Cut to the chase: Can the Colorado Buffaloes win the requisite six games needed to return to a bowl game this winter?

It won’t be easy, because it never is when you’re rebuilding your 105-man roster every single season. NCAA free agency, otherwise known as the no-holds-barred Transfer Portal, has made sure of that. Becoming a cohesive team in a short period of time is tough for any team, much less one with half the roster made up of newbies.

On the plus side, CU has a returning quarterback in sophomore Julian ‘Ju Ju’ Lewis. The last time they had a QB return to campus for a second straight season, it was Shedeur Sanders – and he led them to nine wins and a bowl appearance. They also have a new coaching staff with a lot more college football coaching experience, which is something that’s new and improved. Their new, run-based, “Go Go” offense should be fun to watch.

On the downside, the schedule is considered by many who cover the conference to be the most difficult in the Big 12. Let’s see if we can find six wins in there.

Starting at Georgia Tech – who beat the Buffs in Boulder last year – is a tall order. The Buffs are a touchdown underdog.

FCS Weber State has knocked off a FBS team or two in the past, but it would still be a huge upset (and perhaps a massive blow to the Deion Sanders coaching era) if the Buffs didn’t dispatch those Wildcats pretty easily.

A trip to Northwestern, with their quirky, cozy little football stadium – will be a measuring stick for CU. These Wildcats can compete in the Big Ten, if not actually win half their conference games. That’s something the Buffs would be hard pressed to do… but for one game? Provided they take out Weber State the week before, CU might have Uncle Mo with them and catch Northwestern looking ahead to their match up the following week with Indiana, the defending national champions.

Stranger things.

Once conference play starts, CU plays its third road game in the first four weeks at Baylor. The Bears will be favored for good reason. The following week, Texas Tech, fresh off the Brendon Sorsby scandal and an appearance in last season’s College Football Playoff, comes to Folsom Field. Winning either one of those two would be an achievement.

The Buffs could realistically be 1-4 at this point, with Utah coming to Boulder the following week – or, if Deion is right about his team, they could be 3-2. They’ll more likely be 2-3. We’ll go with that.

Assuming the powerful Utes prove to be too much for Colorado to handle again, they would need to get at least one of two against remodeled Oklahoma State or downward-trending Kansas State in Boulder. The Cowboys were the conference doormats the past two seasons, but have had an extreme makeover and are now being projected to finish near the top of the Big 12. Really. And that game is in Stillwater.

Better beat the Wildcats and new coach Collin Klein (the third set of Wildcats the Buffs will have played in their first eight games) to stay in the hunt.

So let’s say, for argument’s sake, that Colorado has three wins after eight games. Can they find three more down the stretch?

At Arizona State? Not likely. At home vs Houston? Probably.

That’s four.

Now they’d have to win their final two, starting at Cincinnati (minus Sorsby); that could happen. That leaves the finale against Central Florida. It’s a tough trip for the visitors, and if they’re bowl-worthy, the Buffs would be able to prove it with a sixth win in front of the home crowd.

So the answer is yes, CU could win six games and earn a bowl invitation this season. Maybe the Deion Experience can have a successful Act II.