Colorado Football: Can Buffaloes find 2016 magic?

Colorado football returned to Earth in 2017. Can the Buffaloes find their 2016 magic and contend for a spot atop the Pac-12 South?

Looking for your favorite team? Find their preview on the 2018 Countdown to Kickoff

Colorado football won a share of the national championship in 1990 after finishing with an 11-1-1 record. That season, the Buffaloes defeated five ranked opponents and tied another with their only loss coming by one point to Illinois. After the 1994 season, Bill McCartney gave way to Rick Neuheisel who had two double-digit win seasons before passing the torch to Gary Barnett.

Barnett was the coach that took Northwestern to a Rose Bowl and had a roller coaster record at Colorado, including some controversy, before being replaced by Dan Hawkins. Hawkins came to Boulder from Boise State and never found the same success at CU he had in Boise. Jon Embree had two horrible seasons as head coach before Mike MacIntyre took over in 2013.

MacIntyre was on the hot seat after four straight losing seasons before he teamed with Jim Leavitt to win ten games in 2016. Leavitt left for a lateral position at Oregon and the Buffs slipped back to 5-7. This season is a make or break year for MacIntyre’s staff and the Buffaloes are ranked 89th in the S&P+ heading into the 2018 season.

When defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt left for Eugene, OR he took his 3-4 defensive scheme with him and the Buffs slipped from the 12th best defense per the S&P+ down to 98th. Coach MacIntyre will have to re-gain 2016’s efficiency to keep his job in Boulder.