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BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes are close, the rise has its first peak in sight and could hit it within the hour. Never before could the Buffs come close to the tree-line; now they see it and they can top it.
The peak is a bowl game, the hour is this Saturday and the tree-line is the Stanford Cardinal.
Buzz-sawed the Buffaloes have been by the Cardinal since joining the Pac-12, having been outscored by the count of 138 to 17 across the program’s three matchups as conference foes. But with or without Heisman candidate Christian McCaffrey, the Buffs like their chances this year.
This same narrative of prior crushing in a matchup turning into Buffaloes’ success was seen last Saturday. Against Arizona State, Colorado had been 0-5 in conference matchups, outscored by a staggering 239 to 91 point margin. That didn’t hold the Buffs back at all from putting the foot on the gas and trouncing the Sun Devils, 40-16.
At 5-2, the closer-to-being-ranked Colorado has a legitimate reason for thinking they can beat Stanford and nobody thought that would be possible entering the year.
“CU will beat Stanford on the road if—we are consistent,” said quarterback Sefo Liufau.
The Buffs have the ability and skill; the only question there is can the team avoid miscues. Colorado could be undefeated at 7-0 had their punt team not failed them at Michigan and had their offense stayed consistent at USC.
But the big story here is not that Colorado has a chance to beat Stanford or how they can do it, rather it’s that they’ve always had the confidence that could get to this level and go beyond it.
“I think everyone from my freshmen class has felt this from the very beginning,” Jimmie Gilbert said. “We knew what we were going to accomplish here.”
It’s that confidence that has matriculated to Colorado’s quick ascension this year.
“The biggest thing for me is confidence,” Liufau said. “The hard work is paying off and it’s not just me.”
But going to a bowl game, while a peak, it’s just a foothill for these Buffs.
“Our goal is a Pac-12 championship, a bowl game is below what we want,” Gilbert said.
It’s time to come to terms with their lofty goal being reachable. To go from one Pac-12 win last year to competing for the league championship might be improbable but it’s a reality the Buffaloes currently face.
Tied for the lead atop the Pac-12 South with Utah, the Buffs control their own destiny. To make destiny more attainable, they’re in a favorable spot with five games remaining, three featuring south opponents and two of those at home.
In total, Colorado has three games left at home, which bodes well considering they’ve allowed just two touchdowns in their first three contests at Folsom Field.
Forget climbing a foothill, the Buffs are seeking a “14er”. They’ve brought the supplies necessary to get the job done but the question remains will their rations run out or can they keep a steady pace.
While a peak is a bowl game, the hour, for now, is this Saturday and the tree-line is the Stanford Cardinal, the Colorado Buffaloes have goals that surpass these present anecdotal markers.
