College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Colorado Buffaloes season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Colorado Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Karl Dorrell, 1st year
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 56
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 81
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 44
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Offense 3 Things To Know
– New head coach Karl Dorrell is keeping around Darrin Chiaverini to be the offensive coordinator – after sharing the duties since 2016 – but he’s going to have a little work to do for an offense that finished ninth in the Pac-12, tenth in scoring, and was maddeningly inconsistent.
And it has to replace a whole lot of key parts, starting at quarterback with Steven Montez gone after throwing for over 2,800 yards and 17 touchdowns with ten picks in a relatively disappointing run. Now it’s going to be a fight with a whole slew of options.
6-5, 220-pound Tyler Lytle has the size, the arm, and the time around the team to step in right away, but freshman Brendon Lewis is the 6-3, 210-pound dual-threat recruit to build the program around for the next few years. Also in the mix is senior Sam Noyer, who entered the transfer portal and chose to return to Colorado – for now.
CFN in 60 Video: Colorado Buffaloes Preview
– The running game needs to be stronger and more effective, coming up with 1,804 yards and 14 scores, averaging just 4.1 yards per carry. It was a slight improvement from 2018, but it still wasn’t good enough.
Slashing junior Alex Fontenot is back after leading the team with 874 yards and five scores, and 6-2, 215-pound sophomore Jaren Mangham brings a little thump after running for 441 yards and three scores. It’s a deep group that should be fine with more of a commitment to the ground attack – expect more of a rotation.
In the receiving corps, KD Nixon … let’s go. He’s a potential volume-catcher target who should be fine with Laviska Shenault and Tony Brown gone. Dimitri Stanley is back after making 29 grabs – he’s a big-time athlete who could blow up as a sophomore – and 6-3, 255-pound Brady Russell is a good-sized tight end who can catch. The overall developed depth, though, isn’t there.
– The offensive line was a relative plus last season, and it should be again. Three starters are expected to be back, but there’s going to be a whole lot of shuffling around to get the right starting five. It’s not a huge or deep line, but it should be effective again.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Defense 3 Things To Know
– Tyson Summers has been a terrific defensive coordinator at several stops, and he was the head coach at Georgia Southern for a few seasons, and now he’ll be Karl Dorrell’s DC. Three of the top four tackers are gone, but eight of the top 11 are expected to return for a defense that finished 104th in the nation and struggled against anyone who could throw.
Step One – get into the backfield more.
The defensive line will generate a pass rush, but the D needs to come up with more tackles for loss. That shouldn’t be a problem with Terrance Lang and Mustafa Johnson two of the Pac-12’s stronger defensive ends. These two are big, experienced, and active.
Throw in a few good transfers – but not Antonio Alfano, a star get from Alabama who left the team early on – and the ends will be a plus around 6-6, 320-pound sophomore Jalen Sami on the inside.
– The line should be the biggest plus on the D, but the linebacking corps won’t be all that bad. 6-3, 230-pound senior Nate Landman is back on the inside after leading the team with 137 tackles, and senior Akil Jones is a solid hitter, too. Hybrid outside linebacker Carson Wells has the size and the upside, but he needs to become more of a pass rusher.
– Losing safety Mikial Onu hurts, but Derrion Rakestraw is back after making 43 tackles, and Mark Perry will be a leading tackler somewhere in the defensive backfield. The safeties are fine if everyone can stay healthy, and the corners should be a whole lot better – at least deeper – with the injury problems of last season forcing a slew of new part to see time early on. Now they all have to be better.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Colorado Buffaloes Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Colorado Buffaloes Players
Best Colorado Buffaloes Offensive Player
WR KD Nixon, Sr.
He’s only 5-8 and 185 pounds, but he plays big. Sorry about that line, but he really is a good all-around playmaker who was overshadowed by Laviska Shenault over the last few years. However, when Shenault went down in 2018, Nixon stepped up – again with the bad lines, sorry – highlighted by a 13-catch day for 198 yards and two scores against Oregon State.
Last year, Nixon made 35 catches for 465 yards and three scores, but he wasn’t used enough. That will change – he’ll be a lot more than a good return man.
2. OT William Sherman, Jr.
3. RB Alex Fontenot, Jr.
4. WR Dimitri Stanley, Jr.
5. OG Kary Kutsch, Sr.
Best Colorado Buffaloes Defensive Player
LB Nate Landman, Sr.
The 6-3, 230-pound perfectly-sized inside linebacker came up with 107 tackles with six sacks and 19 tackles for loss as a sophomore, and followed it up with another great effort as a junior. The stats weren’t quite as strong, but he led the team in tackles again. With a good line in front of him, he’ll be roaming free to make a whole lot of plays again.
2. DE Terrance Lang, Jr.
3. DE Mustafa Johnson, Sr.
4. LB Akil Jones, Sr.
5. CB Chris Miller, Jr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Colorado Buffaloes Offense
It’s the Pac-12. It might not be the Big 12 when it comes to wild and crazy offenses winging it around the yard, but it’s not too far off. Colorado has to get used to keeping up in shootouts, because big things happen when the offense hits on the big plays.
The running game should be strong out of the gate with a deep group of runners working behind a decent-looking line, but Colorado is a better program when the receiving corps is doing big things.
The Buff passing game was hit or miss last season after coming out on fire – throwing two touchdown passes or more in each of the first five games – and only cranking up seven in the final seven games. But it was more about opening everything up by hitting the home run.
Colorado was able to generate nine yards per pass or more three times, and won all three games. The 2018 team hit the nine-yard-per-pass mark three times, and it won all three games.
Over the last four years, the program is 12-0 when completing nine yards or more per pass.
Biggest Key To The Colorado Buffaloes Defense
The pass defense has to reverse things fast after one bad season.
In 2012, Colorado suffered through a miserable 1-11 season, allowing teams to complete 68% of their passes with 39 touchdown passes. For all of the program’s issues after that season, the secondary was a strength – no Colorado D finished a season allowing more than 60% completed passes.
Until 2019.
Opposing passing games were able to bomb away over the years, and last year was no exception, but the killer under Mel Tucker was how the secondary got hit for completion after completion and third down conversion after third down conversion.
The 2018 Buffs allowed teams to convert 57% of their passes. Opponents connected on 66% of their throws last year.
On the plus side, there was a reason. The corner situation was banged up and bruised – not having Chris Miller in one piece was a problem.
Now, the corners are deep, and the safeties are okay. Now the Buffs have to break up more passes.
Key Colorado Buffaloes Player To A Successful Season
QB Brendon Lewis, Fr.
Tyler Lytle is the odds-on favorite to get the starting job. He’s got the size, a little bit of time on the field, and he has the tools and the smarts to take over the job and make it his.
But new-recruit Brendon Lewis might just be better.
The 6-3, 210-pounder was a strong get. He can move, he’s got the athleticism and size to become an instant gamechanger, and he blew off Nebraska, Missouri, Mississippi State, and a slew of Big 12 schools to come to Boulder.
No matter who the starting quarterback is, he has to be a factor. Steven Montez should’ve been a difference-maker last year, and he wasn’t enough of one. That has to change with the new start under the new coaching staff.
Key Game To The Colorado Buffaloes Season
at Colorado State, Sept. 5
The idea that a team can only win one game as long as that win is over the rival is a fun little joke fans like to throw out there, but sometimes it really does matter.
Of course Colorado can be fine if it loses to Colorado State to start the season, but for all the ups and downs over the last few seasons, beating the Rams for a sixth time in a row would be a big deal for new head coach Karl Dorrell, only because it would be a big deal if he loses it.
Getting up to six wins is going to be hard for this Buff team. Dropping one right out of the gate – especially to this school – would put the pressure on just one week in.
– Colorado Buffaloes Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Colorado Fun Stats
– Fumbles: Opponents 13 (lost 6) – Colorado 11 (lost 3)
– Colorado was outscored overall in all 4 quarters and OT
– Average Yards Per Pass Attempts: Opponents 8.52 – Colorado 6.95
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Colorado Buffaloes Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
CFN in 60 Video: Colorado Buffaloes Preview
For many, Karl Dorrell wasn’t exactly the most inspiring of hires.
1) He didn’t set the world on fire during his five years at UCLA, 2) he hasn’t been a head coach since getting whacked by the Bruins in 2007, and 3) he isn’t Eric Bieniemy, the Colorado running back legend who’s now the Kansas City Chief offensive coordinator and will soon be someone’s big-get head coaching hire.
But that’s not fair.
Dorrell has been a solid NFL assistant over the last several seasons – with a season as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator thrown in there – and considering UCLA hasn’t been to a bowl game in three years, his five straight seasons of six wins or more with five bowl appearances with the Bruins doesn’t seem that bad.
After three straight 5-7 seasons – especially after gagging away the 2018 season with seven straight losses to close, and with last year’s team underachieving – Colorado would happily take six wins and a bowl game.
Set The Colorado Buffaloes Regular Season Win Total At … 4.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 3
The Buffs have to settle the quarterback situation, it needs more receivers to rise up, and that woeful pass defense has to be better, but the lines are solid and there’s enough experience and talent across the board to make a push to get past five wins.
There can’t be misses against the Mountain West – starting with wins over Colorado State and Fresno State is an absolute must. Taking care of home games against UCLA and Washington State – the Buffs inexcuably lost to those two by a combined score of 72-24 – is also needed, and then a few upsets have to be there.
The expectations nationally will be low, and the team will be the underdog in at least six of the final ten games, but don’t expect a total disaster.
And expect Dorrell and his staff to be better than you think.
