Troy Renck: We could not live, laugh and love in these conditions. College football lost all traction last season. CSU fired its coach, and CU fell from grace with a thud. The last time CU and CSU both started a season 1-0, the Macarena was the most popular song and “Clueless” shaped fashion trends. It was 1996, and, if we are being honest, we did not expect history to repeat itself. The Rams were supposed to win because they were at home. The Buffs were not because they were underdogs on the road. CSU turned Canvas Stadium into the Heisman Hauss, and Julian Lewis, after an underwhelming three-and-half quarters, played with a slow heartbeat when it mattered most. So who had the most impressive victory: the Rams or the Buffs?
Sean Keeler: With no respect whatsoever for Weber State, which visits CU on Saturday; and Southern Utah, which plays to CSU later that day, you’d have to go all the way back to 1994 to find the last time the Buffs and Rams both started a season 2-0. (I mean, yeah, that’s in part because they usually played one another within the first two weeks of the season, but when everybody’s smiling on a Labor Day Monday, why get pedantic?) CSU’s win felt better, largely because it came with shaming Wyoming and hoisting a sacred trophy. But that mean ol’ CFP selection committee doesn’t give a flip about your feelings. For committee purposes, CU’s win was “better” from a resume perspective. Power 4 opponent. In Atlanta. Historic building. Historic foe. Name-brand pelt to stick on the wall. Deion wins the weekend by one of Ralphie’s hairs.
Renck: For me, the answer is easy: CU. The Buffs have made the Rockies look functional in visiting parks over the past two decades. In fact, CU snapped a seven-game road losing skid with the 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech when counting the Alamo Bowl. Did the Buffs benefit from Boo Carter getting an early start on the blocked kick as time expired? Probably. But CU need not apologize for any road triumph. Ever. Besides, the Buffs dominated the stat sheet, showing physicality in running the ball and stopping the Yellow Jackets’ ground attack. That victory could be the difference between qualifying for a bowl or not. It makes it more impressive than CSU’s opener, even if the Rams walked away with a cool trophy.
Keeler: And our AI computer overlords agree. Or, at least, some of the nerds who program them do, at least. Statnik Kenneth Massey, used to be part of the old Bowl Championship Series formula, also tracks schools that move the most in his rankings in any given week. No FBS team had a bigger jump in the Massey Ratings from Week 0 to Week 1 than the Buffs, who hopped from No. 73 nationally before the game to No. 38 after. CSU, funny enough, experienced the fifth-highest single-week jump in the country, to No. 92 from No 114 before the contest. Which was good, mind you. Just not Coach Prime good.
Renck: Not going to lie. Watching the Rams left me squinting in disbelief. It was hard to remember the last time CSU had outstanding quarterback play — Hauss Hejny put on a show with five touchdowns — and an opportunistic defense. With 76 new players, the Rams were a mystery to everyone, including themselves. But for all the goosebumps, they were supposed to do this in Jim Mora’s debut. Wyoming is not good. And the Rams’ new coach is built to win games like this. CU hasn’t won many games like last Thursday under Deion Sanders, or anyone else, over the last 20 years. It might turn out that Georgia Tech is bad this season, entirely possible with the Temu Mendoza at quarterback. In the present, CU beat a good team away from Boulder and that makes it a bigger deal than the party in Fort Fun on Saturday.
Keeler: And the best part? Other than the fact that we have two more winnable games on tap for the Buffs and Rams this weekend? Neither CU nor CSU played remotely close to their best in Week 1. And both teams finished strong. And Sanders and Mora won while playing styles that belied their respective preseason expectations. The Buffs, whom we presumed would be chucking it 38-40 times, instead ran the ball with authority against, historically, one of the more physical defenses in the ACC. The Rams, who got more preseason ink for their tackles and tight ends, landed a five-TD passing night from a CSU QB for the first time in five years. The overall takeaway from Week 1? Expect the unexpected, my friend. And without warning.
