Colorado football coach Jon Embree had just reached the podium when, during his first Pac-12 news conference two months ago in Los Angeles, he was asked about the Buffaloes’ demanding 2011 schedule.
Jon, after you signed on the dotted line, what did you tell athletic director Mike Bohn about the schedule you were handed?
Embree smiled. He reminded the reporter that he had coached in the NFL for four years.
“Our players should be excited about it,” Embree said. “I just told Mike Bohn I was glad he didn’t put the Packers on there.”
Colorado (1-2) completes its nonconference schedule today (1:30 p.m., KMGH-7) against traditional powerhouse Ohio State (2-1) in Columbus.
The Buckeyes struggled last weekend in a 24-6 loss at Miami, but coming into Ohio Stadium usually presents a monumental challenge. Ohio State has won 56 consecutive regular-season nonconference games against teams not ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.
A crowd of more than 102,000 is expected. And unlike some bowl-shaped stadiums, the venerable “Horseshoe” holds the crowd noise.
“This is the reason why you play college football, a reason why I wanted to play at CU,” Buffs senior quarterback Tyler Hansen said. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere, playing on national television, playing in a big stadium like that. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Bookmakers made Colorado about a 15-point underdog, but there appears no better time to play the Buckeyes, who have been sluggish on offense, with suspensions of its top players at running back (Dan Herron), wide receiver (DeVier Posey) and on the offensive line (Mike Adams). In addition, freshman quarterback Braxton Miller will make his first start.
“At Colorado, we’ve always played tough schedules,” said Embree, a tight end for the Buffs in the 1980s under Bill McCartney and later an assistant coach at his alma mater for a decade. “My philosophy is to play who’s in front of you.”
Colorado has sought to schedule games against two marquee nonconference opponents, preferably at least one of those at home. It happened this year because California was previously scheduled as a nonconference opponent before CU joined the league, and then Ohio State was added.
The contract for today’s game in Columbus was signed 12 months ago. Colorado had an opening because the NCAA allows teams that play in Hawaii to schedule an extra 13th game to help defray expenses incurred during the trip to the islands. Colorado is guaranteed at least a $1.4 million payday today.
Bohn said Colorado’s scheduling philosophy will change now that the Buffs are in the Pac-12 and will play a nine-game conference schedule rather than the eight-game slate of past years.
Bohn acknowledged that the 2011 schedule Embree inherited may not be ideal for a first- year coach trying to rebuild a program.
“All the pieces, independently of playing Hawaii, Cal and Ohio State this year, in addition to Colorado State, that made a lot of sense,” Bohn said. “But when all those games are forced into one particular season, it puts a lot of strain on us.”
In the future, look for Colorado to soften its nonconference schedule.
“We’ll look for a marquee, cross-sectional game from time to time,” Bohn said. “But we’ll also try to provide some balance and hopefully try to instill some confidence early in our team and give this coaching staff an opportunity to build a program.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
