CU At The Game Podcast

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Colorado was less than three minutes from an upset of No. 5 Texas A&M, but fell short, falling 10-7 to the Aggies. Was it the failed fourth down sneak in the second quarter? Was it the play calling on offense?  Or did the Buffs' defense, which played valiantly all afternoon, just come up one play short? Stuart, Brad and Neil take a look back and what might have been ... and how the loss could impact the remainder of CU's season.

The second half of the review/preview episode is the "T.I.P.S." for the Buffs' game against Minnesota. Both teams have strong rushing attacks but weak passing games. Which offense will prove most effective in moving the ball? Which defense will force the opposition into their uncomfortable passing game? 

And, of course, the firing of Clay Helton as head coach at USC cannot go without mention. Why did the Trojans pull the trigger two weeks into the season? Who will USC athletic director Mike Bohn, who hired not one (Dan Hawkins), not two (Jon Embree), but three (Mike MacIntyre) coaches while the AD at CU, choose to lead the Trojans in 2022? 

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 It wasn't always pretty, but CU took care of business against Northern Colorado in the 2021 season opener, defeating the Bears, 35-7. Stuart and Brad take a look at how the Buffs fared, from the missed opportunities on offense, to the strong - if at times undisciplined - effort of the defense, and whether a 28-point win over an FCS team had more positives ... or more causes for concern. 

Stuart and Brad then turn their attention to Texas A&M, which brings a Top Ten team into Mile High Stadium to face the Buffs. The "T.I.P.S." for the game will look at the Talent of the Aggies, the Intangibles for the game, Preparation or Scheduling concerns, and the Stats for the game which will be relevant to the outcome. 

This is the first Review/Preview of the 2021 season, with similar podcasts to be posted each Tuesday morning during the regular season. 

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The 2021 season is finally here! Stuart, Brad and Neil present the first "T.I.P.S." of the season, with a review of the Talent/Intangibles/Preparation/Stats for CU's opener against Northern Colorado. Is the McCaffrey connection in Greeley enough to give the Buffs a game? Is CU, in Year Two under Karl Dorrell, prepared to take on the unknowns of a team which hasn't played in almost two years? 

Before we get to the preview, however, there is a look at the newly formed Alliance between the Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC, and the implications the new agreements-to-agree might have for the CU program, both short term and long term. We will also give our predictions for how the Pac-12 standings may shake out in the 2021 season. 

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The 2021 season is right around the corner. With Fall Camp well underway, Stuart and Brad take a look at each unit of the defense. Can new defensive coordinator Chris Wilson improve the Buff defense, which was 76th in total defense, and 77th in scoring defense, in 2020? 

Can Wilson - also the defensive line coach - turn the line from a liability to a strength? Will Nate Landman be Nate Landman again (and will the Buffs need him to be?). Is it possible that CU is actually three-deep at both cornerback positions? 

Also, while realignment talk by conferences and schools has gone quiet, it doesn't stop us from speculating as to the best- and worst-cast scenarios for Colorado in the brave new world of conference realignment. 

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Fall Camp, 2021, and it's time to take a unit-by-unit look at the Colorado offense. Stuart and Brad are joined by special guest Neil Langland, who will help answer the questions CU faces this fall: 

Will it be J.T. Shrout or Brendon Lewis who will be the starting quarterback? (Or will we not know for sure until the Texas A&M game?). How will the carries for the talented CU backfield be sorted out? Will there be a breakout star at wide receiver? Will THIS be the year of the tight end at CU? And, at the end of the day, will the Buff offensive line come together and give CU a chance to dominate games this fall? 

We'll then take a look at the big story of the summer, the defections of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, and what this surprising move will mean to CU and the Pac-12. 

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CU Associate Athletic Director Lance Carl is a longtime friend to the CU at the Game website, and joins Stuart to discuss the CU roster as the Buffs prepare for Fall Camp. From his unique perspective as the Director of Player Development, Lance gives his insights as to some of the roster battles (his answer concerning the starting quarterback for the opener against UNC may surprise you), as well as to the strengths and weaknesses of the depth chart. 

Lance also discusses some of the national issues which affect the CU program, including the new era of Name, Image and Likeness income for student-athletes, as well as the blockbuster story of the day - the reported departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC (Lance gives his thoughts on what could be the choices for a "Pac-14", along with how Colorado will fit into the seemingly inevitable move to four 16-team super conferences). 

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At 12:01 a.m. on July 1st, collegiate athletics changed forever. Without any legislation from Congress, and only the barest of guidelines from the NCAA, the Wild, Wild West of Name, Image and Likeness came into being. 

Stuart and Brad take a look at how three schools - Miami, Nebraska, and Oregon - have already jumped on the NIL bandwagon, and how these types of actions will affect national recruiting. We then take a look at what CU athletic director Rick George - a member of the working group which tried in vain to create national guidelines - had to say about CU's future in competing against other schools who are, shall we say, better prepared to to offer to adapt to this new landscape. 

George, who was CU's recruiting coordinator under Bill McCartney, said: "There’s the backdrop that we live in, the quality of our community, the safety that we have here, the great educational opportunities that we have at CU — there's a ton to sell that plays into Name, Image and Likeness. I feel really good about what we have in our briefcase.”

Will it be enough ... ?

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 A four-man working group made up of three commissioners and the Notre Dame AD worked for two years coming up with a 12-team playoff format proposal, a proposal which has garnered enough momentum in the past few weeks to be considered almost a done deal. Stuart and Brad take a look at the 12-team format - How it will work on the national level, and what it means to the Pac-12 and to CU. Stuart and Brad then take a look at how the playoff may have worked in year's past for the Buffs (a chance at not one, not two, but FIVE national championship runs!) before settling in to take a Stroll Down Memory Lane, looking back 20 years at CU/Nebraska (62-36 says it all!), and the memorable win over Oregon five years ago, setting in place CU's run to the Pac-12 South title.  

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Just when you thought it was going to be a quiet month of sifting through preseason magazines, CU's second-team All-Pac-12 quarterback Sam Noyer announces he is leaving the Buffs. Stuart and Brad discuss the announcement, the timing, and what Noyer's departure means for the Buffs' now former quarterback, and what it means for the CU quarterbacks' room going forward. 

Stuart and Brad then take a stroll down memory lane, talking about two anniversary games involving the CU/Nebraska game. Stuart's all-time favorite CU game, the 20-10 victory over the Cornhuskers was 35 years ago, in 1986, while Brad recalls what it took to endure Folsom Field's version of the "Ice Bowl", the 19-19 tie against Nebraska in 1991. 

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It would be fair to say that George Kliavkoff was an unexpected hire by the Pac-12. In this episode, Stuart and Brad take a look at the resume of the now former MGM executive, what Kliavkoff had to say at his introductory press conference, and what the Pac-12 hierarchy - and the national pundits - had to say about the hire. 

Then, just for fun, we'll take a look at a story about Pac-12 expansion, both in terms of geography and the coming sooner-rather-than-later 16-team mega conferences, before finishing with an article claiming that USC is more powerful - and more important - than anything George Kliavkoff can do as the new Pac-12 commissioner. 

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