Fan clubs. Who would have thought it?
fan club with NBC Sports Athlete Direct, which is NBCUniversal’s NIL pilot program.

On several occasions, Damon Phillips, the SVP of Strategic Initiatives at NBC Sports Group, has told On3 that NBC Sports Athlete Direct is focused on “the other 99%” of college athletes. However, the Notre Dame running back’s new fan club shows the potential value of the platform for athletes who are closer to the top 1%.

Membership-based programs and clubs are common in the NIL landscape through both NIL collectives and third-party companies such as YOKE or The Players’ Lounge, which provide fans with virtual and in-person access to athletes.

However, given the scale and scope of NBCUniversal, it can provide its members with benefits, such as streaming subscriptions and movie tickets, that NIL collectives and other companies either can’t or likely won’t.

But I attended CU from 85-90 and have been a die-hard buff fan since. Coach Mac was a great recruiter and motivator (If you ever heard him speak in private, you would want to run through a brick wall for him). He was not however a great gameday coach. Sal's death really galvanized that team and got us over the hump IMHO. Prior to Mac, Fairbanks was terrible, he was Dorrell before Dorrell. Rick had all the flash, but was super young and inexperienced and liked to play loose with the rules. Would use his "I am a lawyer" to bend them hard, but the inner city kids did not respect him and he left on our biggest recruiting weekend. Gary then came in and IMHO was the best X and O coach we had. That 2001 team was special and one boneheaded Craig Ochs play in week 1 from playing for the Natty. The "Scandal" that wasn't ruined recruiting and led to Gary's demise at CU. I am so glad he is back in the fold on the radio. Dan Hawkins loses at home in 1st game to Montana St, total tool, from "Intramurals Brother" to "Lost focus on the bus". Daddy ball was not the answer...terrible hire. Next comes Embree and he was clearly not ready to be a college HC (Just like Dorrell). Did not have the outgoing personality and the program was brought to new lows. In comes Mike Mac, a good X's and O's guy but not really a great fit in Boulder. Had one great season and left the program much better than when he found it, but he was pouty after his AC got in trouble and I think really wanted to be back down south. Mel Tucker came in a did all the right things with hype, recruiting and getting the fans onboard (He was full of shit, but we were so excited to have excitement back, we didn't care). We were moving in the right direction but if he didn't take Mich St job, he still would have jumped at the next offer the following year. Karl Dorrell..worst hire in CU history. Complete head scratcher and train wreck. Nice guy but absolutely zero clue how to run a CF program in the 2020's.

So here we are looking for a coach that can come in and excite the fanbase. We want a young guy, someone that will want to stay here, someone the kids love, someone with West Coast recruiting ties. etc. Man, I never thought I would say it, but in all my years, this Sanford guy is just doing everything right. I still don't think we have the talent to compete this year and our schedule is brutal, sans ASU. But I think this guy with some major institutional changes (getting in portal guys, increased Asst Coach salary pool, increased recruiting budget) might just be the guy. I love everything he is doing, the players love it, the media loves it, the fans love it and it seems perspective recruits love it too. Need to see more, but I am VERY impressed so far, in fact I cannot think of a coach at CU that has impressed me this much this early. Seems to be the exact personality needed here. I think he genuinely loves it here too. I saw that he even went to some fraternity houses to invite kids to the game. You know who was great at that and who he reminds me most of in that regard...Gordon Gee. He got it, he understood how the school works and put in the effort. I think Sanford might just have that same moxy and style.

Flame away.

Did I miss something? Is he injured? Where has he been all season?

BZ: FB - Podcast: Previewing Colorado Buffs football at Oregon State

BZ: FB - Colorado football: JT Shrout to start at QB for Buffs at Oregon State

BZ: FB - Colorado football: Freshman Van Wells making impression on Buffs’ offensive line

BZ: FB - Football notes: CU Buffs believe defense has turned corner

BZ: FB - Video: Previewing Colorado Buffs football at Oregon State

BZ: MBB - Quincy Allen ready to ‘show people what I can do’ with Colorado men’s basketball

BZ: SOC - No. 1 UCLA routs CU Buffs women’s soccer

CU AD: FB - Fast Five: Keys For Buffs Vs. Oregon State

CU AD: FB - CU vs OSU Game Notes (PDF)

CUATG Blog: FB - Friday Fast Facts – Oregon State Week

USA Tiday: MBB - Da Silva counted on even more to step up as Colorado leader

CUATG Blog: FB - Pac-12 Notes – Oregon State Week - Could the Big 12 secure a media rights deal before the Pac-12?

Buffs Wire: FB - Jon Wilner's top Pac-12 storyline at the halfway mark of 2022

Buffs Wire: FB - Five reasons why the CU Buffs could make things close at Oregon State

Buffs Wire: FB - Colorado Buffaloes football primer: Scouting Oregon State

Cheers!

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Mark Smith discusses the progression of the defense, working with interim DC Gerald Chatman and his group of backs.

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Victory Johnson is one of the 2023 recruits still looking for a future home. The linebacker prospect from Cathedral Catholic in San Diego, California has been strongly considering visits to both Colorado and Arizona State. Both of those programs are now going to have to hire new head coaches. Still, he decided that he wanted to make an official visit to CU to check out the campus on a game day and reconnect with Mark Smith and the other Buffs coaches who remain on staff.

He was not disappointed with the visit as he was able to rush the field after seeing CU win its first game of the season. The crowd and energy in the stadium on Saturday has left a lasting impression on Johnson. He is not yet planning to make any decision as he wants to see how the process plays out and what eventually happens to a coach like Smith, but CU is certainly in consideration as he continues to push ahead in his recruitment.

"The trust that I have with coach Smith, he seemed very, very optimistic even with coaching changes that they're going to show what they can do as a defense. Also, being able to see the university, the campus, see the fan base and the atmosphere at game time was really cool to see. I don't think there's any place that could be 0-5 and sell out, which they did this past week against Cal. Seeing that was awesome."

Read the full visit recap at the link up top.

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Hello? Road games to San Diego.
The confidence in the future of the Pac-12 continues to surge

The Pac-12 Conference is in quite the predicament right now as they continue to seek a respectable media rights deal, while also deal with the expansion of the conference.

The whirlwind that has been the rumors about their expansion are continuing to flourish, as even despite the conference emphasizing that there is a focus on securing a new deal, expansion is imminent. The belief around the country is the conference will expand, it is just a matter of when they do, more so than if.

There were some rumors that the Big 12 and Big Ten were targeting Pac-12 schools, but with recent reports that the Big Ten is done for now, Pac-12 insider John Canznao reported that there is no sense of belief that Pac-12 schools will go to the Big 12. He also expressed confidence that San Diego state is a lock to join the Pac-12 rather than the Big 12 when the conference finally expands saying:

The Pac-12 affiliation makes far more sense for San Diego State. There’s also an order of operations here: 1) Media rights negotiations; and 2) conference expansion. The Big 12’s media rights negotiations are trailing the Pac-12’s by about a year. I think San Diego State will eventually land in the Pac-12 Conference.

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He continued explaining that the "four corner" schools that the Big 12 desires do not feel the same way, saying:

Utah, Colorado, Arizona and ASU aren’t going anywhere in this cycle. Don’t buy into the hysteria from the misinformed, unsourced message-board honks. They’re busy back-pedaling this week. In the last few months, I’ve talked with numerous high-level officials on a variety of Pac-12 campuses. My sources never wavered. They insist the remaining 10 members are sticking together and I believe them.

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Assuming the conference will want to get back to 12 teams after the departure of USC and UCLA, and San Diego State seems like it is a lock for the first spot, it will be fascinating to see who the Pac-12 gives the nod to as that last team. I personally believe it could either be Fresno State, Boise State, or SMU. In a perfect world the conference could add all four, but their plans for the quantity of teams have to be disclosed.

A search firm has been hired to assist with the HC selection, so that should take some of the burden off RG's back.

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Rick George can now focus on the issues that best suit his talents:

1. Choosing what color cellophane to use on the hors d'oeuvre toothpicks;

2. Chardonnay in the Flatirons Club : Oaky v buttery.

3. Stan Smiths or Nike Air Force Ones with the game day suit?

4. Call Dorrell - why is he sending me Hickory Farms sausage and fruit baskets every damn day? Annoying . . .

5. Finally getting around to reading the Colorado NIL legislation.

6. Trying to figure out why Whizzer White never returns his calls.

7. Looking for the Transfer Portal in the Champions Center. It wasn't in the budget or "as built" drawings . . .

8. Scheduling home and homes with Oxford and Cambridge- they don't take transfers either.

9. Negotiating the "buy out" for cancelling his Comcast cable service early. My advice: buy Comcast stock

10. Look through the Crutchfield catalog for Folsom speakers.

One of Colorado's tackling leaders, veteran ILB Josh Chandler-Semedo, "has been one of the most consistent guys all year," ILB coach Mark Smith said. Saturday provided Chandler-Semedo with his first win since Nov. 27 and a relieving moment for both him and CU's defense.

The coaching carousel has been unusually busy in the first half of the college football season, with five Power Five programs firing their head coaches before they played their sixth game. What's perhaps more interesting is that in each instance, the interim coach has done fairly well -- in most cases, better than the head coach they replaced

In that way, Colorado's win against Cal last Saturday continued that trend

Now only the 5th worst team in the land!!

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!
https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...tory/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

What I see is:
College Football and just a bunch of random words.

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More on Lewis, who entered his name in the transfer portal today

We've got our weekly look at CU's opponent. This week, it's Oregon State, who's 5-2 on the season

BZ: FB - Football: Increased player engagement helping Colorado Buffs rally together (Interim head coach Mike Sanford creating new roles, developing rewards for players)

BZ: FB - Colorado football notes: LB Aubrey Smith finds role with Buffs

BZ: MBB - When (if) healthy, Javon Ruffin hopes to make big difference for Colorado men’s basketball

BZ: WBB - olorado women’s basketball: Buffs striving for consistency

CU AD: FB - Oliver Gets Interception In Return For #NFLBuffs Week 6

CU AD: SOC - Buffs Host No. 1 UCLA

CUATG Blog: FB - CU Coaching Search - Thinking Outside The box: Trading Coaching Salaries for NIL Enhancements

CUATG Blog: FB - *Video: CU inside linebackers coach Mark Smith*

Pac-12 Notes – Oregon State Week - CU Falls Out of ESPN Bottom Ten + Oklahoma and Texas to remain in the Big 12 until 2025

SI: FB - One school bound to eventually join Pac-12, while no more exits from the conference are expected

Buffs Wire: MBB - Four Colorado Buffaloes players headed to Pac-12 Basketball Media Days

Buffs Wire: FB - Colorado vs. Oregon State: Behind enemy Lines with Building The Dam

Buffs Wire: FB - Colorado's student section for Cal game earns a top-10 ranking

Buffs Wire: FB - USA TODAY Sports believes Ryan Walters is a favorite for Buffs' head job

Cheers!

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True freshman Aubrey Smith discusses his big play on Saturday, taking a bigger role and the progress amongst the defense.

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Ben Finneseth talks about the exciting events of Saturday, being appointed as a captain and playing for CU.

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Jake Wiley describes his experience playing against Cal, Van Wells and the integration of young players.

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Anthony Lyle discusses the special team unit's performance on Saturday and how he's personally grown throughout the season.

True freshman Owen McCown feeling a little “banged up” after taking that hit in the third on Saturday, opening up the potential starting job for J.T. Shrout, but it’ll be a, “game-time decision,” according to interim head coach Mike Sanford.

More on the quarterbacks and preparing for Oregon State:

BZ: FB - Mike Sanford confident in CU Buffs’ quarterback depth (Owen McCown to be game-time decision Saturday at Oregon State)

BZ: FB - Colorado Buffs football notes: Quarterback Brendon Lewis to transfer (Colorado retains search firm to help in process of finding full-time head coach)

CU AD: FB - Sanford Reinstates Victory Club

CU AD: FB - Buffs Report: QB Update, Prepping For Wet Weather, OL Improvement (Includes link to OSU Game Notes (PDF))

CU AD: VB - Buffaloes Head To Oregon

CU AD: MBB - Seven Former Buffs Begin NBA Seasons This Week

CUATG Blog: FB - CU at Oregon State: “T.I.P.S.” for a Buff Team Taking the Mike Sanford Show on the Road

CUATG Blog: FB - CU hires search firm of Eastman & Beaudine to assist in coaching hire

CUATG Blog: FB - Pac-12 Notes – Oregon State Week - CU “loses” No. 1 ranking in CBS Bottom 25

CUATG Blog: FB - (Scroll Down) *Video: Mike Sanford Weekly Press Conference*

CUATG Blog: MBB - ESPN and CBS Sports both have CU pegged for 9th in the Pac-12

Ralphie Report: FB - Colorado Football Coaching Hot Board: 1.0 (WE’RE TRACKING FLIGHTS AND NAMING NAMES)

Ralphie Report: FB - Podcast: THE COLORADO BUFFALOES WON A GAME

Pac-12.com: XC - 10 nationally-ranked teams to highlight 2022 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships ]/url]

Cheers!

Rose Bowl
Team: Oregon (5-1/3-0)
Home games remaining (three): UCLA, Washington, Utah
Road games remaining (three): Cal, Colorado, Oregon State
Comment: The Hotline hasn’t been wrong about anything in two or three minutes, but it’s difficult to envision Oregon receiving a playoff invitation — even at 12-1 and carrying a Pac-12 title. The Georgia loss was simply too damaging.

Cotton Bowl
Team: USC (6-1/4-1)
Home (three): Cal, Colorado, Notre Dame
Road (two): Arizona, UCLA
Comment: Our current projections call for USC to finish third in the Pac-12 race but return to the Cotton, where the Trojans lost to Ohio State in the 2017 season.

Alamo Bowl
Team: UCLA (6-0/3-0)
Home (three): Stanford, Arizona, USC
Road (three): Oregon, Arizona State, Cal
Comment: No team has a wider range of landing spots than the Bruins, who could reach the playoff or slide to Las Vegas or El Paso, in part because the Holiday wants no part of them.

Holiday Bowl
Team: Utah (5-2/3-1)
Home (two): Arizona, Stanford
Road (three): WSU, Oregon, Colorado
Comment: One more loss and the Utes are out of the New Year’s Six chase. And because they have played in the Alamo and Holiday bowls recently, they could slide to Las Vegas if a return to the Granddaddy isn’t their destiny.

Las Vegas Bowl
Team: Washington (5-2/2-2)
Home (two): Oregon State, Colorado
Road (three): Cal, Oregon, WSU
Comment: As long as the Huskies get to the high side of .500 in conference play, Las Vegas is an option, How about Mississippi State (and Mike Leach) as the opponent? That might generate some interest.

Sun Bowl
Team: Oregon State (5-2/2-2)
Home (three): Cal, Colorado, Oregon
Road (two): Washington, ASU
Comment: The Beavers are a postseason lock after the victory over WSU. It’s only a matter of how high they climb — and that could hinge on the outcome of the Nov. 4 duel in Husky Stadium.

LA Bowl
Team: Washington State (4-3/1-3)
Home (three): Utah, ASU, Washington
Road (two): Stanford, Arizona
Comment: The Cougars need two wins to qualify and will be favored, or a slight underdog, in four games. We like their chances (although not as much as we did a few weeks ago).

Non-qualifier
Team: Arizona (3-4/1-3)
Home (three): USC, Washington State, ASU
Road (two): Utah, UCLA
Comment: While Arizona’s position here remains unchanged, its underlying odds have deteriorated substantially. Winning zero more games is just as likely as winning three more.

Non-qualifier
Team: Arizona State (2-4/1-2)
Home (two): UCLA, Oregon State
Road (four): Stanford, Colorado, WSU, Arizona
Comment: Increasing the victory total by 50 percent this week — from two to three — would improve ASU’s prospects for the postseason by an equivalent amount. Win at Stanford, and the math gets easier.

Non-qualifier
Team: Cal (3-3/1-2)
Home (four): Washington, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA
Road (two): USC, Oregon State
Comment: The Hotline envisions a scenario in which Cal misses a bowl berth by one game and Colorado only wins one game. And we can’t be the only ones expecting that end-game.

Non-qualifier
Team: Colorado (1-5/1-2)
Home (three): ASU, Oregon, Utah
Road (three): Oregon State, USC, Washington
Comment: The floor for CU is now 1-11, but the ceiling is 2-10.

Non-qualifier
Team: Stanford (2-4/0-4)
Home (three): ASU, WSU, Brigham Young
Road (three): UCLA, Utah, Cal
Comment: We’re saying there’s a chance, but only because we’ve actually watched ASU, WSU, BYU and Cal play multiple times.