Rankings and Ratings

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Rankings and Ratings

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December 1st

Four of Five ESPN Pac-12 writers go with Washington over Colorado

From ESPN … There’s one game left in the Pac-12 season. No. 4 Washington is looking to shore up its College Football Playoff credentials with a win over No. 8 Colorado. Do the Buffs have any hope at making the CFP if they win? Even if they don’t, a trip to the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual would be a fitting end to a remarkable season.

Here are the Pac-12 blog’s picks for the game Friday in Santa Clara, California. Also, visit our college football PickCenter page for additional information on this game and more.

NAME	PICK	SCORE
Kyle Bonagura		24-17
Kevin Gemmell		27-20
Chantel Jennings		34-24
David Lombardi		20-17
Ted Miller		28-24

The  one writer who picked the Buffs …

David Lombardi: This will be a defensive battle. Colorado and Washington own the Pac-12’s best defenses, each allowing only 4.7 yards per play. The Buffs’ pass defense is the league’s best, and that’ll make Browning’s life more difficult than it has been for the majority of this season.

If Colorado can replicate what USC did to the Huskies defensively — and the numbers suggest it can — then the Buffs’ attack will have a chance to secure the upset. Sefo Liufau can make enough plays with his legs to push Colorado to a win.

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November 30th

Five Buffs receive Academic All-Pac-12 honors

From CUBuffs.com … Five Colorado Buffaloes were honored on the Pac-12 Conference Football All-Academic Honorable Mention team, announced Wednesday by Commissioner Larry Scott.

Junior place kicker Chris Graham, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Aaron Haigler, senior outside linebacker Aaron Howard, sophomore punter Alex Kinney and senior inside linebacker Ryan Severson were the five Buffs honored.

To be eligible for selection on the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team’s games.

This is the third-straight season that Severson has been named to the All-Academic Honorable Mention team. The senior majoring in business (both management and marketing) at Colorado was also a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, otherwise known as the Academic Heisman.

Howard, a psychology major, earned second-team Pac-12 All-Academic Team honors a year ago while Graham, an integrative physiology major, was an honorable mention selection.

For Haigler, a business major, and Kinney, an environmental studies major, this is their first career selections on the Pac-12 All-Academic Team.

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Neill Woelk: CU players deserved better from coaches in All-Pac-12 voting

From CUBuffs.com … You see, the team that won 10 games this year, the team currently ranked No. 9 in the nation and the team that will play for the Pac-12 championship Friday, had exactly two players selected to the All-Pac-12 first team — and just one on offense or defense.

CU outside linebacker Jimmie Gilbert earned first-team honors. Ryan Moeller earned special teams honors. Well-deserved recognition for both players, no doubt.

But after that, all the other players who led Colorado to their turnaround season were relegated to second team or honorable mention.

It means safety Tedric Thompson, who led the league in interceptions with seven — three more than anyone else in the conference — was a second-team selection. It means cornerback Chidobe Awuzie — the only player in the league to finish in the top 20 in sacks (four) and passes defended (10) — was second team. It means cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who tied with teammate Thompson for the league lead in passes defended (21), was also second team.

All three helped produce the league’s leading pass defense — but none, apparently, played well enough to be named to the league’s first team. That’s some math that just doesn’t add up.

If you’re keeping score at home, Washington had nine first-team picks. UCLA and Utah — two teams the Buffs beat — had three first teamers, as did USC (Trojan Adoree Jackson was selected at two positions, defensive back and special teams). Stanford and Washington State had a pair, matching Colorado’s total.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 29th

Colorado at No. 8 in College Football Playoff rankings; Washington up to No. 4

… Related … “Washington in good position, Colorado still alive for playoff” … from ESPN

From ESPN … A double-overtime classic has Ohio State sitting pretty in the new College Football Playoff rankings, while Michigan is on the outside looking in.

The Buckeyes’ thrilling victory at home on Saturday kept Ohio State at No. 2, behind top-ranked Alabama, but ahead of No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Washington, which gained from the Wolverines’ loss.

Despite an impressive resume, Michigan may need a minor miracle to make it into the playoff. By not playing in the Big Ten championship game, the Wolverines have to hope that Alabama (SEC), Clemson (ACC) or Washington (Pac-12) lose in their respective conference championship games. With potential losses by the Tide or Tigers not guaranteeing they will miss out on a playoff spot, Michigan could find itself rooting for Colorado (No. 8) to upend the Huskies for the Pac-12 title as the Wolverines also have a head-to-head win over the Buffaloes this season.

Kirby Hocutt, chairman of the College Football Playoff committee, said the difference between Washington and Michigan is “very, very small,” while implying the Huskies’ strength of schedule works against them in a resume comparison with the Wolverines.

The final rankings of the CFP will be released Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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Mike MacIntyre named Pac-12 Coach-of-the-Year; 16 Buffs earn All-Pac-12 recognition

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre has been named the Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year and a total of 16 Buffs earned All-Pac-12 football team honors, as the league unveiled the all-conference team and postseason awards on Tuesday.

In leading Colorado to the greatest overall improvement in Pac-12 Conference history from one year to the next – a seven-game improvement from going 1-8 in 2015 before jumping up to 8-1 and South Division champions this year – MacIntyre earned the top coaching honor. He becomes the first CU coach since Gary Barnett in 2004 (Big 12) to be named a conference coach of the year.

Colorado has put together a historic season, finishing the regular season with a 10-2 record. Under MacIntyre and staff, the Buffaloes became just the ninth Power-5 team since 1972 to win 10 or more games after finishing the previous season with four or fewer victories (CU is the only school on that list to do it twice, also accomplishing it with a 10-3 record in 2001 after going 3-8 in 2000). The 10-win season is the seventh in school history and first since 2001, a year the Buffs reached as high as No. 3 in the national rankings. This year, CU has climbed back into the top 10 for the first time since 2002 and currently sits at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff Rankings (which will release new rankings Tuesday evening).

Of CU’s 16 All-Pac-12 selections, the Buffs received two first-team nods, five were second-team selections and nine were chosen as honorable mention. The two first-team selections are one more than CU had combining its first five years in the conference (Paul Richardson, 2013), but were less or the same amount than any other team in the league who finished with a winning record in Pac-12 play.

CU tied with Washington for the second-most overall selections this season, which were two behind USC’s leading count of 18.

Outside linebacker Jimmie Gilbert became the first Buffalo defensive player to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors and did so after a breakthrough senior season when he ranked third in the conference in sacks and was second in the FBS in forced fumbles.

Ryan Moeller was CU’s other first-team selection, earning the nod as a special teams’ performer (not by a kicker or returner).

Colorado’s secondary, which ranks fourth in the FBS in pass efficiency defense at 97.65 and 22nd in passing defense – both categories that led the Pac-12 – had three second-team selections in Chidobe Awuzie, Tedric Thompson and Ahkello Witherspoon.

Joining those three on the second team were running back Phillip Lindsay, who’s 15 rushing touchdowns led all Pac-12 players, and left tackle Jeromy Irwin.

The nine Buffaloes placed on the honorable mention team were: WR Bryce Bobo, Jr.; DE Jordan Carrell, Sr.; WR Shay Fields, Jr.; OL Alex Kelley, Sr.; OL Gerrad Kough, Jr.; QB Sefo Liufau, Sr.; ILB Kenneth Olugbode, Sr.; WR Devin Ross, Jr.; NT Josh Tupou, Sr.

Washington quarterback Jake Browning, who CU will face Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship game (7 p.m. MT/FOX), was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. USC defensive back Adoree’ Jackson collected the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year award, Trojan quarterback Sam Darnold was named the Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and Huskie defensive back Taylor Rapp the Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.

… Bios of all 16 Buff honorees can be found here …

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November 28th

Jim Leavitt one of five finalists for Broyles Award

From BroylesAward.com … In 1996, the Broyles Award was established to recognize some of the most dedicated, hardest working people in America…the college football assistant coach. And, over the years, the award has done just that. Each year the five Broyles Award finalists are chosen from almost 1,500 assistant coaches representing over 120 Division One college football programs. Each head coach can nominate one assistant coach from his staff. All nominations are reviewed by, and the five finalists chosen by, an enthusiastic selection committee comprised of 18 of college football’s finest former head coaches.

… Coaches from Alabama, Clemson, Colorado, Michigan and Pittsburgh are the finalists for the Broyles Award.

The Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced the five finalists Monday, and the winner will be named at a ceremony next week in Little Rock. The five finalists are: Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

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November 27th 

CU hold No. 9 spot in both polls; USC up to No. 

From CUBuffs.com … For the first time in five weeks, the Colorado Buffaloes did not move up in the national polls.

Instead, Mike MacIntyre‘s  Buffs remained firmly in the No. 9 spot Sunday, one day after their 27-22 win over No. 21 Utah.

The 10-2 Buffs made their debut this year in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls in early October, the first time they had been nationally ranked since late in the 2005 season. They slipped back out after a loss to USC, but returned to the top 25 in late October after a 10-5 win at Stanford.

CU then checked in at No. 21 in the AP poll, and has steadily climbed each week since, moving to No. 16, then No. 12 and finally No. 9 last week.

But Saturday, the only team ranked ahead of CU to lose was Michigan, which fell to Ohio State in overtime. The Wolverines slipped from third to fifth in the AP poll and from fourth to sixth in the coaches rankings.

The Buffs, winners of sixth straight, will face Washington on Friday in the Pac-12 championship game in Santa Clara, Calif. The Huskies, on the strength of a win over Washington State and Michigan’s loss, climbed to No. 4 in both polls and could also find themselves in that position Tuesday when the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings are released.

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Associated Press poll:

Others Receiving Votes: Houston (9-3) 98; Boise State (10-2) 92; Utah (8-4) 88; Washington State (8-4) 35; Texas A&M (8-4) 33; Air Force (9-3) 22; Temple (9-3) 21; Tennessee (8-4) 12; Troy (9-2) 7; Miami (Fla.) (8-4) 5; Georgia Tech (8-4) 2; Tulsa (9-3) 1

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USA Today coaches poll:

Others Receiving Votes: Boise State (10-2) 93; Houston (9-3) 58; Pittsburgh (8-4) 56; Washington State (8-4) 44; Miami (Fla.) (8-4) 34; Texas A&M (8-4) 34; Temple (9-3) 26; Tennessee (8-4) 23; San Diego State (9-3) 18; Air Force (9-3) 12; Georgia Tech (8-4) 9; North Carolina (8-4) 9; Minnesota (8-4) 6; Tulsa (9-3) 5; Appalachian State (9-3) 3; Western Kentucky (9-3) 2; Wyoming (8-4) 1; Middle Tennessee (8-4) 1; Troy (9-2) 1

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ESPN Pac-12 Power Rankings … CU No. 1

From ESPN … Welcome to the Week 13 Pac-12 power rankings. You can see last week’s rankings here. If you don’t like where you’re ranked, well, there’s not much more you can do about it this season.

1. Colorado 10-2, 8-1 (No. 1 last week)

The Buffs become the fifth different team in as many years to claim the South Division. And there was nothing fluky about it, as they won their final six games and took down Top 25 teams in back-to-back weeks to close out the season. But can they become the first South team to wrestle the conference belt away from the North?

2. USC 9-3, 7-2 (No. 2 last week)

One of the hottest teams in the country ended the regular season on a scorching eight-game tear. But September losses to Stanford and Utah ultimately cost them a repeat appearance in the Pac-12 title game. Still, confidence should be high moving forward with Sam Darnold commanding the offense and questions about Clay Helton and Co. sufficiently squashed.

3. Washington 11-1, 8-1 (No. 3 last week)

A blowout win … on the road … against a rival … that is ranked in the Top 25 … is a very strong message to the playoff committee. A win over Colorado in the Pac-12 championship game would all but cement a spot in the four-team tournament. If Colorado wins, well, we saw how the committee treated a two-loss conference champ last season.

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… And No. 9 in the ESPN national Power Rankings

From ESPN …

9. Colorado Buffaloes (10-2)

Trending:

Week 12 ranking: 9
Week 13 result: defeated Utah 27-22

Despite a case of the first-half drops, Colorado figured out how to survive Utah in Boulder. That win clinched a berth in the Pac-12 championship game against Washington. Forcing four turnovers, including one that went for a touchdown, helped the Buffaloes quiet Utah’s comeback attempts. Next week’s game is huge because a Colorado upset win would likely keep the Pac-12 out of the playoff.

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This post, about the Washington game, from the 2016 Season, is filed under Article.
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