (games) are going to be really critical. I know it is for us.”
Barnett compared this year’s team to the 1991 Buffs, who lost to Alabama in the Blockbuster Bowl and finished 8-3-1. He added that his 2005 Buffs are “a kind of team coming back where we don’t have any apparent weaknesses.”
Quarterback Joel Klatt simply says these Buffs are a more confident bunch than a year ago.
“It’s harder to play from adversity, because the confidence might not be there,” Klatt said. “You can talk about overconfidence or a team that’s hungry, but I’d rather be on a team that’s confident than a team that’s unsure of itself.
“Last year, I think we were a little unsure of ourselves, and it showed when we played really quality teams. Now, we know how we can play, and that’s the expectation, that’s our confidence level.”
Colorado’s biggest questions appear to be at running back and wide receiver. There is youth at both positions, and players in those areas have not shown they can produce consistently at a high level.
Barnett said sophomores Hugh Charles and Byron Ellis will be given the first opportunity to be CU’s tailbacks. Barnett would rather keep senior Lawrence Vickers as a full-time fullback, though he asked Vickers to drop 10 pounds to about 225 to be ready for more playing time, if need be.
“We are a better team when we have a legitimate tailback and Lawrence in there at fullback,” Barnett said. “He gives us flexibility.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-20-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
