Wilson recently decommitted from Arizona State and is now visiting the Buffs.

Login to view embedded media

Devastating news as Webb Walker addressed the team of his diagnosis. However it appears to be treatable and Coach Prime and all the Buffs are supporting him in his journey.

Any chance we can get a list of who is coming today? There are a few big fish in town.

Bowl eligibility this on the line in Boulder, but a sixth win on the season isn’t going to come easy against the 5-2 Cincinnati Bearcats.

Here's what Troy Finnegan and I are monitoring ahead of tonight's game:

I went back and watched the CU Nebraska game again. And took notes play by play. Why I don't know, but my attitude is a little bit different now that I've had a second chance to watch the game.

Obviously as everybody knows offensive line is the problem. But I don't think it's an issue of talent or ability I think it's an issue of attitude and desire, as well as time in the system. The announcers were talking about the offensive line for Nebraska and how they've got multiple guys that have 40 or 50 starts under their belt. That's huge. And to be in the second year with the same offensive line coach, and they're playing with continuity. CU is in its second game with four new starters and a new online coach. Anybody reasonable who is paying attention should have said people need to temper their expectations for a while until the O line starts playing better, and after they begin to gel a little bit. In retrospect it seems it should have been obvious.

In terms of the touchdowns that Nebraska scored, The first came after a nice drive where they drove the ball down the field and scored. One came off of huge explosion play That took them down to the one yard line for an easy score on the next play. And the third came from that crazy carrum that should have been a CU interception had Bentley been able to corral it.

The first quarter was a s*** show for CU's defense. But as the rest of the game wore on the defense got much better and with about 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter CU had only allowed Nebraska 88 total yards and no more scores from the beginning of the 2nd half on. So that to me is a reason for optimism. That's decent. Again decent adjustments on the part of Livingston.

All around the defense has to get better though. We have to tighten up because the defense is going to have to carry the offense for a while in a lot of these games. And that means you can't spot the opposing team 14 or 21 points in the first half. And to fix that you need to nail down the explosion plays. There were half a dozen big plays that contributed to Nebraska really moving the ball. And Nebraska had maybe five or six good runs that were more than 5 yards, but less than 20. Everything else was the modest two or three yard per play variety. Take away the explosion plays and Nebraska's offense is much more modest. In my rewatch I didn't see Nebraska moving the ball up and down the field consistently.

The pick six that #2 threw was just a boneheaded play. And he made a couple bone-headed plays this game that were uncharacteristic of him. What really pissed me off about that was the fact that he blamed the receiver on that. Calling at a rookie mistake. I can't see how six made a mistake on that play.

The last thing is special teams. Specifically the kicking game. Points are points and CU could had six more points potentially with a better kicking game.

The bottom line for me is that Nebraska had some serious veteran talent on both sides of the line in this game. And that was a huge advantage. CU's defense lost focus at the wrong time allowing for some big plays that gave Nebraska relatively easy scoring opportunities. And more than anything Nebraska came in with a juiced crowd and a huge emotional advantage and they took it to The buffs before the buffs could really get their footing. I doubt the bus will play in another environment like they did on Saturday, for the rest of the season.

Going forward I think the buffs can win some football games this season. If the defense keeps improving and starts really finding their footing and limiting explosion plays which I think they can; and if the offensive line can start playing with some attitude then I think the buffs can turn it around. In terms of the offensive line playing with attitude, I think that it would help immensely to just line up in a power formation like the pistol and run the ball. And then leverage play action off of that. And then once they get some confidence then start mixing in the spread option and some more developed blocking schemes. But more than anything the offensive line needs to start getting some wins and needs to start building some competence. And I think the way you do that is by running the ball using a downhill running game.

That's way too many words. But I kind of needed to do a brain dump after watching that game. Hopefully somebody appreciates this.

BZ: FB - Football: Plenty at stake as CU Buffs take on Cincinnati

BZ: FB - Football: CU Buffs vs. Cincinnati scouting report

BZ: FB - Video: Previewing and projecting CU Buffs football vs Cincinnati

BZ: FB - Football recruiting: CU Buffs flip three-star defensive lineman from UCF

BZ: FB - Football: Colorado DE Nikhil Webb Walker diagnosed with lymphoma

BZ: MBB - Men’s basketball notes: CU Buffs add to ’25 recruiting class with forward Tacko Fawaz

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

CUATG Blog: FB - Colorado Recruiting Class of 2025 - Christian Hudson – DL

CUATG Blog: FB – Cincinnati Week - Friday Fast Facts

TV12: FB - UC already bettered its Big 12 debut, now has long trip to Colorado with both contending

SI: FB - Deion Sanders has delivered on initial promises with 'Phase Two' coming soon (Coach Prime is giving the naysayers a show worth watching at Colorado)

SI: FB - Deion Sanders doesn't read too much into analytics for success (Coach Prime uses common sense approach and trusts his playmakers)

SI: FB - 2025 five-star QB Julian Lewis to visit Deion Sanders and Colorado (Coach Prime will try again to get his centerpiece for the Buffs next year)

On3: FB - Shedeur Sanders explains balance of distributing passes to Colorado receivers

Buffs Wire: FB - Who has the edge? Latest betting odds for Cincinnati at Colorado

Buffs Wire: FB - Three scholarship players no longer featured on Colorado's roster

Buffs Wire: FB - Defensive keys to Colorado slowing the Bearcats

Cheers!

I have confirmed that five-star USC QB commit JuJu Lewis is visiting Colorado this weekend.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Initial returns from NOB are very positive. Even getting a visit, as we reported last week, was a big deal. He was previously set on seeing Notre Dame and Texas before making a late decision. Now, CU is thrusted into the mix and the pedigree of coaches and attention he got while in town has the Buffs trending as not only a contender, but one inching up a list that also includes Michigan, Notre Dame (where his brother played), Ohio State, USC and Florida.

Login to view embedded media
Speaking of Ohio State, Merritt has long been on board and rock solid to the Bucks. He remains on board following the Colorado trip, and admitted the impression was one that could be a wrench into his recruitment. Merritt told Rivals he got a lot of time with both players and coaches and he felt like he could fit into that CU culture that is developing. IMG had a couple of bye weeks but now they're back at it, so he says his focus is there and not recruiting. It means he either sticks with OSU or the Buffs pull an upset. We hear the staff is relatively confident with these recruits in general, by the way.

Login to view embedded media
Hudson may be the most unique recruit of the three to have made the move to Boulder over the weekend. He is a longtime UCF commitment who saw the program go to Orlando and secure a huge win. Then the trip was set, so this one has been brewing a bit longer than it had with the IMG duo.

"It was great overall," Hudson told Rivals. "Really great to get up there for a game and get a feel of the atmosphere. It’s really a great place. My favorite part was sitting down and talking to Coach Prime and Coach Lewis and Coach Rispress -- all of them are very down to earth people who care about their athletes and they have a great plan for my future. Not just on the field but also off the field.

"They’re definitely in a great standing with me."

If there is a Floridian to keep the closest eye on from the weekend, I'd go with Hudson, who is as productive a prep defensive tackle as there is in the class of 2025 (27 TFL, 9 sacks in 2023).

Diving into the Cincinnati matchup:

BZ: FB - CU football notes: Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield impressed with Buffs’ quarterback Shedeur Sanders

BZ: FB - Isaiah Augustave seizing opportunity in CU Buffs’ backfield

BZ: WBB - Women’s basketball notes: Johanna Teder feeling good as lone season with CU Buffs approaches

BZ: SOC - Women’s soccer: Senior day spark needed for CU Buffs in regular-season finale

CU AD: SOC - Buffs Set for Senior Day Showdown with Utah

CUATG Blog: FB - 1994 Revisited – Game Eight … No. 2 Colorado at No. 3 Nebraska

CUATG Blog: FB - Big 12 Notes – Cincinnati Week - Week Eight TV ratings: CU/Arizona most watched Big 12 game

Ralphie Report: FB - Preview: Buffaloes take on dangerous Cincinnati team

SI: FB - Deion Sanders and Colorado Are No Longer Ratings Gold (The Buffaloes are 5-2 on the year but fewer people are tuning in.)n

SI: FB - Deion Sanders' Louis Vuitton offer letter takes Colorado to another level
Coach Prime and his staff get props for some high class promotion (Awesome - Way Too Cool!)

CFN: FB - Colorado vs Cincinnati Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

SB Nation: FB - Preview: Buffaloes take on dangerous Cincinnati team

KSL: FB - Preview: Big 12 Football Predictions: Our Insiders Predict Week Nine Matchups

Cheers!

This season's version of Shedeur Sanders is much more mature than last season.

Things he was seen doing recently:

1) Helping Injured Sam King off the field.

2) Consoling teammate Hank Zilinskas for being taken out of the game for bad snaps - welcoming Cash Cleveland out for his first snaps as a Buff.

3) Visiting local schools and speaking to the kids.

4) On the field - I think he has been especially selfless in executing the offense - sometimes even performing RPO elements - and promoting the run game.


I prefer this version of Shedeur - instead of the one calling out his Dad's rivals at games - or showing the watch to opposing team fans.

Some thoughts here:

Login to view embedded media
Fun episode of the CU Sports Report podcast. Troy and I recap Arizona, big recruits linked to Colorado, visitors this weekend and J.T. Smith of the UC Rivals site discusses what the Bearcats are bringing to Boulder.

Note: This episode was recorded prior to the Julian Lewis news

BZ: FB - Video: Analysis of CU Buffs’ running backs and more

BZ: FB - CU Buffs football notes: Coach Prime praises value of Jimmy Horn Jr. (Senior receiver hasn't put up big numbers in recent weeks, but still a dangerous weapon on offense, special teams)

BZ: FB - CU Buffs freshman Jordan Seaton living up to expectations

BZ: MBB - Julian Hammond III, Javon Ruffin the last men standing from CU Buffs’ touted ’21 class

BZ: WBB - Women’s basketball notes: Frida Formann, Kindyll Wetta expanding leadership for CU Buffs

CU AD: FB - Know Before You Go: Football vs. Cincinnati

CU AD: VB - Buffs Fall to Mountaineers in Four

CUATG Blog: FB - CU vs Cicinnati: “T.I.P.S.” for CU’s Family Weekend “Blackout”

CUATG Blog: FB - *Meet the Press: Edge rusher Arden Walker/RB Isaiah Augustave* + More Videos

CUATG Blog: FB - Big 12 Notes – Cincinnati Week - CBS list of ten most disappointing teams includes four Big 12 teams

Fansided: FB - Travis Hunter’s return gives Colorado star the perfect runway to reclaim Heisman race

SI: FB - Cincinnati Bearcats Football Keys To The Game: Colorado Buffaloes

SI: FB - How Deion Sanders and Colorado exceeded expectations and starting to heat up (Game by Game)

SI: FB - NFL executive tells Deion Sanders' Buffaloes 'Don't waste a rep' (Coach Prime had a special guest addressing the players to end practice this week)

Athlon Sports: FB - NFL Draft Guru Makes Opinion of Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward Perfectly Clear (Colorado, Miami passers are neck-and-neck in race to be 2025 draft's QB1)

Athlon Sports: FB - Shedeur Sanders Deserves Your Heisman Attention (The “grown” QB has a résumé that stacks up against anyone in the nation)

Buffs Wire: FB - Five bold predictions for Colorado vs. Cincinnati

Buffs Wire: FB - Updated NFL draft projections for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders

Buffs Wire: FB - Ranking Colorado's remaining games from easiest to toughest

Cheers!

Lot of positives this week! Some things that stuck out from the second watch of Colroado-Arizona 👇

Is anybody going to Maui for Thanksgiving?

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media
Awesome! "The Rise 2"

BZ: FB - Football: After slow start, CU Buffs racking up sacks (Colorado leads Big 12 in sacks through seven games)

BZ: FB - CU football notes: Buffs’ Travis Hunter getting closer to full strength

BZ: FB - Video: Analysis as CU Buffs prep for Cincinnati

BZ: WBB - JR Payne, CU Buffs women’s basketball ready for ‘intellectual challenge’ of Big 12

BZ: Olympic sports notes: The week ahead (Oct. 22, 2024)

CU AD: TEN - Nelson and Bubalo Win the ITA Mountain Regional Championship

CU AD: FB - Coach Prime's Buffs Gear Up For Crucial Test Vs. Cincinnati

The Athletic: FB - Colorado and Deion Sanders are winning in a way few saw coming — quietly

On3: FB - Week 8 Stock Report: Upstarts eying bowls, Lincoln Riley, bad 2025 NFL Draft QB projections

Athlon Sports: FB - Travis Hunter Predicted to Land With Historic Team in 2025 NFL Draft (The Buffaloes two-way stud is predicted to be drafted first overall by the Patriots)

Athlon Sports: FB - College Football's Top 25 Quarterbacks After Week 8 (3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado)

Athlon Sports: FB - Colorado Buffaloes Partner with Taco Bell for Exciting NIL Deal (How will it work?)

Athlon Sports: FB - hedeur Sanders Inspires Local High School Students (Shedeur visited Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado)

SI: FB - Deion Sanders and Colorado appreciate late games for one reason

Buffs Wire: FB - Deion Sanders shares early thoughts on Cincinnati Bearcats

Buffs Wire: MBB - Colorado guard Andrew Crawford talks approach to freshman season

Buffs Wire: MBB - Trevor Baskin looking to be a versatile contributor for CU Buffs

Cheers!

1-Oregon (59 1st place votes)
2-Georgia (2)
3-Penn St
4-Ohio St
5-Texas
6-Miami
7-Tennessee
8-LSU
9-Clemson
10-Iowa St
11-BYU
12-Notre Dame
13-Indiana
14-Texas A&M
15-Alabama
16-Kansas St
17-Boise St
18-Ole Miss
19-Pitt
20-Illinois
21-Mizzou
22-SMU
23-Army
24-Navy
25-Vanderbilt

Washington St. 46, Syracuse 15, UNLV 5, Duke 2, South Carolina 1, Nebraska 1, Liberty 1.