After getting out to unexpected 2-0 starts to the new college football season, the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams faced their first really big tests of the new season last weekend.

Neither came away with a passing grade.

In Fort Collins, the new-look Rams gave it the ol’ college try, but were overmatched by 11th-ranked BYU, 41-23. The game was a source of flashbacks for longtime Ram fans, who over the years have seen BYU roll into the Fort with guys like Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and more taking the snaps and bludgeoning the home team. It’s like a recurring bad dream.

This time around was more of the same, with the better team/more advanced program doing what they were supposed to do and winning in a rout. At least the Rams didn’t beat themselves. They did play hard, and were in the game early before starting quarterback Hauss Hejny left the game with an injury. They did put up a couple of token touchdowns late to make the game look a little less lopsided, so they get credit for that.

But the big difference between BYU routs of yesteryear and this season’s team is that CSU football isn’t stagnant. There is hope for the immediate future. The program is clearly on the upswing under new coach Jim Mora, Jr. While they weren’t up to the task physically against a veteran Cougars squad, the 2-1 start remains encouraging. The BYU game just offered a little reality check after the quick start. There’s more work to do.

It was a different story in Chicago, where the CU Buffs had every intention of leaving town with their second Power Four road win, and with it an unbeaten start to the new season. Their hosts, Northwestern, had a different idea.

The Wildcats – a middle of the pack Big Ten program – weren’t that much better physically than the new-look Buffaloes. But they were better prepared and better coached, as witnessed by the ugly final score of 41-7. CU moved the ball on offense, and had they been able to avoid a series of ill-timed turnovers, penalties and poor execution could have made a game of it. Not only did they not leave Chicago with a win, but they left without some of their toes…the ones they shot off.

The game was a step backwards for the program.

Nonetheless, what’s important now for both programs now is what lies ahead. BYU is the best team CSU will face this year, with only Boise State (Canvas Stadium, November 7th) coming close. But they aren’t going to just cruise past the Oregon States of the world, either. Every game, starting with Saturday’s tilt at Texas-San Antonio, will be a tough battle. If CSU can somehow find a way to win four more games and become bowl eligible, it will be a huge step forward for what has been a downtrodden program for most of the past decade.

The oddsmakers put the over-under on CU at 4.5 for the season. Still, the Buffs have their sights set on a bowl game as well, and after winning at Georgia Tech, things were looking up in that department. But after getting buried by Northwestern, the road to four more wins looks more daunting. A road game against improved Baylor, a pair of home tilts against powerhouses Utah and Texas Tech are followed by a trip to Oklahoma State – who beat Oregon two weeks ago. There isn’t a layup left on the slate. That over-under number is looking pretty accurate right about now.

Las Vegas set the over-under for Colorado State at 3.5, so they’re already poised to surpass those expectations. After this week’s game, they still have a full Pac 12 schedule ahead of them. Only Utah State is looking weak at this point. Their newly re-formed conference does offer a TBD opponent at the end. They’re calling it a “flex” game, and it could provide CSU with a final chance at a sixth win.

After having failed their tests last Saturday, what would give each program a passing grade for the full season? Is it “bowl games or bust” for both?