Week 10 ends up as the perfect bye week for Colorado football

Week 10 couldn't have gone better for Colorado football during their bye week, with several Big 12 schools shockingly taking losses. Previously unbeaten Iowa State and a one-loss K-State both went down on November 2; the former to Texas Tech at home and the former on the road at Houston.

As BuffZone's Brian Howell explained, the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff pictures became a lot clearer for Colorado on Saturday.

"Wow, Colorado got a ton of help today from Texas Tech and Houston," Howell tweeted. "Not that it’s going to be easy, but this gets the Buffs into the Big 12 title game: 1. CU goes 4-0 in last 4, 2. Iowa State goes 3-1 in last 4."

As Howell would add, the bye week gets even better when you factor in Nebraska's loss and the positives it brings to CU's own locker room.

"Colorado could not have asked for a better bye week ... 1. Key players get much-needed rest, 2. Iowa State loses, 3. Kansas State loses, 4. Travis Hunter in national spotlight for Heisman campaign. Bonus: Nebraska upset by UCLA," Howell tweeted.

Colorado football experiencing a better season than anyone's imagination

There being a viable path to the Big 12 Championship is surreal for CU's fanbase. This was an irrelevant program two seasons ago and one deemed "illegitimate" by Paul Finebaum after last season.

It's real, though. Colorado's schedule looks far more manageable with Utah and Oklahoma State falling embarrassingly short of their preseason expectations. Kansas is a bottom-feeder at 2-6.

If anything, Texas Tech looks like the toughest matchup left. Coming off a bye week, the Buffs are prepared to take on a Red Raiders team that may be emotionally spent after a thrilling road victory over the No. 11 team in the country heading into Week 10.