Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Climb Again In Rankings, But Utah On Their Minds
November 20, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Fresh off of Saturday's 38-24 win over Washington State, Mike MacIntyre's Buffaloes added another milestone to their storybook season Sunday, moving to No. 9 in both national polls.
Ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls last week, the 9-2 Buffs (7-1 Pac-12) jumped three spots in both on Sunday. It marked the first time they've been in the top 10 of either of the national polls since early in the 2002 season, and it comes on the heels of a No. 10 placement in last week's College Football Playoffs rankings.
The new CFP rankings will be released Tuesday and the Buffs are expected to move up in those as well. Those are the rankings that are truly important now, as they decide the four teams that will advance to the national semifinals as well as have a major influence on bowl placement.
But while the weekly rankings milestones are nice, the only landmark moment on the Buffs' mind is next Saturday's 5:30 p.m. regular season finale against Utah (Fox) at Folsom Field.
That's when CU can clinch its first division title as a member of the Pac-12 with a win and earn a berth in the Dec. 2 Pac-12 championship game. Colorado hasn't played in a conference championship game since 2005 and hasn't won a conference title since 2001, both under Gary Barnett.
The Colorado-Utah game has been considered a possible Pac-12 South "championship" game for weeks, but the script has now been twisted. Utah, coming off an upset 30-28 loss to Oregon on Saturday, can no longer win the Pac-12 South and has been relegated to the role of spoiler.
A CU win would give the division title to the Buffs; a Utah win would give the division to USC (8-3, 7-2), as the Trojans' 21-17 win over Colorado earlier this season would give them the title by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Utah dropped significantly in the polls, falling from No. 11 in both to No. 21 in the AP and No. 20 in the coaches poll. USC, meanwhile, moved up to No. 12 in both. Washington State dropped three notches in both to No. 23 while Washington remained the Pac-12's highest ranked team, checking in at No. 6 in the AP and No. 5 in the coaches.
The Buffs no doubt understand what's at stake Saturday. Their schedule will change slightly this week as they don't have school because of the Thanksgiving break, which means they'll be able to devote more time to preparing for the Utes.
Colorado has lost four straight to Utah, with the last win coming in 2011. That year, a 17-14 CU victory in Salt Lake City prevented Utah from winning the Pac-12 South.
"The intensity has to go up a lot," Buffs running back Phillip Lindsay said after Saturday's win. "We have to stay focused and we're going to have to compete. It's an exciting feeling and we just don't want that train to end. So we're going to work hard and get ready for this game."
Colorado's rise in the national rankings has also spurred plenty of national attention. By late Saturday and early Sunday, national writers from almost every major sports news source were taking note of the Buffs' ascension, from ESPN to Fox Sports to CBS Sports.
But this week, the Buffs' approach will be what it has been all year. While the stakes have been raised each week, they've approached each game with a single-minded focus.
Saturday evening, after addressing his defense, Buffs defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt made it quite clear that rankings won't be on the Buffs' minds this week.
"Utah," Leavitt said emphatically, pointing his finger for even more emphasis. "That's all we're worried about now. Utah. Good team. They're going to come in here ready to play. We'd better be ready."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
