2011 Bowl: N/A
Head Coach: Jon Embree
Odds to win Pac 12: 150/1
Odds to win Pac 12 South Div: 50/1
Futures from Bovada
Offense
Jordan Webb has been named the starting QB for the Buffaloes after a debacle that revolved around settling between he, Connor Wood, and Nick Hirschman. Webb is a former starter for the Kansas Jayhawks, but still has two years of eligibility to lace up for the Buffaloes. He’s the only QB on the roster with any real significant experience at the college level…
“Overall, I thought it went really well. There were some positives and some negatives I have to work on. But I think that’s the case with every player. We moved the ball well. We didn’t hit as many big plays as we have in practice. But I think that comes with the defense not wanting to get beat deep. We moved the ball very efficiently. That’s what we’re going to have to do to win.”
The running game should give Webb a lot of support. It’s led by tailback Tony Jones and a strong OL. LT David Bakhtiari made the All Pac 12 second team last year as a sophomore.
It’s the passing game that will be a problem for Webb, because they lost Paul Richardson to a knee injury in spring due to a knee injury. He was impressive last year against Cal when he caught 11 catches for 284 yards, but the Buffaloes still lost that game. WR, TE, RB all provide opportunities for true freshman to start, with little returning depth at the positions.
Defense
The offense wasn’t good last year, but the defense was equally as bad. They gave up more than 40 points and 500 yards of total offense in five straight weeks last year and finished ranked 89th nationally in stopping the run, 115th in passing defense, and 109th in scoring defense (allowing 36.5 points per contest).
The returning vets Wil Pericak, Douglas Rippy, Jon Major, and Ray Polk, will have to lead a class of freshman with them on the field. They have two four star recruits though in Yuri Wright and Kenneth Crawley, so they will have some talent to work with.
There’s just too many inexperienced players to expect much better from Colorado last year, and Athlon magazine predicts a 3-9 record with a completely winless Pac 12 schedule.
Special Teams
The Buffaloes must improve their punt and kickoff returns to have any chance of improving in the special teams area. They ranked 105th and 115th in the two respectively, and Embree said the return men would all be freshman. Will Oliver is a good place kicker and Darragh O’Neill a good punter, as both enter their sophomore seasons at Colorado.
Outlook
Youth can be looked at one of two ways: It gives hope for the future, but the inexperience leads to disappointment in the present. Considering both of these statements are true, the Buffaloes have little hope of doing well this year, but are hoping their freshman gain valuable experience and give them something to build on moving forward. At 200/1 odds to win the Pac 12, I think you see why Athlon predicted they go 0-9. No one has set the bar high for the Buffaloes.
