After dropping from the top-25 rankings in both the AP and the Coaches Polls following a road loss to USC, the Colorado Buffaloes are again knocking on the door in both. ESPN, meanwhile, says the Buffs are the No. 25 program in the country.
Colorado exorcised some demons in the form of the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday night with a 40-16 victory, their first over ASU in program history. The win also put them back in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 South after falling to the Trojans the week prior. Colorado fell out of the top 25 in both polls with the loss after finding themselves ranked for the first time since 2005.
ESPN saw enough from CU on Saturday to include them in their own power rankings at No. 25, saying:
One of the best stories of the season keeps getting better. Coach Mike MacIntyre entered the fall on the hot seat. He now has Colorado one win from bowl eligibility. Whether it’s Sefo Liufau or Steven Montez at quarterback, Colorado is racking up points and big plays on offense. Phillip Lindsay (219 rush yards, three touchdowns) sparked the run game in Colorado’s easy win over Arizona State.
The decisive victory wasn’t enough to get the Buffs back into the top 25 in the two primary polls, the AP and Coaches, however they currently rank 26th in both.
With 110 points, the Buffs need to gain 13 on LSU in the AP ranking. The gap is slightly smaller in the coaches poll, where CU trails Navy by 12 points, 121 to 133. The Midshipmen’s only loss this year came at Air Force.
Colorado next travels to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. Last week the Buffs and Cardinal both dropped out of the top 25 following losses; for Stanford it was the first time this season they were unranked. A win should all but guarantee Colorado a return to the top 25 in both polls.
