Colorado’s season-opening victory was not always pretty, but neither were several wins recorded by teams already occupying places in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.
The Buffaloes went across the country and defeated Georgia Tech 14–13 before a sold-out crowd in Atlanta. Georgia Tech received four votes in the preseason AP poll and 26 in the preseason Coaches Poll. Colorado did not receive a single vote in either.
That should change.
Colorado did not open its season against an overmatched opponent brought in to provide a comfortable victory. The Buffaloes accepted a Power Four road game against a team that defeated them 27–20 last season.
Then they won it in a way few expected.
Colorado answered its biggest questions
Colorado entered the season facing questions about its size, offensive line and ability to stop a physical running game. The Buffaloes answered all three at Georgia Tech.
Colorado outrushed the Yellow Jackets 183–51, held them to 1.7 yards per carry and did not surrender an offensive touchdown. Georgia Tech’s only touchdown came on Rahkeem Smith’s kickoff return.
Deion Sanders made sure to mention the ground game afterward.
“We rushed for a buck 83? My God. They rushed for 51? I thought we were small. You talk about another team that’s also a physical team. To go out there and do this, when you’re talking about the run and we’re a small team...don’t know where that came from, but I’m certainly happy with the results.”
Colorado also demonstrated something that cannot be measured entirely through statistics.
Julian Lewis struggled throughout much of the night before leading a 75-yard touchdown drive without a timeout. He completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Williams with 37 seconds remaining, and Boo Carter blocked Georgia Tech’s potential winning field goal.
“We were resilient,” Sanders said. “I told them it was going to be adversity, tremendous adversity. But we wanted to implement the adversity, not be the recipients of the adversity. But we were resilient. We didn’t give up.”
Compare Colorado’s performance with No. 16 Michigan, which needed a controversial last-second Hail Mary to defeat Western Michigan 13–12 at home. The Wolverines will probably fall several places, but one ugly victory is unlikely to knock them completely out of either poll.
If surviving is enough for Michigan to remain ranked, winning a more difficult game on the road should be enough to place Colorado somewhere near the bottom of the Top 25.
Colorado could climb much higher before October
Even if voters leave Colorado outside both polls this week, the Buffaloes have a clear path into the rankings before September ends.
Colorado hosts Weber State in Week 2. The Wildcats are an FCS opponent, but fifth-year quarterback Devin Brown brings experience from Ohio State and California. The Buffaloes should win at Folsom Field, but they cannot afford to overlook him or treat the game like a formality.
A victory would send Colorado to Northwestern with a 2–0 record. Northwestern opened the Chip Kelly OC era by defeating South Dakota State 34–18. If Colorado wins in Evanston, it would be 3–0 with two Power Four road victories.
Colorado then closes September at Baylor, which lost its opener to Auburn by one point. That will provide another significant road test and an opportunity to make an even louder national statement.
Colorado may not receive enough respect from voters this week. But the Buffaloes have something better than an argument: a September schedule that gives them the opportunity to make themselves impossible to ignore.
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