2011 Colorado Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Colorado Buffaloes get ready for their first season in the PAC-12, as they along with the Utah Utes joined what was formally known as the PAC-10. Colorado finished 2010 5-7 overall and just 2-6 in the Big 12. The Buffaloes are hoping the conference switch will lead to more wins, as they haven’t had a winning season since going 7-6 in 2006. The Big 12 has been the more steady conference over the years, but the Buffaloes have benefited from playing in a terrible Big 12 North division. 2011 will also mark the first season under head coach Jon Embree, who replaces Dan Hawkins.

The Buffaloes bring back 16 starters from last year, but a lot of that will be negated by the fact that the players have to learn new systems on both sides of the ball. To give you an idea of what the Buffaloes will look like this season, here is a breakdown of what they have on each side of the ball.

Offense:

In 2010 the Buffaloes started the year out with junior Tyler Hansen at quarterback, but he was replaced by Cody Hawkins after suffering a season ending injury. Hawkins ended up leading the team with 1,547 yards and 15 touchdowns, and ended his career as the Buffaloes’ all-time leading passer with 7,731 yards. With Hawkins out of the picture, it appears that Hansen will open the season as the starter, but don’t count out redshirt freshman Nick Hirschman and junior college transfer Brent Burnette.

The Buffaloes should have one of the top running backs in the conference in senior Rodney Stewart, who finished third in the Big 12 with 1,318 yards to go along with his 10 rushing touchdowns. Stewart will be the focal point of the offense again this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him top last years numbers.

Colorado will have to replace leading wide out Scotty McKnight, but they do bring back three of the top four receivers from last year. McKnight led the team with 50 catches for 621 yards and seven touchdowns. The hope is that sophomore Paul Richardson will really build off a solid freshman season, where he caught 34 passes for 514 yards and six touchdowns.

Up front the Buffaloes should feature one of the top offensive lines in the conference, as they bring back four of their five starters from 2010. Senior guards Ethan Adkins and Ryan Miller will be two of the best guards in the PAC-12, and are a big reason why Stewart should see his numbers rise. Colorado also has a talented sophomore left tackle in David Bakhtiari. It looks like sophomore Jack Harris will step in and start at the open right tackle spot.

Defense:

The Buffaloes struggled defensively in 2010, allowing just over 30 points a game. Even though they have seven starters back on this side of the ball, I think this unit is going to struggle with all the new offenses they have to face in the PAC-12. Much like the offense, the strength of the defense comes up front on the defensive line. Colorado returns the starting defensive tackle duo of Curtis Cunningham and Will Pericak, and also brings back senior defensive end Josh Hartigan. They do lose a solid defensive end in Forrest West, who led the team with 5.5 sacks last year, but the hope is that sophomore Chidera Uzo Diribe.

At linebacker the Buffaloes bring back starting outside linebackers Jon Major and Liloa Nobriga, but lose middle linebacker Michael Sipili, who led the team with 94 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss (3.5 sacks). That will leave Colorado inexperienced at one of the most important positions on the defensive side of the ball. Junior Douglas Rippy is the leading candidate to take over, but he has one start and 10 career tackles.

In the secondary the Buffaloes bring back the starting safety duo of senior strong safety Anthony Perkins and junior free safety Ray Polk, but lose two outstanding corners in Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown. Colorado will likely turn to sophomores Jered Bell and Deji Olatoye. Hard to believe this unit will be anywhere near as productive as they were last year.

PAC-12 Prediction: 6th PAC-12 South – I like what the Buffaloes have offensively, especially if Hansen can stay healthy, but the defense is a huge concern heading into the season. The Buffaloes haven’t won a road game in three seasons, leaving them very few games to win in 2011, considering they play California, Oregon, USC, and Arizona all at home.

PAC-12 Football Predictions by Team
Oregon Football Predictions	Utah Football Predictions
Oregon State Football Predictions	USC Football Predictions
California Football Predictions	UCLA Football Predictions
Stanford Football Predictions	Colorado Football Predictions
Washington Football Predictions	Arizona Football Predictions
Washington State Football Predictions	Arizona State Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

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