Quick Post: On Bakhtiari declaring for the NFL Draft

Fine, I'll talk about football.

The news has broken that CU's best offensive set-piece, David Bakhtiari, has decided he's had enough of this losing crap, and is turning pro.  In doing so, he'll forgo his final year of eligibility, and become only the 7th player in school history to leave early for the NFL.

Bakhtiari was the face of CU football, speaking for the team at Pac-12 media day last year.

The 6'4", 295lb redshirt junior was CU's best offensive lineman the last two years, securing back-to-back second team All-Pac-12 nods despite playing with a shambolic, and mostly ineffective group.  With his departure, CU loses not only their anchor, but a returning captain.  It's a big roster loss.

There's been a lot of resistance from the CU fan community to losing the biggest name on the O-line, with many questioning where he'll go in the draft, and if he wouldn't be better served staying another year.  I take the opposite view, and basically assume anyone questioning his decision is just selfishly bitter about losing the team's leader in the trenches.

Despite what some may think, Bakhtiari is a strong NFL prospect.  CBSSports.com tabbed him the 12th best offensive tackle available (essentially a 3rd or 4th round pick), and, according to this ESPN article, Bak was told by the NFL evaluation committee that he's considered a 2nd or 3rd round talent.  Considering how high the draft usually values offensive tackles, I don't find this out of the norm.  For the record, CU's last early departure, all-time badass and Husker-killer Chris Brown, went in the third round to the Titans in 2003, putting Bak in-line with history.  His draftability is not in question.

As to whether a return would help him, I'm not so sure.  From my perspective, it's all risk, no reward.  I can't imagine his stock really rising all that much higher with another year in college, while another season only offers more losses and a high injury risk.  With the change in coaching scenery (the third coach of his collegiate career) bringing yet another change in line scheme, now's as good a time as any for him to make the leap.

Go get that money, Bak.

Quick Post: Coaching search musings

What a weird week.  The three and a half days that have passed since Coach Embree was fired have seemed like 3,500, and I'm already suffering from search fatigue.

The buzz of a coaching search would be enough, but some people are starting to lose it.  Joel Klatt has allowed a years-old grudge against Mike Bohn to reduce him to a screaming, petulant child.  Coach Bill McCartney, a known homophobic bigot, has decided he's the ultimate authority on all things black people,  and called the University of Colorado racist to cover up both the failings of his protege, and his failed attempt at further legacy shopping.

It's an ugly situation, but not necessarily surprising.  Coach Embree was an emotional hire, which would necessarily make his termination an emotional firing. Jon's friends, understandably, want to speak up for him.  Their hearts are in the right place, just not their mouths.

While there have also been some sane voices amongst the lunatics - Chris Fowler and Ivan Meisel, in particular, were able to cut through some of the bullshit - I'm eagerly anticipating for the day that this vitriol dies down.

As for who will be the next coach, I've heard the following names leveled with varying degrees of seriousness:

-  Charlie Strong - 52 - Louisville

Coach Strong is one of the hottest coaching names in the country.  I doubt the Buffs have the money required to steal him away from Louisville, especially considering the Cards recently announced move to the ACC.  Even if he were to leave L'ville, I have a hard time picturing him choosing CU over other suitors.


- Gary Andersen - 48 - Utah St

There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the head Aggie from Logan.  Despite protestations to the contrary, he has continued to be discussed for both the CU and Cal openings.


-  Dave Doeren - 40 - Illinois St

I have to give him credit, he was at least honest in the press about his willingness to listen to other offers.  His 22-4 record at NIU is hard to overlook.


-  Tim DeRuyter - 49 - Fresno St

You may remember him from the 69-14 shitstorm he dumped on CU back in September.  Of all the potential candidates, he's the only one I've heard as confirmed with mutual interest.


- Mark Mangino - fat - Kansas (fired in '09)

FUCK.  NO.

--

I'm getting the feeling that, despite not being our first choice,  Tim DeRuyter will end up being the pick.  Strong would obviously be #1, but I can't fake a reason for him to say yes.  Andersen and Doeren would probably be next on the list, but they'll be entertaining other offers that I think they'll take over CU (Andersen - Cal, Doeren - Purdue).  The job would then fall to the head Bulldog.

Given a little time, I'll be able to talk myself into liking that.  Right now, I'm having a hard time fighting through 2012's malaise.  This was only DeRuyter's first year as a full-time head coach, and, while it was an impressive 9-3 campaign, he started with a full deck in Fresno.  His real value leading a program is a complete unknown at this point.  I'm just not sold that he'll be able to step in and immediately make a positive impact.  Strong, Andersen, Doeren?  Yes.  DeRuyter?  No.

If CU can't at least land DeRuyter, however, the program needs to be shuttered.  I'm dead serious.  I don't even want to hear about candidates below his level.

Regardless, the decision should be made by the end of the fall semester. 

Monday Grab Bag: Can football please just shutup?

Football just won't leave me alone.  I just wanted a few weeks of merciful silence to enjoy the start of basketball season, but no.

Today in the bag I'm talking Embree, the basketball win over Air Force, some heavies in the Pac-12 taking lumps over the weekend, and the strong start of the women's team.

Click below for the bag...

2012 Utah Football Preview: Cheer up! The season's over!

It's almost over!  I can't believe it's almost over!  This is the happiest I've been when thinking about football in months.

Just think, after Friday we won't have to pretend to care about the program for at least 8-9 months.  Sure, next season will be another bout with football-as-ebola, but we can all cross that bridge together when we get there.  For now, let's just celebrate the end of football season!  HAPPY DAYS!

--

The season concludes Friday afternoon at 1pm.  TV coverage is set for FX (man, those guys are getting screwed), with radio coverage set for 850 KOA.  Conversely, it's the Friday after Thanksgiving, so you could go shopping instead.  Or sleep in, and do something else. 

Hey, would someone remember to turn out the lights in Folsom before they lock-up the stadium for the year?

Click below for the preview...

2012 Washington Football Preview

The 2012 football season lives for only nine more days.  After next Friday we can lay this horror show to rest, and never think about it again.

Kickoff from Folsom is set for 11:30 AM Saturday.  Since I'm assuming many would-be attendants are going to stay away from this one, I'll helpfully point out that television coverage of the game will be on FX.  Radio coverage can be found on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

2012 Arizona Football Preview: Some assembly required

This is the Buffs final road trip of the season; a fact only made notable by the implication that this death march of a season is finally drawing to a close. 

Maybe getting out of Boulder will do the team some good.  Maybe the 2nd and 3rd options at QB will prove more capable now that Jordan Webb has lost confidence.  Maybe the sieve that is the Arizona defense will ignite a fire in the beleaguered CU offense.  If I cared at all, those points might have been enough for me to plan on tuning in Saturday.  As it is, I don't, so I won't.

If you care - and I am by no means saying I think you should - kickoff from the desert is set for 11:30AM.  FX is, once again, ready and willing to submit your eyes to the horror of CU football should you be interested in watching the proceedings.  Radio coverage is on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

Monday Grab Bag: Game Week!

WOOO!  GAMEWEEK!  Finally, after seven months of waiting, I'm about to get to see some actual basketball played.  I couldn't be more excited.

To further whet your appetite for the start of the season, I recommend heading over to AllBuffs where resident hoops guru Goose has been laying down some serious knowledge.  Through six editions, he's been taking a thorough look at the schedule, breaking down each opponent, and even inviting the thoughts of Pac-12 savant Adam Butler (better known as @pachoopsab).  It's well worth your time, and I may be making an appearance as the series reaches its conclusion later this week...

As for the here and now, in the bag today I'm talking more hoops, brushing off the football program, and briefly looking at the highlights from a packed football weekend.

Click below for the bag...

2012 Stanford Football Preview

This weekend is homecoming... which means... something.  Damn it, I swear I had something for this.  I'm sorry, it's just the haze of losing has stunted my memory.  Wait... it's coming back to me... 

In recent history, at least, homecoming has meant that CU is about to get their asses kicked.  Since squeaking by Oklahoma on Kevin Eberhart's last-second field goal in 2007 the Buffs have lost four-straight homecoming games by an average of 22.25 points.  Included in that is last season's 45-2 disaster against Oregon.

Don't mind him, he's just livin' the dream.

To be fair, you could pick any random game since that miracle over Oklahoma and have a 69% change of picking a loss (CU is 20-45 since that day), but they've been remarkably consistent in treating the returning alumni to shit performances.

Based on that open, I bet you can tell where this preview is headed... but don't forget to GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! :-)

--

Kickoff from sun-splashed Folsom Field is set for high noon on Saturday.  Coverage can be seen on FX (I don't know why CU keeps getting the non Pac-12 Networks slots, but they do), and heard on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

2012 Oregon Football Preview

I'll be honest, I care a whole lot more about the basketball team's scrimmage against SMU, than I do about this game.  The scrimmage is in Dallas, locked safely behind closed doors, and very much secret (coaches, by NCAA rule, are not allowed to talk about these events).  The football game is in Eugene, but nationally televised, and openly discussed.  By Saturday evening I will know exactly how the scrimmage went, yet still sit in the dark about the football result.

I will not watch the football game, I will not listen.  I won't even check twitter to see how things go.  I so vehemently don't care about how many points Chip Kelly decides to have his team score on CU this weekend, that I'm unjacking from the internet, and doing other things.  I don't know, maybe a game of Monopoly.

15 days...

--

Kickoff from Autzen Stadium in Eugene is set for 1pm MT.  Coverage can bee seen on Pac-12 network (if you get it), with radio coverage set for 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

Monday Grab Bag: Down and out in the City of Angels

Another week, another Buff slaughter, another series of comments from players questioning the attitude of their teammates. Big shock.

Is anyone surprised that this program, saddled with (soon to be) seven consecutive losing seasons (and prospects as good as Betamax going forward), would have problems with players "quitting," and/or not putting enough effort into game prep heading into a game they had no chance to compete in?  I'm not.  I remember when I was 19/20; if shit wasn't going my way, I checked out real quick.  All it takes in one bad sequence (last week it was the TD return out of half, this week it was the opening 2-play TD drive followed by the Webb INT in the endzone), and they might as well kneel the rest of the game.

You can berate a kid, you can question his pride, you can essentially stick a cattle prod up his ass, but if there's nothing to play for, if there's no reward to strive for, then effort is going to disappear real fast.  It's human nature.

--

Today in the bag, I'll throw garbage at the football result, discuss the rest of the athletic department's trip to Los Angeles, and take a trip around the world of football.

18 days...

Click below for the bag...

2012 vs 2006

I saw an interesting question posed during yesterday's Kyle Ringo twitter chat: who would win a game between the 2012 and 2006 Buffs? For the record, Ringo responded that he thought the '12 iteration of the Buffs would win 6-3, but I think that question deserves some fleshing out.

Already you can see where this is headed, as I've invoked the seminal year of the Hawk error when discussing the current on-field horror.  I'm not doing this to be mean.  It just struck me, however, that after considering the question that I was looking back fondly on the 2006 season.  Such is the depths that this turd of a season has flung me into. 

The two squads are already kind of similar. Both lost to CSU and an below-average 1-AA school in consecutive weeks; each notched their first win against a Mike Leach lead team, causing the Dread Pirate to bemoan the effort of his players.  One thing '06 has, so far, over the current CU vintage: a second win.  Whether the 2012 Buffs can reach that mark is yet to be seen.  I, at least, think it would be an interesting game, and one that's fun to think about.

Accordingly, I'm going to give the scenario the full preview treatment, from stat breakdown to prediction. After giving it a moments thought, my conclusion might surprise you.

Click below for a look back at the year that was 2006...

2012 ASU football preview

Bye week behind us, BuffNation can now look forward to the nationally televised Thursday night affair with Arizona State.  Well, maybe not "look forward to."  Maybe more like "prepare ourselves for."  Let me be plain, not only has CU been struggling to stand upright this season, but they have an abysmal record in weekday games over the last few years.

Primetime, weeknight affairs used to be the realm of second-tier conferences like the WAC and MAC.  Starting in the mid-2000s, however, it became vogue for the big boys to play the ESPN game as well, and many teams from the SEC, Pac-12, and Big XII have been jumping at the chance to air their wares over the exclusive national broadcast ever since.  CU got into the game in 2008, beginning with the epic Thursday night-er with West Virginia (AKA, the game that caused Hawk to blow a scholarship on Aric Goodman.  I hope he enjoyed the free education.).

 (LOL, Josh Smith)

Unfortunately, ever since the prime-time gods have been unkind.  Including post-Thanksgiving affairs with Nebraska and Utah, the Buffs are 2-7 on weekdays since Sept 18th, 2008 (have been outscored 209-303), including an 0-4 mark in 2009 alone.  Highlighting that stretch is the infamous 38-54 loss at Toledo.  Maybe we should just give up the ghost.  ESPN may like to put the Buffs on, but the program would be best served shying away from the night lights.

There is some good news, however.  The defending Pac-12 champion men's basketball team will be receiving their championship rings from El Jefe tomorrow night.  That little ceremony does deserve the primetime spotlight.

--

The Sun Devils and Buffs meet under the lights tomorrow evening.  Kickoff is set for 7pm.  Parking, traffic: sure to be a mess.  The student section: drunk out of their minds.  Blackout rules: in effect.  I hope everyone thought ahead to take Friday off, 'cause win or lose, shit's about to get real.

If you'd rather stay away from the Madhouse at the foot of the Flatirons, you can watch the action on ESPN.  Radio coverage is back on 850 KOA; Rockies baseball has mercifully been laid to rest for the winter, so no rude interruptions to the broadcast, whether you wanted one or not.

Click below for the preview...