All offseason, fans kept talking about September; they couldn’t get their focus off of CU’s non-conference schedule, fixated on the Buffaloes chances of starting the season on a good note.
All along, however, attention should have been on October; that’s when the season really began in Boulder. Because no matter if Colorado went 4-0, 0-4 or some combination in between to start the year, how they fared during the five Pac-12 games in October would ultimately define their season.
If they could win a couple conference games, it would be a sign that things were headed in the right direction. On the flip side, dropping all five games would kill any momentum that a good September might have brought; winless in conference would be a sign that things hadn’t improved.
So far, the Buffs are headed toward the second scenario. Three games into October, they are winless against Pac-12 foes. They were competitive at home against Oregon and Arizona, but ultimately couldn’t close out the games; as a result, people are getting antsy around the CU program.
With a game at UCLA looming on Halloween, that leaves this Saturday as the Buffs best chance to get a win this month. They are underdogs in Corvallis, but they have to find a way to beat Oregon State. That puts pressure squarely on three people:
