BOULDER, Colo. -- Forget, for a moment, that the division
they played in was so bad last season that it actually triggered a
brief discussion about getting rid of divisions in the Big 12.
And forget, for a moment, that the coach was about one step away
from losing his job before he rallied and was named the league's
coach of the year.
Forget all that -- and so much more -- and it's not so hard to
believe what many experts do: The Colorado Buffaloes have a solid
program and a decent foundation, are favorites to defend their Big
12 North title and coach Gary Barnett is the guy who can get it
done.
"We've had a great, great summer," Barnett said. "I can't
remember when I've seen a team in better condition than our team
reported in."
Physical condition is only half the story at CU.
Last year, as everyone knows, was a mess off the field.
Distracted by the investigation into a recruiting scandal -- the
remnants of which have yet to completely disappear -- Colorado
started 1-4 in the conference then won three of four to earn a trip
to the Big 12 title game and win a bowl game, none of which could
have been expected from a program under such duress.
Most of the players from that team -- most notably, quarterback
Joel Klatt, tight end Joe Klopfenstein and cornerback Lorenzo Sims
-- have returned.
The good news is, those players have experience and no one else
in the Big 12 North is perceived to have made huge strides in the
offseason.
The bad news is, Colorado lost by a combined score of 73-10 to
Oklahoma and Texas of the Big 12 South last season -- including 42-3
to the Sooners in the conference title game.
In other words, the Buffaloes are nowhere close to the best in
the conference and, hampered by recruiting restrictions and
defections that occurred when the scandal began, they have a way to
go to close that massive gap.
Barnett said things are more promising on the recruiting trail
than one might guess.
"Most of the questions have occurred outside the athletic
realm," he said. "So, it's a lot different this year than it was
a year ago. We've been received very well. Recruiting, you can't
tell where it's going to go, but we have had some commitments.
Everything is a lot better than it was last year."
This year's roster is already set and the Buffs suffered some
setbacks in summer practice, losing receiver Blake Mackey,
cornerback Terrence Wheatley and tailback Brandon Caesar to
injuries -- a bad start for a team that can't afford to lose many
players.
A lot will ride on Klatt. He threw for 2,065 yards and nine
touchdowns last year -- numbers that were down from 2003 -- being
victimized, in part, by a receiving corps with a tendency to drop
balls.
"The majority of them happened in the first half of the
season," Klatt said. "Our wide receiver corps played well the
second half. They got more detailed. I think that will show up this
year with this group."
With Mackey gone, the Buffs will rely on senior Evan Judge and a
big group of sophomores, including Dusty Sprague and Alvin Barnett.
Caesar was supposed to compete for Bobby Purify's spot at
running back, but now that he's injured, Lawrence Vickers looks
like the man.
Klopfenstein is considered one of the best tight ends in the
country. He caught 28 passes last year, four for touchdowns.
Possibly Colorado's strongest positions are kicker and punter,
where Mason Crosby and John Torp both return from stellar seasons.
Crosby made 19 of 23 attempts last year, including a 60-yarder;
Torp averaged 46 yards a punt.
Since the Buffs last took the field, the university has hired a
new athletic director, Mike Bohn, who has neither extended
Barnett's contract, which has two years left, nor made any threats
to fire him. Bohn is spending some time to see how Barnett does.
Ticket sales have increased and the Buffs would very much like to
put the past behind them.
"You don't have to have great players as long as you play
together as a great team," Barnett said.
A great team without great players? It might not be possible
everywhere, but in the Big 12 North, it's a formula that just might
work.