Pour a quick one out for the women's volleyball team, who got straight hosed by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. The team who finished 5th in the toughest conference in America, beat six top-25 opponents, and who finished the year on a roll by winning five of their last six was left on the side of the road by a committee who seemed (unsurprisingly) over-impressed by RPI. Consider that three teams that finished below them in the Pac-12 standings made the dance, and understand how royally they were screwed.
I especially feel bad for seniors Alexis Austin and Nicole Edelman. They deserved to go out with another trip to the tournament, not the heartbreak of a truly indefensible snub. For that, I have only one word for the committee:
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Today in the bag, I'm talking the hoops win over Northern Colorado, the end of the football season, and an uncomfortable anniversary.
As is tradition, I'm headed westward this afternoon, driving down I-80 with a few of my closest friends towards Salt Lake City. Sure, this season, much like all the others in recent memory, is doomed to end in bowl-less failure, but I've yet to miss a CU/Utah game since the revival of the series, and I'm not about to now. The annual clashes - still unfortunately tabbed as the 'Rumble in the Rockies' - make for interesting post-Thanksgiving fodder, and you can do a whole lot worse than a weekend in SLC... like, say, a weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Let me use this space, then, for a plea to you, the humble consumer of CU Athletics: take this rivalry seriously. We are never, I repeat never, going to get entwined with the Trojans or any of the other original Pac-10 schools. They're always going to consume their traditional rivalries far more intently than any game against Colorado, nothing will ever change that. Yep, the Utes are what we got, but it ain't exactly chopped liver; these guys are actually a perfectly fine foil for our purposes. More importantly, they've made a far easier transition to the new era of western football than CU has, and can still serve as a standard of improvement for our beleaguered program -- far more than any mid-major, instate competition ever could. We Buffaloes need a rival, we have to pick a fight. There's no better option than Utah, so stop whining, and start flipping some Utes the bird.
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Hype Music for the Week: "Hello!" from the Book of Mormon Original Soundtrack
Yep, going with the Mormon pun. I make no apologies. Enjoy!
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Kickoff from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT is set for 12:30pm MT tomorrow afternoon. Coverage for those not making the roadie to the Beehive State can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
No time for idle chat in this shortened work-week. Today in the bag, I'm talking the narrow escape against Nebraska-Omaha, the frustration in Pullman, and runners-up honors for the #BananaStand.
Not much to say here as the season winds down. Straight to the action today.
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Hype Music for the Week: "Hail to the King" by Avenged Sevenfold
I'm still lost in the mists of Tuesday's showing by the basketball team in Alabama. George King and his 27/7 line deserve a salute. Avenged Sevenfold will handle the honors here. Enjoy!
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Kickoff from Martin Stadium in Pullman, WA is set for 8:45pm on Saturday. Yep, that's the seventh start of 7pm or later this season. It's almost as if the Pac-12 doesn't care if they ruin my circadian rhythm. For those night owls intent on watching this one live, coverage can be found on ESPN2, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
On Friday Night, University of Colorado Athletics dominated ESPN2. Between the basketball game tipping off at 3pm and the football game kicking off a little after 7pm, various forms of the Buffs were on the Deuce for about six hours. Suck it, rest of the country! Unfortunately for our purposes, what the nation saw when they tuned in was a pair of rough losses for our heroes. It always nice to see the Ralphie logo on the national air waves, but damnit if I don't wish we could win a few of these every now and then. But, hey, at least they weren't blowouts?
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Today in the bag, I'm recapping the first men's basketball game of the year, closing the book on the football team's home schedule, and checking in with the women's basketball and volleyball teams.
All that basketball talk, however, has left me hopelessly pressed for time. In response, I'm going to revert to my standard practice for the early weeks of basketball season for the final home football game of the year - a teaser, rather than a full preview. Slightly more narrative than the formulaic rigidity of my typical football fare, the teaser format allows me to hit the highlights of the matchup, talk about their star players and coaching issues, predict a final score, and do it all in an economy of words. It's the perfect remedy to a time crunch.
But, enough of that gibberish, straight to the action!
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Hype Music for the Week: "Achilles Last Stand"
It has always bothered me that USC named their athletic teams after a failed city-state in Western Turkey. At the height of their power, as legend would tell us, the Trojans were laid waste by a Greek trap - the infamous Trojan Horse. So, not only were they doomed to the side pages of history, they were gullible. Interesting choice of mascot.
As for the song, Achilles may not have survived the Trojan War, but he sure did slaughter a whole bunch of his Trojan enemies in the pursuit of the goal. Since the Greeks won - and a 'W' is a 'W' - I give you "Achilles Last Stand" in his honor. Enjoy!
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Kick off from beautiful, frigid Folsom Field is set for 7pm this evening. Holy Tad, what am I doing still here at work! I have to get to Boulder and get to tailgate'n'! If you're headed up the hill with me, remember to wear black. For those of you unable/unwilling to fight the traffic up to Boulder this evening, you can find televised coverage on ESPN2, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Welcome to game week! The 2015-16 basketball season finally gets underway this Friday as CU travels up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to take on old rival Iowa Sate. For those who haven't heard, my Massive Basketball Preview - the yearly, over-wrought analysis of CU's coming basketball season - will hit the interwebs at precisely 8:30 am tomorrow morning, giving you roughly three days to read the damn thing before the Buffs hit the hardwood. It's an occasion so momentous that it has forced my grab bag back to a Monday for the first time since the week of the 2015 Pac-12 tournament. Hope I didn't startle you...
To give you my rundown for the rest of the week, beyond just the excitement surrounding tomorrow's release of my sixth Massive Preview, I'll have a full preview up for the CU/Iowa State game on Thursday, I'll give Friday's CU/USC football game the preview treatment Friday morning, and I'll try to slip a beer pick in before kickoff Friday afternoon. As you can see, it's a busy, busy week here at the Rumblings.
But, of course, it should be. It's November! It's game week! It's time to talk some hoops! Get hype, the great game is back in our lives:
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Today in the bag, I'm talking the football team's efforts against Stanford, the exhibition start to the women's basketball season, and previewing my preview.
Everyone see "The Gospel According to Mac" this week? Pretty sweet, right? What a powerful image of BuffNation on national television. Prime time, in the spotlight, there was the best of CU for all to see. I was especially drawn in by the story of Sal, which has never been told so well. That and the interviews with the players. There's so much passion in that group, from Mac on through, and it still shines through today. Very inspiring.
As much as I liked it, there's an admitted bias. Further, I will say I kind of agree with this critique of the event. The show got caught up a little too much in the various narratives of the football story (which isn't itself a linear tale with the '89 Orange Bowl loss) and other side arcs, and lost focus on Mac himself. I understand this is ESPN, and the football is the draw, but Mac's the crux of the story, and I don't think they really delved into his deal. You don't have to take a hatchet to the man to tell his story, either - he's a fascinating, influential figure, even beyond just 1989 and 1990 or Promise Keepers. The dichotomy between the man and the town he thrived in, particularly, was something I would've liked to hear more about.
Regardless, good stuff, and worth any CU fan's time. I'll be looking for it when it hits blu-ray shelves for sure.
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Hype Music for the Week: "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe
Fitting with the mood of the 30 for 30 take on the McCartney-era Buffaloes, I'm throwing it back to 1990, and gifting you the splendor that is Bell Biv Devoe. Enjoy!
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Kick off from Folsom Field is set for, yeesh, 11am in the damn morning. Get your mimosas and bloody marys ready, 'cause we're back to a breakfast tailgate. Coverage for those not in attendance can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
As a good son should, I called my mother the other night. Among other things, she asked my thoughts on the basketball team and their upcoming season. To my surprise, I could on stammer for a full minute before finally saying 'I don't know.' In retrospect, I feel that's just not a very good preview, so I'm hard at work turning those three words into 15,000. Expect the sixth iteration of the Massive Basketball Preview to drop next Tuesday, November 10th. Prepare yourself accordingly.
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Today in the bag, I'm talking the goings on at the Rose Bowl, the Banana Stand getting up to its old tricks, and a newly crowned champion in baseball.
Last week was a solid step forward for the Buffs. No caveats, no 'well at least they competed' jibberish. They fought, they won. Simple as that. Far too few nights like that have been seen recently, so I hope you enjoyed it.
Unfortunately for Colorado, the schedule only gets more difficult from here on out. Still slogging on without the respite of a bye week, the team will rue the opportunities missed against Oregon and Arizona as they play UCLA, Stanford, USC, Washington State, and Utah the rest of the way - only five of the best teams in the Pac-12 this year. Bowl eligibility may be a silly fantasy at this point (they'd need to win three of those five, which... yeah, no), but that doesn't mean the season's over. A win or two against that slate would mean extensive momentum headed into 2016. Time for the Buffs to go hunting for some upsets!
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Hype Music for the Week: "California Love" by 2Pac, feat. Dr. Dre.
What better song to call up for CU's one and only trip to Cali this season than this iconic collaboration. You got one of the great troll lines of all time "Out on bail fresh outta jail, California dreamin'" where Pac relishes in his recent release from prison, and one of the greatest beats of all time from the master, Dr Dre. Simply put, one of the best songs ever. Enjoy!
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Kick off from the historic Rose Bowl is set for 1pm MT on Saturday. Shoutout to all the West Coast Buffs making the trip to Pasadena! Finally off the graveyard shift, all of BuffNation can bask in the sunshine of Southern California (thank God!). Television coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks. The radio call should be on 850 KOA, but you never can tell with those guys.
We'll get to the happy celebrations in a second, but first, do yourself a favor and check out this video from BSNDenver.com:
Good job, good effort from friend of the blog Jake Shapiro, who took on Buffs Tory Miller and George King in some 1-on-1. Jake put up a few valiant attempts, but, in the end, no dice. I have to give him credit, though, he probably performed better better job that my fat ass could. Good stuff, buddy!
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Today in the bag, I'm taking a victory lap on the Buffs' win in Corvallis, looking a head to the next few weeks in the football schedule, and XXXXXXX
The Buffs really need this one. They won't find another opponent as beatable as Oregon State the rest of the way, and, even on the road, look to have enough to snap their 14-game in-conference losing streak... at least on paper. If CU can't convert this eight-foot putt, they're in trouble the rest of the way, and their coach could be in some seriously hot water. Best to make life easy on all of us, and get it done.
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Hype Music for the Week: "Luck be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra
Kickoff from Reser Stadium in Corvallis, OR is set for 8:30pm tomorrow night. Television coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA. Bets can be taken at the casino's sport book... oh right, that's only here in Las Vegas. Well, make due with what ya got.
It's going to be right to the action today, as the work week from hell has left me precious little time to muse on things outside of the boundaries of the standard preview fare. Without further adieu, let's kick it off!
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Hype Music for the Week: "Hey Ya!" by Outkast
In honor of Homecoming, a throwback to my college days. 'Shake it like a Polaroid picture,' HAHA! Seriously, I hated this song in every way imaginable. Outkast had a number of interesting tracks, but this hit strikes my ears like nails on a chalkboard. It's a blight, an honest to goodness blight on the auditory system. But, who am I to judge; enjoy!
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Kickoff from a suddenly chilly Folsom Field is set for 7pm tomorrow evening. If you're going to the game, might I suggest a coat? Temps should be in the low 50s by the game's end. Hopefully, that drop in temperature will help cool off the 'Cats red-hot offense. Coverage can be found on FOX Sports 1 and 850 KOA.
The Buffs continue to find themselves dealing with the repercussions of a growing list of injuries. It started when Jeromy Irwin tore his ACL against UMass, kicking off a string of knocks that were mostly focused on the offensive side of the ball. The next game brought with it injuries to a number of featured performers behind the now shaken offensive line, including Michael Adkins and Patrick Carr from the running corps and QB Sefo Liufau. For Liufau, while he's still been starting under center (and will again be this Saturday), the pain has evident, and the effectiveness has suffered. Adkins and Carr, on the other hand, haven't been seen since the RMS, and are both listed at the bottom of the depth chart for Week 6. I'm not saying that Irwin's absence was the cause behind the effect, just that it's highly coincidental the the injuries sprung up that week -- a particularly physical game against little brother.
Recently, however, the injury bug has switched sides, and now resides with the defense. The linebacking corps has been the hardest hit, as they can now claim to be down two starters. Addison Gillam had already been out, a consistent sideline presence since Week 2. He will now be joined for the next few weeks by star Kenneth Olugbode, who left the Oregon game early with a leg injury. With both out, CU will turn to the relatively unheralded pair of Rick Gamboa and Ryan Severson. A trio of defensive linemen - Jase Franke, Leo Jackson III, and Derek McCartney - also missed action in the Oregon game, but are expected to return. The missed plays from five of CU's best in the front-seven no doubt played a role in the Ducks' second half deluge of rushing yards.
The point is that the improved depth that everyone touted in the preseason will be put to the test. If the old mantra in football has always been 'next man up,' then the Buffs will have to hope that the next men are up to the challenge. The schedule certainly doesn't get any easier from here, and, without a BYE week (thanks to the Hawai'i trip and the RMS's inflexibility), the strain will only continue to mount.
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Hype Music for the Week: "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones
Ah yes, the Rolling Stones. For the record, in the eternal Stones v Beatles debate, I am decidedly with these guys. This is not up for discussion. I'll leave the sympathy for the Sun Devils to the British rockers, though, for I have none.
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Kickoff from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ is set for 8pm tomorrow evening. Dinged up, can the Buffs bounce back from a tough home loss? Tune in to FOX Sports 1 to find out. (The radio call is, of course, on 850 KOA)
Conference play. It's been a 'Stop Sign' for the hopes of BuffNation since the start of the decade. Our new friends in the Pac-12, while wonderful in every other way, have proven to be less than accommodating to the Colorado football program. The Buffs, unable to swim upstream against the current of talent, have gone 4-32 through four seasons out West. It hasn't even been that close, with CU being outscored 1570-763 in those 36 contests for an average of 43.6 to 21.2 each week. *blech*
Well, the time has come, my friends; that crap is done and dusted. The season of relevancy is upon us. Colorado may not wind its way to a bowl, it may not yet release itself from the death-grip of the Pac-12 South's basement, but it sure as hell is going to put the fear of Ralphie into a few teams. It all starts tomorrow, as a wide-eyed, bruised, and beaten brace of Ducks come to Folsom. They've had the run of the series since expansion, but it's time for Colorado, yes COLORADO!, to make some noise. Into the wilds of a night time kickoff we go, let's give Oregon a healthy fear of #Pac12AfterDark!
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Hype music for the week: "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden
MAIDEN! For the 12-yr old metal head in all of us, I present a quintessential track from this quintessential heavy medal staple. These guys are weird but harmless, and one of the most successful acts in all of music-dom. Crank it!
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Kickoff from Folsom Field is set for 8pm tomorrow evening. Folsom is never better than when it's packed for a night game, so I'm expecting everyone in the region to head to this one. Coverage for those unable to attend will be on ESPN: the Mothership, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Please remember: if you're sitting in an even section - wear black, if you're a student, or are sitting in an odd numbered section - wear silver/grey.
The Athletic Department is getting a little creative for this week's game against Oregon. For Saturday's 8pm kickoff on ESPN, they're asking those in attendance to either wear black (even numbered sections) or silver/grey (students and odd numbered sections).
Hey, look! A handy guide! From: AllBuffs.com
With crowd numbers already estimated to be well into the high 40,000s and a prime time kickoff, Folsom is sure to be rocking. If those in the stands can follow the game plan, it'll create a nice backdrop and visual for those night owls tuning in.
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Today in the bag, I'm talking the win over Nicholls State, the weekly look forward to the upcoming schedule, and the unofficial start of basketball season.
Huh, so something called 'Nicholls State' or just 'Nicholls' has appeared on the schedule. Never seen that before. Here comes a new challenger, if you will. I guess they sound vaguely familiar, but my guess is that, under close inspection, they'll wind up being just another pseudo-anonymous FCS program. I mean, they can't have anything special about them... OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT:
Regular old mascot, or M.Bison? YOU DECIDE! (Personally, I think Raul Julia wore it better). All I know is that Chip better be brushing up on his counters and hadukens, or he's going to be in trouble.
Anyways, on with our regularly scheduled programming...
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Hype music for the week: "Mack the Knife" by Louis Armstrong
Nicholls State is located in tiny Thibodaux, Louisiana, which is just down the road from New Orleans. 'Nawlins, being one of the truly great cultural centers this country has to offer, provides the opportunity to pull from their vast storehouse of musicians and performers. I chose Louis Armstrong because it's fucking Louis Armstrong, and I chose "Mack the Knife" because it's a bonafide classic. You're welcome.
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Kickoff from Folsom Field is set for 11:30 am on Saturday. The weather is supposed to be sunny and gorgeous, of course, so be sure to head to Boulder to enjoy yet another day in Front Range paradise. Coverage for those poor souls stuck elsewhere will be on Pac-12 Networks and 850 KOA.
You've probably already heard, but CSU's mascot, CAM 24, died Saturday morning. I do not bring this up to be humorful. Certainly this kind of behavior is inexcusable, and reeks of Husker-dom (C'mon, don't be that guy) -- I know how I would feel if either living Ralphie had died Saturday (God forbid). I'm just honestly concerned for our state's foremost aggie school, and how they can't seem to keep their mascots alive.
See, Rambouillet Sheep (CAM's breed) generally live about 6-8 years. I've heard more, but we'll go with the conservative estimates for the sake of argument. #24 had lived to be six, which is still on the young-ish side for the breed, but what about numbers 1-23? The CAM program was instituted in 1947, meaning the 24 CAMs have reigned for an average of about 2.8 years per; some have held the title for much shorter tenures. There's some overlap here, as one sheep dies/retires and another ascends well into their life-span, but what are they doing to these guys that they are only lasting a few years? Doesn't that seem a little weird to anyone else? I don't know, but maybe feed the next one a few fewer Doritos...
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Today in the bag, I'm talking the win over little brother, a look at the upcoming schedule, and a check-in with the soccer and volleyball teams.
Growing up a Chicago White Sox fan, disparaging news stories about fan attendance were as common place as deep dish pizza and hot dogs without ketchup. If you can dream the angle up, Chicago sports writers used it to talk the sorry state of butts-in-seats on the South Side. Stories about how many more fans come to see the Cubs, stories about how 'rough' the neighborhood is, stories about how lagging attendance hurts team payroll, even stories about how the reflection off the empty seats during day games can affect the play on the field. Ad nauseam doesn't even begin to cover it.
This is why, beyond some nominal teasing about 'well, we support our team,' and how dwindling attendance at the RMS in the late 2000s was an embarrassment to all involved, I don't go too deep into the numbers one way or the other. Those lines reek of HAWT TAKE to me, and hit a little too close to home.
Then comes this tweet:
CU (29,343) outselling CSU (26,400) despite 30% of their season ticket holders exercising the option to trade #RMS tickets for a home game.
... I just can't resist chasing the rabbit on this one.
Now don't worry, this is not about the CSU figure, because it is what it is. This is about those 30%of CU season ticket holders reserving their right to boycott the trip to Denver. That's 30% of donors saying 'hell no' to the Invesco trip (or whatever it's called now), a chorus which is loud enough for any AD in the country to hear. Is there any wonder why this series is ending in a few years?
Certainly, there are some underlying factors in that figure. Scalpers and ticket agencies may see a few extra units of Oregon tickets as a better profit-making engine than upper-tank rotten eggs to the RMS. Some of that 30% could also, just as easily, get more seats for a game in Boulder, and then buy their Denver seats separately. Regardless, the fact remains that CU fans are voting with their wallets, and a sizable minority - and many more non-season ticket holders (like myself) in addition - are voting 'absolutely not.' With numbers like that, this series is as dead as a door nail, not to be seen again for some time after 2020.
Why? Why would I subject you to the abject horror that is this song? Well, because it's just as fucking annoying as this series They were made for each other! 'Happy' RMS week!
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The *sigh* 87th edition of the Rocky Mountain Showdown kicks off from *sigh* Sports Authority Field at Mile High at 5pm on Saturday. Follow the action CBS Sports Network or 850 KOA if you're not going to be in Denver (like me!).
For reference, you can find my previews from previous iterations of this series here, here, here, here, and here.
Last year, in a fit of childish petulance, I refused to preview them prior to the RMS, instead focusing on our beloved Buffs. It was cute, but otherwise pointless. A one-off joke, if you will. So I meant to give little brother the full preview treatment today, I really did.
However, my roommate Alan stepped into the room right as I was starting to pen the article Monday night. Upon hearing the topic, he spat "why would we need to waste our time on that blight on humanity? 'But what about their new coach," I asked. "Fuck 'em; I don't know why I'm supposed to care about that."
Fair enough. Fuck 'em, indeed.
Without further adieu, I present my two-weeks-too-late preview of the 2015 Colorado Buffaloes, and only the 2015 Colorado Buffaloes.
The performance against Hawai'i sucked, and the team knows it. Despite a lot of positive rhetoric, the Buffs appeared under-prepared and self-destructive against a beatable opponent in the opener.
I think they made bone-head mistakes that cost us a football game. We outplayed that team, we out "physicaled" that team, we out rushed that team, we out gained that team. We just made bone-head mistakes. Maybe that was because some of them were tight, I don’t know. They didn’t seem tight to me, we just made some bone-head mistakes that we've got to coach better to not have happen, or we would have won that game by a few touchdowns. It's very frustrating.”
The team knows that they did a lot of harm to an upswell of goodwill last weekend, harm that may be very difficult to undo in the immediacy.
Which brings me to this tweet. Despite the perceived promise among the diehards, the practical involvement of thousands of future donors is dwindling at an alarming rate. Over the past decade, even as the program has careened into the canyon of crap, fan support, for the most part, has remained acceptable. Unfortunately, that grace period is gone, and the student body has begun to flat abandon the program. I not going to waste words blaming them, nor make excuses. It is what it is.
The point is, while I don't think the team absolutely needs to (or even can) go to a bowl game this year, they absolutely cannot take a full step backwards. 2015 must be another year of positive feelings. Of improvement. Accordingly, performances like the one against Hawai'i are not, under any circumstances acceptable. The Buffs need to convert the winnable games, like Saturday's against Massachusetts, into the left-hand column, and stay competitive throughout lesser opportunities. Else there may not be many around to see it when/if they ever get good again.
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Hype music for the week: Paul Revere by the Beastie Boys
RIP, MCA.
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Kickoff from beautiful Folsom Field is set for high noon on Saturday. The Buffs will be looking to rebound and regain lost momentum under crystal clear skies. Seriously, it's going to be gorgeous this weekend. Come game time, there won't be a finer place to be in the Front Range, regardless of the product on the field. Get your ass to Boulder!
Note: for those making their way to the stadium via the Creek Path (a group that includes myself), please understand that construction is still going on, and some of those traditional routes have been detoured. Check out this map for more information.
