Colorado football forced to unexpectedly rebuild again in 2020

How will Colorado football fare in 2020?

The Buffaloes are back at the bottom and have nowhere to go but up. Much of their season will involve the development of their offense and defense by trying to add stability and consistency.

With the season likely becoming conference-only, it will be tough for the Buffaloes to establish multiple wins with the rest of the teams already in development or at an elite level. Until the commissioner confirms the league-only games, non-conference games will be added.

Here is the breakdown of the schedule for the Buffaloes in 2020:

• Game 1: at Colorado State (W) – Both teams are on a rebuilding process, but the Buffaloes are in a less severe state at the moment.
• Game 2: vs. Fresno State (W) – Like Colorado State, the Bulldogs are going through a serious rebuilding process, which will give the Buffaloes an easy win in their first home game of the season.
• Game 3: at Texas A&M (L) – The Buffaloes travel to face the Aggies who are a dark horse candidate in the SEC West division.
• Game 4: vs. Oregon (L) – The Buffaloes open up their conference schedule with the projected Pac-12 Championship winner and playoff contender.
• Game 5: at Arizona (L) – With Wildcats quarterback Grant Gunnell turning into a highly-productive passer, he will likely have a great game against this Buffaloes secondary.
• Game 6: vs. UCLA (L) – UCLA is returning a majority of its skilled offensive players especially at the wide receiver position.
• Game 7: vs. Arizona State (L) – The Buffaloes will struggle against this Sun Devils team that is continuously seeing improvement under coach Herm Edwards.
• Game 8: at USC (L) – The Trojans projected to have another top-ten passing offense in the nation with most of their starters coming back in the passing game.
• Game 9: vs. Washington State (W) – Colorado catches a break against a Washington State changing their entire offense and coming off a brutal four-game skid.
• Game 10: at Stanford (L) – The Cardinal are under serious pressure to win key games and compete for the Pac-12 North division.
• Game 11: at Washington (L) – The Buffaloes will compete against a more experienced Washington team that looks for revenge for their 20-14 loss to Colorado last season.
• Game 12: vs. Utah (L) – The Buffaloes will lose their final game of the season against a completely reloaded Utes team on a rebound.

Final Record: 3-9, 1-8 Pac-12

The Buffaloes were on a solid path to rebuilding until Mel Tucker left after one season as head coach. Karl Dorrell is a smart and experienced coach, both in the collegiate ranks and in the NFL. With a tough schedule, the lack of spring training, and the need to rebuild their program, it will highly unlikely that the Buffaloes will make a postseason bowl game anytime soon.

The Buffaloes have an offensive system intact but if they want to build for future success then starting their four-star dual-threat quarterback in Brendon Lewis might the answer. Having him redshirt for the 2020 season might be beneficial as well if Tyler Lytle can prove he can lead the team after experiencing limited playing time.

How productive the offense is will depend on the offensive line.

The defense for the Buffaloes has a ton of potential to help put the offense into good situations. The line will need to input more pass rush against more efficient Pac-12 offenses as it only accounted for 24 sacks last season.

The biggest area the Buffaloes need to address is their efficiency in the secondary against pass-happy conference opponents. Fix that, and this defense could surprise some people.