Okay, so normally The Roudnup will be in two parts posts Saturdays because there are so many games to get to and I don't want these individual blog posts to get too overwhelmingly long. In this case because tghe week isn't over and Colorado is about to kick its season off this afternoon, I've decided to go into three parts with this first part setting up the Buffs big rivalry game against Colorado State and parts two and three focusing on yesterday's action.
About Tonight:
Colorado vs. Colorado State, neutral site game from Denver, CO at 3:00 PM on CBS Sports Network. Line: Colorado State (-3)
The Mike MacIntyre era begins at Colorado with one of only a few games that the Buffs stand a chance at winning. It's going to be important in this game and for the entire season for Colorado to establish an identity and show who they are going to be as a team. Aside from a complete lack of talent, CU simply hasn't had any unique identity for about a decade. There has been nothing unique about Colorado football and no one thing to identify it by. When you think about Stanford you think about rotating lots of tight ends and running the ball with power. When you think of Oregon you think of incredibly fast paced football and athletic playmakers getting to the edge. When you think of Oregon State you think of disciplined and sound football and an offensive system predicated on fly sweeps and pre-snap motion causing confusion. You get the idea.
Everyone loves Ralphie, she's the best live mascot in the world but aside from the big lumbering Buffalo leading the team out of the tunnel, Colorado football has been simply devoid of an identity. In this game, MacIntyre needs to show the nation right away what his teams are going to be all about. How will they play? What will the playbooks look like? What will be the basic offensive plays and defensive schemes that they fall back on? Will they be a sound and disciplined team or a loose and attacking team. MacIntyre plans on being in Boulder for awhile and rebuilding the Buffs back to its glory days. If he is going to do that, he needs to establish what his program is going to be all about from day one.
As for the game, I'm having a really hard time projecting what will happen. Both teams aren't very good although I think the MacIntyre factor and getting a few players back from injury (namely game breaking wideout Paul Richardson) will make Colorado a little better. I think the Buffs understand that this is one of only two or three winnable games on their schedule and they want to get the MacIntyre era started on the right foot with a big win over their hated rival. I'm going to go ahead and take the points and say CU wins a weird, close game 25-23 but I couldn't be more unsure of that pick.
Record against the spread this season: 4-5
Record straight up this season: 6-3
Athletes in Space is named after ESPN/ABC's Kirk Herbstreit and his favorite saying that has spawned many drinking games. It is the most spectacularly mediocre Pac-12 Football and Men's Basketball blog on the internet and is filled with all the player analysis, game breakdowns, predictions, gambling advice, and news your pretty brain can handle. Owned and operated by Cam Stuerle, a lifelong Oregon fan, non-partisan writer, and an exiled college football lover living in Kelowna, BC, Canada.
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