Congratulations, University of Colorado.
Your Buffaloes have cracked the top 25 rankings for the first time since 2016, coming in this week at No. 21 in the country.
The Buffs are fresh off a 38-16 blowout of the UCLA Bruins on Friday night, improving to 4-0 on the season. It’s the first time CU has started 4-0 since 1998, when they went 5-0 before their first loss.
After “The Rise” in 2016, finishing 10-4 that season, Colorado was terrible in 2017, going 5-7 overall. But this year’s team seems different, even if they have beaten teams who are a combined 1-14 on the season.
Steven Montez is not only a more polished passer — throwing with great accuracy in nearly every game — he’s a true dual threat, with speed to blow past any defender for a touchdown. He has 108 yards and three touchdowns running, with 1,092 yards and 9 touchdowns passing on the year.
Along with Montez, the versatility continues with Laviska Shenault, a breakout star who can dominate as a receiver or a runner. Through four games, he has 581 receiving yards with four touchdowns and 28 yards rushing with two more scores.
Defensively, Nate Landman is a stud. He’s totaled 43 tackles with one sack and one forced fumble on the season, leading a unit that allows only 17.75 points per game. Meanwhile, they’re averaging 35.25 points per contest on the offensive side of the ball.
Next up for the undefeated Buffaloes are the 3-2 Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field on Saturday, Oct. 6. That game kicks off at 2 p.m. MST next week. That will present the Buffs’ first real test of the season.