Colorado Football: 5 reasons why Buffaloes will struggle in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
1. Unimpressive non-conference slate would leave Colorado out of Playoff
Let’s go out on a crazy hypothetical limb and imagine what would actually happen if Colorado won the Pac-12. The Buffaloes would possibly be left out of the College Football Playoff as the odd conference champion out, thanks to a weak non-conference schedule that would do little to impress the selection committee.
CU opens their season with the annual showdown against little-brother state rival Colorado State at Mile High Stadium. They also play Texas State from the Sun Belt and FCS Northern Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder. Even if the Buffaloes win all three contests by blowout scores, there is little to tip the scales in their favor in those matchups.
They also avoid Oregon and Stanford in interdivisional play this season. The Ducks are expected to improve from last year’s downswing, and the Cardinal dream of returning to the top of the Pac-12. That the Buffaloes managed to miss both teams in the regular season is advantageous for their overall record.
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If they do happen to win the Pac-12 crown for the first time, though, that schedule will bite them. Washington barely avoided being skipped over by Penn State last season. The Buffaloes might not be as lucky to get the benefit of the doubt, especially given how Washington fell flat against Alabama in the CFP semifinal.