College Football
Previews - NCAA Football Handicapping - Preview 2006 Betting
Colorado Buffaloes
2006 Preview
Online
Predictions By:
Matt Fargo Colorado Buffaloes Football
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Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be
here before you know it so that means getting
an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season.
Knowing the teams now will save you time in August
and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp
of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from
worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.
Fargo’s Take
- Scandals have marred a once proud Colorado
program and the Buffaloes hope that all of those
negatives are gone for good. The last one to hit
the road was head coach Gary Barnett who was involved
in more than one downbeat issue surrounding the
team. Former Boise St. head coach Dan Hawkins
takes over and he has vowed to turn this team
around, both on and off the field. The Buffaloes
did make it to a bowl game last year but it wasn’t
because of solid play down the stretch. They were
outscored 100-6 in their final two games but won
the Big XII North thanks to other teams falling
down the stretch as well. Colorado will be implementing
new systems on both sides of the ball and if it
can pick things up in a hurry, there is the possibility
of a repeat in the North. However, the schedule
is tough and there are a lot of question marks,
namely on offense, that must be answered in order
to make it back to the postseason.
Returning Starters
on Offense – 5 The offense at Boise
St. flourished under Hawkins and he is hoping
that the new wide open scheme will cause problems
for unfamiliar Big XII defenses. In order for
the offense to succeed, a quarterback must emerge.
Juniors Brian White and Bernard Jackson are in
line to replace Joel Klatt and the battle likely
won’t be decided until late in fall camp.
Hawkins relies on balance in both the passing
game and the running game and the latter will
be in good shape with the return of running back
Hugh Charles. Charles rushed for 842 yards last
season and he could have a breakout junior season
under the new attack. The offensive line is strong
on the right side, with three returning starters
but the left side will be manned by young newcomers.
Veteran receivers are in place to make the quarterback
transition run smoother.
Returning Starters
on Defense – 8 Colorado had one of
the best rushing defenses in the country a season
ago, finishing 11th in the nation but that ranking
will be hard to replicate in 2006. The defensive
line needs to replace three starters and youth
will be present throughout. Three of the four
linebackers are back so whatever deficiencies
the line may have will be made up in the middle.
The secondary lost Gerett Burl to suspension but
it does get Terrence Wheatley back who missed
all of last season with an injury. The passing
defense was a disappointing 87th in the country
last season so getting pressure on the quarterback,
something new defensive coordinator Ron Collins
vows to accomplish, will need to occur. It will
likely be up to this unit to carry the team for
the early part of the year until the offense and
the new quarterback can get its head around the
new scheme.
Schedule
- Playing in the Big XII North gives the Buffaloes
an easier schedule than most but it is still extremely
demanding. Colorado hosts Montana St. in its opener
before facing rival Colorado St. in a neutral
site game in Denver. The end of the non-conference
slate is extremely tough with a home game against
Arizona St. before traveling to Georgia. If the
Buffaloes can come out of that stretch with a
2-2 record, it will be considered a success. The
Big XII schedule starts off with two winnable
games against Missouri and Baylor but then strengthens
with a home game against Texas Tech and a road
contest at Oklahoma. The end of the season will
likely determine who wins the North as the Buffaloes
host Iowa St. before traveling to Nebraska in
its season finale.
You can bet on… The Colorado program is
heading in the right direction but it isn’t
going to succeed overnight. Hawkins is the perfect
fit for the head coaching job as he has had success
wherever he has coached and he takes pride in
the character of his team, which is actually more
important at this point. The first three lined
games of the season are against non-conference
teams and the Buffaloes are just 10-22 against
the number since 1996 in those situations. Colorado
has not had a profitable season since 2002 but
that could change this year if the Buffaloes can
improve upon their 1-5 ATS record on the road
from a season ago. Good things will happen in
Boulder but it could take some time.
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