Kiz: In two seasons as coach of the CU Buffs, Mike MacIntyre has won six games. Total. But with a gorgeous new football facility nearing completion, experienced quarterback Sefo Liufau in charge of the offense and a smile plastered on MacIntyre’s face, could it be the Buffs are ready to rise from the ashes of a lost decade? Demps, dare we dream of CU winning seven games in 2015 to earn a bowl bid?
Dempsey: So you decided to test a former Buff to see if I’d lead with my head or my heart? Well, I’m conflicted. CU lost four games last season by five points or fewer and two went to double overtime. I’ll take it as a good sign that if close losses turn into close wins, a turnaround is possible. But I’ll believe it when I see something different on the field. Until a team does it, and actually looks like the team it says it wants to be, then dreaming about a bowl is all we’ll be able to do.
Kiz: The schedule is begging for the Buffs to succeed. Starting with a road trip to paradise, the four games in September look like a day at the beach: Hawaii, UMass, Colorado State and Nicholls State. Meaning no disrespect to the Rams, but that nonconference slate is a hand-delivered invitation for CU to take a 4-0 record into Pac-12 competition. Upset Arizona at home and beat lowly Washington State on the road, and the final game against Utah would have bowl buzz attached.
Dempsey: I don’t think the CSU game is a gimme. The Rams have too much talent, which they are placing in the NFL of late, to simply put a check mark in the win column there. But even if the Buffs are 3-1 coming out of the nonconference schedule, this is the biggest problem: CU plays in arguably the best division in college football. Other than CU, every team in the Pac-12 South is ranked except Utah — and the Utes are receiving votes. The most winnable Pac-12 games on CU’s schedule are played on the road, making those tough too. And no bye week — oy, my head hurts.
Kiz: OK, I have tried to paint this CU season in the best possible light. Now let’s get real: At the skill positions, the Buffs have talent. In the trenches, on both sides of the football, it’s evident this rebuilding project has a long way to go. So what are the realistic chances of CU producing a 7-6 record? I would put it — optimistically — at 25 percent. But the Buffs must win their opener at Hawaii, or their chances of earning a bowl trip drop to less than zero.
Dempsey: They will win at Hawaii. I think. Wait. Yes, they will. Seriously, the only part of this that matters is the conference schedule. CU will win enough nonconference games to make a bowl berth possible, but I hope the Oregon-at Arizona State-Arizona opening to CU’s Pac-12 schedule doesn’t quickly deflate the season. And after having said all that … bowl, baby! The heart always wins.
