Strike 3: They say it’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you handle it.

The way the University of Colorado handled a 1-11 football season back in 2022 could be something of a blueprint for Colorado State when this train wreck of a football season mercifully comes to an end in two weeks. The question is what lessons the CSU administration may have learned by watching their disaster unfold in real time, and how will they handle it?

There are several similarities between the ‘22 CU Buffs and the ‘25 Rams. CSU will likely end up with one more win, although calling their first victory of the season over FCS neighbor Northern Colorado a “win” is being generous. Like the ’22 Buffs, CSU had one good night, knocking off Fresno State 49-21 at Canvas Stadium in early October. For the Buffs, that single moment of daylight came mid-season in the form of an overtime win over Cal on Homecoming, so there’s that.

Both teams ended up with interim coaches for much of their fateful seasons, playing multiple quarterbacks during the year and losing key players to the transfer portal before, during and after.

After a spirited effort against New Mexico last Saturday fell short, interim Rams’ coach Tyson Summers will have trouble cracking the win column the rest of the way. Unless the lifeless CSU offense catches fire in the final game against Air Force, he probably won’t (although the Falcons’ defense is a sieve. That game will be the “resistible force meets the moveable object.”)

The Rams are down to QB3 after benching both Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi – who has since entered the Transfer Portal – and Jackson Brousseau – who has arguably been even worse. Now it’s Darrius Curry’s team the rest of the way. The offensive line is a mess, and top running back Jalen Dupree has already hit the portal. More valuable personnel will likely follow Dupree and BFN out the door.

In 2022, CU’s interim coaching staff actually played five QB’s at some point. They also lost guys like future first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez (to Oregon) and standout wideout Brendan Rice (to USC) to the portal before that fateful season (both are now with the New England Patriots) and future standouts like Jordyn Tyson (who will be back in Boulder with his current team, Arizona State, on Saturday) after it.

Last guys off a sinking ship.

While the ’22 Buffs had played a much tougher schedule (one of the toughest slates in the country that year) and showed signs of life in several games, it wasn’t until Colorado introduced Deion Sanders as the next head coach in December that hope returned in Boulder. At that point, the CU admin had loosened transfer rules and agreed to jump headlong into the NIL world – things they had previously resisted doing.

How will the CSU admin handle things at the end of this miserable season? What lessons have they learned? What route will they go to secure a high quality new head coach who can pump life back into the program? They could play it safe and hire a no-nonsense guy like North Dakota State’s Tim Polasek, take a chance on a hot coordinator (and local guy) like Texas A&M’s OC Collin Klein, or they could go for a big name, attention-grabbing splash hire, like former NFL star DeSean Jackson (a good friend of Sanders.) Maybe UCLA interim HC Tim Skipper, who was at CSU from 2012-2014 as the linebackers coach?

What about local connections Klink Kubiak or Matt Lubick?

Enquiring minds.

CU rose out of the ashes (at least in terms of fan passion and national attention) after that ill-fated season when they hired Deion (and the on-field results have improved some too.) CSU has a chance, if they make the right hire, to rise up and do an even better turnaround. They need to enter the Pac-12 with some hope.