Can Colorado cross one more stepping stone?

For Colorado, earning a trip to the Alamo Bowl is an accomplishment.

The Buffs had only been to one bowl game in the past 13 years, so taking the second-best bowl game on the Pac-12 slate is an impressive result.

But Karl Dorrell isn’t over-the-moon excited about this season, despite difficult circumstances that include not having zero spring practices. He isn’t impressed by the fact that he’s making his sixth postseason trip in his sixth season as a head coach, either.

“I haven’t really thought of it that way,” Dorrell said of his postseason streak. “I guess that is a pretty good thing, but to me there’s some bigger picture items in mind that are more significant for me. I know this was a great stepping stone, we made a good step of progress this year. I know the expectation was low and all that but I think in our building we always felt that we had some capable players.”

If this season was a stepping stone, then where is Dorrell trying to go? Championships.

“I haven’t been in that arena as often as I would like,” Dorrell said. “So that’s the thing that’s driving me more than anything, is getting our program to where it’s a national contender. Obviously, a conference championship contender.”

But for Colorado to be seen as a national contender, or even a contender to make the College Football Playoff, it’s going to have to make it’s way past a few more stepping stones. Next up is a date with the No. 20 Texas Longhorns, a program that consistently appears in the Top 25 rankings and could compete for a national title any given season. The Longhorns have won four consecutive bowl games and five consecutive games against Colorado.

And the “neutral site” game will be played in the state of Texas, where you can expect to see the burnt orange outweigh the black and gold. It will be the first game that Colorado has played in front of a crowd this season and the first game that some players — including star running back Jarek Broussard — have ever played in front of a crowd.

“We’ve probably faced a number of teams in our conference that had similar talent from a skill talent standpoint but I will say the difference would be the quarterback,” Dorrell said. “Now I think this quarterback’s a really good player. He’s smart, he manages the game well, he’s dangerous with his own legs, and he throws it well. He does all those things very well.”

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger has already etched his name all over the Texas record books and he’s provided plenty of moments that won’t soon be forgotten in Austin. Now, he could be playing in his final game for Texas and there’s no doubt how he wants to go out.

“He’s got to be one of the best (quarterback) prospects in the professional draft,” Dorrell said of Ehlinger. “I’ve told our team he’s probably the best quarterback we’ll play this year.”

Colorado has another stepping stone in front of it.

Ehlinger has a chance to cap off his career with a win.

But only one can happen.