Well, it’s been four weeks since we checked in with the Colorado Buffaloes, but it hasn’t been a good month for them at all. Once ranked as high as 18th in the Associated Press mediots poll, the Buffs are now 4-5 after another loss in Pacific-12 Conference play. With two road games to play, it’s not looking good for Colorado to finish at .500 with the requisite 6 victories for a bowl invitation. Still, it’s better than last year, right?

Seriously, we cannot forget this was a 1-11 team last year, and we cannot underestimate how important it is for the Buffs to get a fifth win next week at Washington State to improve recruiting for 2024 when the school moves to the Big XII—and inherently plays an “easier” schedule than it has this year. Colorado has played the No. 6 SOS this year, in our sabermetric viewpoint. That’s a brutal slate of opponents for the Buffs.

Starting with the upset of then-No. 17 TCU on the road, the Buffs also have played then-No. 10 Oregon, then-No. 8 USC, then-No. 23 UCLA, then-No. 16 Oregon State, and then-No. 23 Arizona. The Cougars are on a five-game losing streak, but they were ranked in the Top 15 earlier this year after beating ranked Beavers and Wisconsin Badgers teams at home in Pullman. But Colorado also still has No. 13 Utah left to play, too.

We didn’t think the Buffs would beat WSU on the road a month ago, but now as the Cougars have imploded—losing three times in the final minute when the team had the ball and a chance to tie/win the game—on the eve of their relegation to the Mountain West Conference. it’s a very winnable game for Colorado. However, there is no way in hell the Buffs will beat the Utes on the road in the regular-season finale. Nope.

So we stand by our 5-7 prediction for Colorado, but we’re here to remind everyone that the team still has completed a successful first step on the road back to decency, and with another roster infusion of talent in the offseason, the Buffs will be a force to contend with in the new Big XII next year. Book it.