RENO, Nev. — At the halfway point of the season, Alabama and Colorado State are both 5-1.
That’s barely tolerable at Alabama, where Dee Hart — now the Rams’ leading rusher with 543 yards and a nearly 7-yard average per carry — played in 2012 and 2013.
It’s rarefied atmosphere for the Rams.
“Why not?” Hart asked after a 31-24 victory over Nevada on Saturday night. “Why not? A lot of people talk about Alabama, but this is a new beginning here. We talk about a climb too. … Hey, we want to win like everybody else wants to win. Why not 5-1? Why not 6-0?”
Hart’s infectious attitude has contributed to the raising of standards in the CSU program. It’s subtle, and it’s more about aura than it is easily pinpointed. He already has become a leader, and it’s impressive because this isn’t a Disney movie. Rather than rushing for 250 yards on 40 carries a game for his new team and becoming a Heisman Trophy contender, he has been more solid than spectacular.
Hart has earned as much admiration for often running more like a fullback or a hard-nosed I-formation tailback than a game-breaking star halfback.
When he arrived in Fort Collins, his teammates knew most of the basics: One of the highest-profile high school recruits in the country when he signed with Alabama in February 2011, Hart was “Coach Mac’s” guy.
At least as a running back, Hart had been a washout at Alabama, mainly because of knee injuries and the deep talent pool. He was a productive special-teams player, and both he and coach Nick Saban toyed with the idea of switching him to defensive back. But that wasn’t what he had come to Alabama to do, and his disappointment was difficult to hide. Yet that, plus some off-the-field distractions, didn’t prevent him from obtaining a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in three years.
At least the latter part was in the “plan” McElwain, as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, had outlined to Hart’s grandmother, uncle, plus coaches and administrators at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips High School when on the recruiting trail.
As it turned out, the diploma enabled Hart to be immediately eligible to play for the Rams this season after transferring, and being a key cog in the Rams’ progress in their third year under McElwain.
There’s no sense pretending that the Rams are among the nation’s elite. They’re not. But they’re darned good, fun to watch, well-coached, likable and getting the most out of what they have while beating, among others, power conference members Colorado and Boston College.
With the power five leagues on the verge of autonomy in such things as paying players beyond free schooling, the gap between those leagues and the Mountain West and the other four “nonpower” conferences will widen.
It’s not defeatist or a contradiction to say ambition can continue to be raised in Fort Collins while conceding it’s going to be more difficult than ever for a team from a second-tier conference to break through. With all due respect to the great years under Sonny Lubick, once the new rules kick in, McElwain — or any successors — will be facing even longer odds of having the Rams in the national rankings at the end of a season.
I’m convinced there soon will be a single 32-team super league at a new top level of the college game, with the have-nots in the current power football conferences being left behind. At some point, the best thing for all would be to add classifications and enable those outside the powerhouse (competitively and financially) programs to have a chance at a national title at another level.
But at CSU this season, we’re seeing an example of how giving a player a second chance in a second-tier program in this current system can be good for all concerned.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
