All week, most of Colorado has been basking in the glow of the Broncos big win over the Packers last Sunday; it was a dominant victory, turned in on a national stage, that helped send a message to everyone that the orange and blue are a team to be reckoned with in 2015. Lost in the euphoria, however, was the fact that not all is rosy on the local football front; there are several teams, players and coaches that still need to get some things figured out.
Thus, the first full weekend of November is a big one on the gridiron. In Boulder and Fort Collins, both CU and CSU play games that are important to their fan bases; wins would help remove some of the sting of disappointing seasons. And in Indianapolis, the Broncos are trying to avoid a letdown of epic proportions against a Colts team that is about begging to be put out of its misery.
As a result, three prominent football figures find themselves on the “Hot Seat” this weekend. Here’s who has to perform on Saturday and Sunday in order to quiet the naysayers:
No. 3 – Mike Bobo
CSU coach Mike Bobo hitting “reset” — but not to point of starting to look ahead to ’16. https://t.co/Audct68k5E @dpostsports
— Terry Frei (@TFrei) November 2, 2015
The wheels are coming off a bit in Fort Collins, where the first-year head coach is finding it difficult to find success with the Rams. After last week’s 41-17 loss at home to San Diego State, Bobo was searching for answers. He doesn’t seem to have one at quarterback, where he continually waffles on the status of Nick Stevens as CSU’s No. 1 guy. And he’s now grasping at straws when it comes to the team’s best player, arguing that they need to stop trying to force the ball to wide receiver Rashard Higgins. In other words, it doesn’t look like Bobo has any answers as the Rams head into this week’s Border War against Wyoming. Given that the Cowboys are lousy this season, however, he better find some soon; otherwise, those few who are still following the program (less than 20,000 saw the loss to the Aztecs) will bail too. No. 2 – Ryan Harris
#broncos Ryan Harris said was oblivious to joe Thomas trade talks. “I can’t deal with hypotheticals. I am happy here. We are playing well.”
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 4, 2015
It was no secret the past few days that the Broncos were looking to acquire Joe Thomas, the perennial Pro Bowl left tackle who is toiling in NFL purgatory as a member of the Browns. That’s a clear sign that John Elway knows his team could use an upgrade at that position, where a revolving door of players have tried to protect Peyton Manning’s blindside this season. Ultimately, Cleveland’s asking price was too high, as Denver wasn’t going to mortgage the future in order to upgrade for the remaining nine games and beyond. Thus, Harris remains the starter at left tackle; he now needs to show that Elway was correct in balking at sending a first- and second-round pick to the Browns for Thomas. If he lets Robert Mathis do to Manning what happened the last time the Broncos were in Indianapolis, people will be saying the Broncos should have rolled the dice.
No. 1 – Jim Leavitt
Outside of a few mistakes, #Buffs have completely controlled this game. Jim Leavitt defense is coming along. Get the upset!!!
— Zeak Barkley (@ZeakBarkley) October 31, 2015
Last week, the Buffs had a chance to pull off a major upset, leading UCLA on the road in the fourth quarter. But their defense couldn’t hold the lead, allowing a four-play, 67-yard drive that gave the Bruins a 35-31 that would hold through the final gun. Ultimately, that breakdown wiped away the progress CU’s defense had shown most of the way. On Saturday, Colorado gets another shot at a signature victory, as ninth-ranked Stanford visits Boulder. In order for the Buffaloes to have a chance, however, they’ll need to slow down Christian McCaffrey, a Heisman candidate that has been dynamic in the Cardinal backfield. Adding a little pressure to Leavitt’s task is the fact that McCaffrey is from the Centennial State, having played at Valor Christian High School. If he runs wild, the chorus about not recruiting their own backyard will be deafening.