Deleted member 807
Guest
What is necessary for CU to win at this level? Other than wins, what is lacking and how should pain points be addressed? This question isn't just for BNG.
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!
What are the expectations going forward in football?
- Thread starter Duff Man
- Start date
What is necessary for CU to win at this level? Other than wins, what is lacking and how should pain points be addressed? This question isn't just for BNG.
Chicken and egg. We need to recruit better to win consistently, we need to win consistently to recruit better.
BnG hit on a big point. If we just win the games we should and our share of of those in which we should have a chance then getting 6 wins and a bowl game is realistic. It should have been happening 3 years ago but with the staff changes it looks like we are finally competing for athletes who can compete in the PAC.
M2 has to be willing to continue to move the program forward, we aren't good enough to carry a couple of his friends if they are dead weight.
Simple. CU needs to become one of the cool guys. A place kids want to go. It needs to be a brand. We need for kids all over the country to want to come here. Our recruiters have to be super marketing guys, which they are becoming. We finally have the bling. Now we need to win.
BlackNGold
Club Member
I do not have the definitive answer but I think there are signs around the program that give reason for hope. Rick George with the new facilities, I think George is building a strong foundation. Hopefully we do not end up like some abandoned project with only the foundation built.
I am concerned when you posted as one of your ST goals that CU sell more than 11,000 season tickets. I know in 2011 we had more than 22000 season tickets sold so if we are in the 11000 ticket range I am shocked.
Unfortunately the program has lost a lot of support and they have to get that back - an winning is one step. But CU athletics has to have support from the Community(Boulder and the front range), the University including academia, and the fans. I know University leadership (Benson) is solidly behind improving the Football program (now).
CU conveyed to their fans that excellence on the football field was not important and that message resulted in a lot of fans leaving. I think at some point in time CU has to convince the man in the street that football excellence is important. Until that happens, things will be tough.
I also believe when people who are passionate about something disconnect from that something it becomes very difficult to get them back.
Buffenuf
massive tool
This program has NEVER had a broad base of community support, ever since it was ridiculed for leaving DU in the dust when it left the RMC for the Big 7. Just a couple years after DU dropped football, the Denver Media jumped whole hog on the Broncos, despite their longstanding mediocrity.
Combine this with the infamous "Boulder Mafia" attitude prevalent in the AD, that it was a privilege to drive up to Boulder for a game and the fact that much of CU's alum base is out-of-state (Coastal, not inland) and that Colorado is transient and you develop a rather narrow fan base. The Iowa St. game where Rashaan was going for an historic 2,000 yds. and the Heisman, during the height of Mac 1's glory days, barely drew 35,000 fans.
And things went downhill from there. Neweasel, Gary "Lower-your-Expectations" Barnett (talk about keeping your friends employed), DH and the lowest, WaterBottle got CU to this current level of support. For all his faults and shortcomings, Bohn at least started the turnaround, getting lucky with Bzdelik, the new BB facility and Boyle. A glimmer appeared, "win and they will come". But then the gloom of construction on 36 hit for a couple of years, depriving CU of casual fans for BB, as well as FB (did any of you hard core fans, feel any great joy driving up to Boulder during that mess?)
Now, CU has re-focused on Boulder (and away from the Med Center) facilities got built, expectations have risen and the right people are in place in the AD and on the sports teams, to make a move to establish a broad fan base, which they have not heretofore had. The Turnpike is finished ( I still am thrilled just easily cruising up to Boulder on an open road.)
The trick now is to put everything together and to win. HCMM has no more excuses, After establishing a sound foundation, keeping CU traditions, he's obviously learning as an HC: he saw the impact a spirited guy like Leavitt had on the "D" and went out and got the same on "O" with Chiv and in S&C with Wilson. He is also past some personal tragedies, so his time is now.
Its also time for RG to step up in marketing the whole deal. Fund raising is a good sign, but let's see more positive exposure for the entire deal!
Combine this with the infamous "Boulder Mafia" attitude prevalent in the AD, that it was a privilege to drive up to Boulder for a game and the fact that much of CU's alum base is out-of-state (Coastal, not inland) and that Colorado is transient and you develop a rather narrow fan base. The Iowa St. game where Rashaan was going for an historic 2,000 yds. and the Heisman, during the height of Mac 1's glory days, barely drew 35,000 fans.
And things went downhill from there. Neweasel, Gary "Lower-your-Expectations" Barnett (talk about keeping your friends employed), DH and the lowest, WaterBottle got CU to this current level of support. For all his faults and shortcomings, Bohn at least started the turnaround, getting lucky with Bzdelik, the new BB facility and Boyle. A glimmer appeared, "win and they will come". But then the gloom of construction on 36 hit for a couple of years, depriving CU of casual fans for BB, as well as FB (did any of you hard core fans, feel any great joy driving up to Boulder during that mess?)
Now, CU has re-focused on Boulder (and away from the Med Center) facilities got built, expectations have risen and the right people are in place in the AD and on the sports teams, to make a move to establish a broad fan base, which they have not heretofore had. The Turnpike is finished ( I still am thrilled just easily cruising up to Boulder on an open road.)
The trick now is to put everything together and to win. HCMM has no more excuses, After establishing a sound foundation, keeping CU traditions, he's obviously learning as an HC: he saw the impact a spirited guy like Leavitt had on the "D" and went out and got the same on "O" with Chiv and in S&C with Wilson. He is also past some personal tragedies, so his time is now.
Its also time for RG to step up in marketing the whole deal. Fund raising is a good sign, but let's see more positive exposure for the entire deal!
Bufffan68
Club Member
My expectations? Until I see a reason on the field that the team identity has changed and we know how to win close games, I don't expect much...this team expects to lose and so do I. I expect us to continue to lose games we should win and fall short again. Then I expect MMac to be replaced.
I'm hoping for a bowl game and a finish no worst than 4th in the South and that success to propel a great 2017 and 18 recruiting class.
I'm hoping for a bowl game and a finish no worst than 4th in the South and that success to propel a great 2017 and 18 recruiting class.
I posted earlier in this thread, but in fact it is very hard to set long-term expectations for the program. They change year to year.
Basketball was brought up. If you had asked me for my expectations while I was sitting in Coors during Bzdelik's first season, I would have said "get it to the point where people in the stands opposite me can't hear me if I talk too loudly during a timeout".
For right now and this calendar year of CU football: make a bowl game and recruit a class that can compete for a Pac-12 title when it grows up
Basketball was brought up. If you had asked me for my expectations while I was sitting in Coors during Bzdelik's first season, I would have said "get it to the point where people in the stands opposite me can't hear me if I talk too loudly during a timeout".
For right now and this calendar year of CU football: make a bowl game and recruit a class that can compete for a Pac-12 title when it grows up
"No expectations" IS NOT AN OPTION!
CitizenKane
Well-Known Member
Long term expectations: 9 wins a year, every year. Top 25 annually. There was a point and time when CU had been ranked in the top 25 continuously longer than any team in the nation. That will forever be the expectation.
Expectations next year....much tougher to call. There are the guaranteed wins including CSU, Idaho, Oregon State... the guaranteed loses including Michigan, Oregon, SoCal, Stanford and Wash State (Luke Falk is good, very, very good). Then there is the rest...Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA....CU will likely be an underdog in all these games....so to win five CU will need to pull an upset, six means at least two upsets and seven means three upsets. Five or less wins and Mac won't last another year. But I don't see more wins on the schedule. So I hope for 7, demand 6, wouldn't be shocked by 5, but expect 4 wins.
Expectations next year....much tougher to call. There are the guaranteed wins including CSU, Idaho, Oregon State... the guaranteed loses including Michigan, Oregon, SoCal, Stanford and Wash State (Luke Falk is good, very, very good). Then there is the rest...Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA....CU will likely be an underdog in all these games....so to win five CU will need to pull an upset, six means at least two upsets and seven means three upsets. Five or less wins and Mac won't last another year. But I don't see more wins on the schedule. So I hope for 7, demand 6, wouldn't be shocked by 5, but expect 4 wins.
What kind of marketing and branding do you want for the football team at this point? Between CU Video, the bricks, facility tours, locker naming rights, ticket packages, etc, I think they are doing a fine job marketing the program right now, but true branding of the CU football program will really only come with making some noise on the field, IMO.
Bufffan68
Club Member
Those are good points...I guess I'm expecting the kind of exposure that comes with having a relevant program...which we haven't been since We Belong Together was the #1 song...ugh...
Exactly. I can't think of a team that has a well known brand that isn't successful on the field.
Deleted member 807
Guest
Buffenuf
massive tool
How about a lot more air time on Denver Media for coaches year round? I haven't heard either HCMM or Tad on any talk shows or TV segments so far this year.
Does anyone outside this board even know there's a spring game April 9? Wouldn't that tie in to ticket sales? As I noted before, why not have a caravan on 36, om 4/9 to kill two birds: 1) "See? 36 is done and its a fast and easy drive up and back for CU events" and, 2) "See our newly invigorated fast "O" under Chiv, at the spring game!"
I've stated that I think getting MM on the radio more often would be a good idea. Even doing a once a week, in season, 30 minute segment on one of the local morning shows or something, like 104.3 does with Patrick Roy. The only problem with that is that said radio station would probably have to remain "fair" and do the same thing with Bobo, and then that's a full hour of air time that they can't talk about the same things over and over with the Broncos.
CSU regularly has radio ads on 104.3 and now they broadcast CSU basketball games since ESPN took over so I doubt they have to remain fair they just have an interest in CSU because they get money from them.
But CSU pays for ads, so of course they aren't obligated to be fair about it. During the season, the Buffs run ads on 104.3 as well, btw. I'm just talking about having MM as a guest to talk all things Buffs football for 30 minutes on like a Wednesday during the season. Regardless of how much/if CU would have to pay to put MM in a regularly scheduled slot like that, I can just picture it being a no go with the station without a similar agreement with Bobo and CSU. I feel like that station is fairly careful not to openly play favorites, unless it's an individual's opinion.
Bufffan68
Club Member
This. Denver sports radio consists of multiple recountings of every mind-numbing detail about the Broncos, and the other sports when they can spare a few minutes of Bronco talk.
More winning
This would require MM to change quite a bit IMO. Thirty minutes of radio with him sounds pretty boring.
Rick George and Tad Boyle might be a different story.
Bufffan68
Club Member
And repetitive crap about the Broncos isn't boring?
MM has to have a non-PC side to him, right? We have all seen how fiery and emotional he can get; I just wish that attitude would carry over into candid conversations with the media in a scenario like this. But... You're probably right. Maybe ask Leavitt to do it and he can bring Pepsi as a sponsor.
BlackNGold
Club Member
I was going to point out the same thing. MacIntyre is not very inspiring. Time slots for CU are going to be hard to come by until we are winning again.
Darian3Hagan
'89 Player of the Year
I honestly dont have any. We rarely win, I cant watch away games on TV, did I mention we rarely win? On the plus side going to the games and seeing "Chippy" is the coolest thing in the world to the 21/2 year old.
Very slight, in terms of public enthusiasm. If CU football gets to an 8-4 average level, there will be a Denver Post story at the bottom of quarter page 1 or a half page story on page 3 of the sports section about once or twice a week, at most. The story will be very broad and will likely contain factual errors. Unless you've lived here most of your life, you just don't understand the animosity/apathy of most of Colorado (including Denver) to Boulder, and CU. Even Denver liberals just don't feel that connected to Boulder and CU.
As I've often said, it's still one of the 5-10 worst HC jobs in P5 football, win or lose. The school really blew it with buying into the fake scandal.
As I've often said, it's still one of the 5-10 worst HC jobs in P5 football, win or lose. The school really blew it with buying into the fake scandal.
buffs04
Well-Known Member
"non-PC"?
Buffenuf
massive tool
Nobody much remembers the Betsy/Byyny Era, except us old timers ("C*nt is a medieval term of endearment." Prez E.H.) I maintain it was the Boulder Mafia that set the tone of total arrogance the drove potential fans away. Now most of those clowns have faded away and RG is taking the proper steps to reach out to fans across the state and the spectrum. Still, much work to be done.
Worst coaching job? At the end of every day, the HC can still look out at the Flat Irons, usually bathed in sunshine and realize that his $200K/mo. paycheck will cash!
Last edited: