It seems like the Pac-12 media isn’t buying any of the hype surrounding Coach Prime’s rebuild of the CU Buffs, as they voted the Buffaloes 11th in the Pac-12 Football Preseason Media Poll.
Pac-12 media projects Colorado for 11th place finish #cubuffs pic.twitter.com/EkB0V3sn3d
— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) July 20, 2023
The Colorado Buffaloes rank only ahead of the Stanford Cardinal, which may help explain why the matchup with Stanford was one of the first two home games to sell out.
Colorado announces that upcoming games against Nebraska (Sept. 9) and Stanford (Oct. 13) are already SOLD OUT 👀
The Coach Prime Effect continues in Boulder pic.twitter.com/VI1mbpiE8C
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) July 20, 2023
To put in perspective how poorly the CU Buffs performed in this poll, their total of just 98 points is identical to the number of points the Arizona Wildcats tallied in last year’s poll. That means, among the voting members of the Pac-12 media, this year’s Buffaloes are more-or-less being viewed the same way the Wildcats were this time last year.
Fortunately for Colorado fans, the climb to 11th does denote some progress. The program was projected to finish last in the conference a season ago, and ultimately fulfilled that expectation.
Buffs Nation can also find solace in the fact that last year’s transfer portal darlings — LSU, TCU, and USC — were all underrated in their respective preseason polls.
LSU was picked to finish seventh in the SEC West and finished second, behind only Alabama. TCU was picked to finish seventh in the Big-12 and wound up as a College Football Playoff team, despite losing their conference championship game. USC nearly wound up a playoff team and finished second in the conference, after being picked third in the preseason poll.
The CU Buffs could easily be the next team to follow that trend.