Colorado Football: 5 things Buffaloes must do to win Alamo Bowl

Jan 2, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; General view of the Valero Alamo Bowl logo at midfield before the 2016 Alamo Bowl between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Oregon Ducks at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; General view of the Valero Alamo Bowl logo at midfield before the 2016 Alamo Bowl between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Oregon Ducks at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Sep 19, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie is run onto Sports Authority Field at Mile High before the game against the Colorado State Rams at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Buffaloes defeated the Rams 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie is run onto Sports Authority Field at Mile High before the game against the Colorado State Rams at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Buffaloes defeated the Rams 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes are just about ready for their first bowl game appearance since 2007.

However, this Colorado team isn’t just happy to be there. Far from it, actually. Colorado has been one of the feel-good stories of the 2016 season, bouncing back from being the whipping boys of the Pac-12 conference to one its top teams.

But for the season to end on a high note, the team has to dispatch Oklahoma State in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday night. Both teams bring a ton of offense and plenty of points are expected to light up the scoreboard.

For the Buffs to win, they’ll have to do much more than just show up in San Antonio.

Oklahoma State is a solid team that is well coached. They will give the Buffs all they can handle in this one. So in order for Colorado to come out on top, there are five aspects of this contest they’ll need to get the better end of.