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Friday Fast Facts – Baylor Week
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Leading off …
— “T.I.P.S” … Our weekly preview postings are available for your review and comment. My weekly written preview, along with my predictions for CU’s return to the Big 12 can be found here. The CU at the Game Podcast Review/Preview, looking back at the CSU game, and previewing the Baylor game, can be found at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and … it can also be found here.
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Big Picture …
— Breaking the tie … In 15 seasons in the Big 12, 1996-2010, Colorado compiled a combined record of 60-60. Yup, in 120 conference games, the Buffs finished with exactly a .500 record;
— Record against CU’s “new” conference … Against the other 15 teams making up the current Big 12, CU has an all-time winning record against nine Big 12 teams, with a losing record against only two: Arizona State and Utah (with .500 records against three: TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia. CU will play its first game ever against UCF next weekend);
— Welcome home for Homecoming … Going back to last season, when the Buffs finished the season with road games against Washington State and Utah, Colorado has played four of its last five games on the road, with the 2024 home opener against North Dakota State the only home game in that stretch;
— White Out Rain Out? … Saturday’s game is a designated White Out. The problem for CU is there is a high chance that there will be rain Saturday night. How many Buff fans have white ponchos or other white rain gear? Guessing not many. Probably not going to be a great visual … Just hope that the forecast won’t affect the game – or attendance;
— Buffs in the rain … If it does rain, it will be a rarity for Folsom. The last rainfall occurred on October 3, 2015 prior to and during the Oregon game (light-to-moderate – in fact, kickoff was delayed 61 minutes due to lightning in the area); the previous time had been on October 14, 2006 during the second half against Texas Tech. The last time there was heavy rain during a game in Boulder was in the fourth quarter in a 20-13 loss to Michigan in 1996; otherwise you have to go back to September 11, 1982, in a 31-17 loss to California (Bill McCartney’s first game);
— The ESPN Power Index … likes CU’s chances in the game, but not by much. The Buffs are given a 55.8% chance of winning; the Bears 44.2%. Last week against CSU, the Buffs were given an 80.9% chance of beating the Rams;
— The game will be telecast nationally by Fox, with Connor Onion on the play-by-play, with former CU offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich on color. 850 KOA radio will have Mark Johnson with the play-by-play, and former CU head coach Gary Barnett as the analyst.
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Buffs v. Bears …
— Colorado leads the all-time series against Baylor, 9-7, including a 4-3 record when the two teams were both members of the Big 12. The Buffs are 5-4 in games played in Boulder, with one neutral site game, the 1986 Bluebonnet Bowl, won by Baylor, 21-9 (Game story, including a recount of our long drive from Denver to Houston for the game, can be found here);
— The last time the Buffs and Bears met … Behind Coach Prime friend Robert Griffin III, Baylor took out CU in Boulder, 30-25, in what would prove to be the final season for the Buffs under Dan Hawkins (see story below) …
— Ranked matchups … In the 16 games between the teams, CU has been ranked in six games; Baylor in three. On two occasions, both teams were ranked. In 1991, No. 23 Baylor defeated No. 12 Colorado, 16-14. The upset broke CU’s 11-game winning streak, the nation’s longest winning streak at the time. It also broke CU’s 15-game home winning streak, the longest such streak in school history. In 1993, No. 10 Colorado defeated No. 24 Baylor, 45-21.
— Working overtime … The longest game in Colorado history was played against Baylor. In 2006, in a game played in Boulder, the Bears outlasted the Buffs, 34-31, in triple overtime.
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Player Notes …
— On offense, Travis Hunter has now had, dating back to last season, four consecutive 100-yard receiving games (107 yards v. Utah; 132 v. NDSU; 107 v. Nebraska; 100 v. Colorado State). The only other players with at least three straight 100-yard receiving games are Charles E. Johnson (1993) and Michael Westbrook (1994);
— Hunter is second in the nation in receptions (30) and receiving touchdowns (5). Hunter is 10th in the nation in receiving yards (342), and, in the category of players who have been targeted at least 25 times, Hunter leads the nation in completion percentage (88.2%);
— Freshman offensive lineman Jordan Seaton graded out as the highest rated freshman offensive lineman in the country last weekend (Week Three), according to Pro Football Focus;
— Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has 999 yards passing after three games this season. Ironically enough, Sanders also sits on 999 career completions;
— Through the first three full weeks of the college football season, Shedeur Sanders’ FBS ranks … 1st in completions in the country (85). 3rd in passing attempts (121). 4th in passing yards (999). Sanders is tied for 4th in touchdown passes (9), and 19th in completion percentage (70.2%);
— Did you know … that CU punter Mark Vassett is 27 years old? You would think that would make Vassett the oldest player in the FBS? Not even close, as Vassett is only the 9th-oldest player in college football, with five (count ’em, five!) players over the age of 30 (the oldest being a 32-year old punter for East Carolina).
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Big 12 Notes
— The Big 12 was 8-1 in non-conference games last week, with West Virginia the only loser in OOC play. Overall, league teams are 33-11 against such opponents to date, but just 2-4 against Top 25 opponents;
— Conference play begins in earnest this weekend in the Big 12, as 12 of the 16 league teams square off. Iowa State and TCU round out their 2024 non-conference slates, while Arizona and UCF have the week off. It’s something of a traditional schedule this week, as all teams in action will play on Saturday;
— The combined age of quarterbacks in the game between No. 12 Utah and No. 13 Oklahoma State? 49 … Cam Rising is 25; Alan Bowman is 24;
Big 12 Week Four – Game times and odds …
From DraftKings.com …
- Houston at Cincinnati … 10:00 a.m., MT, Fox … Cincinnati is a 3.5-point home favorite, down from 5.5-points …
- Kansas at West Virginia … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN2 … West Virginia is a 2.5-point home favorite …
- Arkansas State at No. 20 Iowa State … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN+ … Iowa State is a 22.0-point home favorite, up from 20.5-points …
- Arizona State at Texas Tech … 1:30 p.m., MT, FS1 … Texas Tech is a 3.0-point home favorite …
- No. 12 Utah at No. 13 Oklahoma State … 2:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Utah is a 1.0-point road favorite …
- TCU at SMU … 3:00 p.m., MT, CW Networks … TCU is a 3.0-point road favorite, up from 2.5-points …
- Baylor at CU … 6:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Colorado is a 1.5-point home favorite, up from 1.0 points …
- No. 13 Kansas State at BYU … 8:30 p.m., MT, ESPN … Kansas State is a 6.5-point road favorite, down from 7.5-points …
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The last time …
October 16, 2010 – Boulder Baylor 31, Colorado 25
Game story … Colorado drove as far as the Baylor 19-yard line in the final minute, but a desperation pass from Tyler Hansen to Toney Clemons fell incomplete, preserving a 31-25 victory for the Baylor Bears in Boulder. The loss left the Buffs with a 3-3 record for the 2010 season, with bowl hopes, so much in view after Colorado upset Georgia to run its record to 3-1, suddenly fading.
… Continue reading story here …
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Game Essay … “The End of an Error?” …
Will the loss to Baylor be the final straw?
Will this be the game which finally brings to an end the all too frustrating Dan Hawkins’ era?
Well, “no” … and “yes”.
Dan Hawkins will be on the sidelines for the Texas Tech game next weekend. In all likelihood, Hawkins will be patrolling the sidelines at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln the day after Thanksgiving.
But that should be it.
Six weeks from now, the 31-25 loss to Baylor will be looked as being the turning point of the 2010 season.
… Continue reading Essay here …
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