For the first time in 11 years, the Colorado Buffaloes are a ranked football team.
The Buffs were ranked No. 21 in The Associated Press poll released Sunday and landed at No. 23 in the coaches’ poll.
CU, which beat Oregon State 47-6 on Saturday to move to 4-1 and 2-0 in the Pac-12, is ranked for the first time since Nov. 6, 2005, when the Buffs were ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the coaches’ poll. That team dropped out of the rankings the next week after a loss to Iowa State.
The Buffs are in first place in the Pac-12 South division and play at Southern Cal at 2 p.m. MDT Saturday.
The debut in the polls is just the latest step in a resurgent season for the Buffs under fourth-year coach Mike MacIntyre. The Buffs entered the season with only two wins in conference play in the previous three seasons, but MacIntyre insists he saw the turnaround coming.
“What they’ve been through has fortified them as a group of men,” he said after Saturday’s victory. “It’s also given them an unbelievable depth in character as far as understanding, ‘Never say die, never give up.’ ”
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Support around the program has grown as well. The 46,839 fans at Saturday’s game marked the largest attendance at Folsom Field since MacIntyre took over the program before the 2013 season.
“We almost packed this place out at a 12:30 p.m. game,” senior center Alex Kelley said. “It’s never happened before. The main thing is not letting it get to your head and realizing that every week is a new week.”
CU was one of four Pac-12 teams in the AP poll, joining Washington (No. 5), Stanford (No. 15) and Utah (No. 24).
Air Force, which is 4-0 after a 28-14 victory over Navy on Saturday, was among those receiving votes in both the AP and coaches polls.
AP poll
| Team | Record | Points | Pv. Rank |
| 1. Alabama (53) | 5-0 | 1,514 | 1 |
| 2. Ohio State (6) | 4-0 | 1,451 | 2 |
| 3. Clemson (1) | 5-0 | 1,403 | 5 |
| 4. Michigan (1) | 5-0 | 1,334 | 4 |
| 5. Washington | 5-0 | 1,234 | 10 |
| 6. Houston | 5-0 | 1,233 | 6 |
| 7. Louisville | 4-1 | 1,160 | 3 |
| 8. Texas A&M | 5-0 | 1,113 | 9 |
| 9. Tennessee | 5-0 | 1,045 | 11 |
| 10. Miami (FL) | 4-0 | 909 | 14 |
| 11. Wisconsin | 4-1 | 882 | 8 |
| 12. Nebraska | 5-0 | 821 | 15 |
| 13. Baylor | 5-0 | 805 | 13 |
| 14. Mississippi | 3-2 | 712 | 16 |
| 15. Stanford | 3-1 | 711 | 7 |
| 16. Arkansas | 4-1 | 528 | 20 |
| 17. North Carolina | 4-1 | 497 | – |
| 18. Florida | 4-1 | 391 | 23 |
| 19. Boise State | 4-0 | 385 | 24 |
| 20. Oklahoma | 2-2 | 324 | – |
| 21. Colorado | 4-1 | 276 | – |
| 22. West Virginia | 4-0 | 240 | – |
| 23. Florida State | 3-2 | 230 | 12 |
| 24. Utah | 4-1 | 86 | 18 |
| 25. Virginia Tech | 3-1 | 85 | – |
| Dropped out of rankings: Michigan State (17), San Diego State (19), TCU (21), Texas (22), Georgia (25). | |||
| Other’s receiving votes: W. Michigan 76, UCLA 56, LSU 49, North Dakota St. 46, Auburn 46, Georgia 42, Oklahoma St. 41, TCU 26, Maryland 23, Air Force 17, San Diego St. 10, Michigan St. 7, South Florida 6, Arizona St. 4, California 3, Indiana 3, Texas 1. | |||