With college football firing up this weekend, I was trying to find a legitimate way to make a prediction on how my beloved CU Buffs would fare this year. We are coming off one of the worst seasons in college football history, and I can't bear the thought of suffering through something like that again. So I turned to someone who's been getting me through football seasons since I was in college. My Playstation, and NCAA Football '08 and I started up a CU dynasty.
So according to my first completed season, here is my Playstation Preview for the upcoming CU football campaign:
Final Record: 14-0
- Big XII Champions
- National Champions
According to my Playstation Preview, CU will beat Tennessee 31-15 to win the BCS National Championship and complete a perfect season. Not bad for a team that went 2-10 last season. The team will be lead by Hugh Charles who will rush for 2,154 yards with 28 TDs, and recieve for 220 yards and 3 TD's. He'll also end up a First Team All-American, First Team All Big XII, and win the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, and join Rashaan Salaam as the 2nd player in CU history to win the Heisman Trophy. Not a bad little season in store for Hugh.
The real key to the team's successes though, will be Freshman All-American QB Cody Hawkins, who will end up throwing for 2,973 yards and 29 TD's with 15 interceptions. Most of his damage will be to leading receiver Dusty Sprague who will finish the season with 1,063 yards and 10 TD's on 55 catches. Sprague will finish up the season as a first team Big XII selection and second team All-American.
The defense will be highlighted by the play of the D-line. Big George Hypolite will end up with 9 sacks and a first team All Big XII spot, Alonzo Barrett will finish up the season with 12 sacks and a second team all conference nod, and Maurice Lucas will lead the nation with 16 sacks and end up first team all conference and second team All-American. He'll also have a little hardware, taking home the Bednarik Award at the end of the season.
Terrence Wheatley will have an outstanding senior season, leading the conference with 6 INT's, 4 forced fumbles and two defensive TD's. He'll end up a 1st team All-American and Big XII.
The rest of the Buffs who will make All Big XII are:
1st Team-
Edwin Harrison - OL
Daniel Sanders - OL
Lionel Harris - FS
2nd Team-
Devin Head - OL
Brandon Nicolas - DT
Ryan Walters - SS
Kevin Eberhart - K
Oh yeah, we also ended up with the #1 ranked recruiting class in the nation.
I have a feeling that any CU fan will take this season. 2 award winners, 5 All Americans, 13 All Conference players, a Big XII title and another National Championship? I suppose that'll do. I think we have earned it after suffering through last season's debacle.
I can sense that some of you are questioning the validity of this prediction. "How can you possibly believe that a team that was so terrible last year will win the national championship this year?" you are saying to your computer screen. Well, any fan who doesn't think their team can run the table and win the title in the upcoming season isn't a true fan. It's the job of a real fan to believe in his team.... but.... you also need a bit of realism.
So to fulfil this need for "realism" (it was probably hard to see, but I was doing air-quotes as I typed that word), I decided to simulate the Buffs season also. I decided to simulate straight through the year with no changes but one, starting Cody Hawkins at QB instead of Bernard Jackson (who the game had starting). I threw cation to the wind and decided that injuries, NCAA sanctions, and player suspensions be damned, I was just letting it ride.
Here is how it turned out:
Final record - 8-6
Big XII record - 6-2
Big XII North Champions.
We beat Nebraska in the season finale 38-35 to clinch the Big XII North title.
We then lose to eventual National Champions Texas 31-28 in the Big XII title game, and lose in the Cotton Bowl to Georgia 29-26.
Hugh Charles and Cody Hawkins lead the way again, with Charles running for 1,982 yards and 15 TD's and Hawkins throwing for 2,654 and 28 TD's. Charles, Daniel Sanders, Edwin Harrison and Terrence Wheatley ended up All Big XII.
You know what? I think any CU fan would take this prediction also. A Big XII North title and Cotton Bowl appearance sounds pretty good to me after what went down last season.
Either way CU fans, football season is finally back in swing, and it all starts with the CSU Rammies on Saturday. This season will be huge for the future of our program. Hawkins has some blue chip recruits seriously considering wearing the Black and Gold. If we win a few of these early non-conference games it could be enough to persuade them to sign up. So let's support the boys in Boulder and enjoy some football.
Oh yeah. If you're wondering what the computer thought of the CU v. CSU game coming up this weekend.... CU 27 - CSU 0.
I said, it sucks... to be... a CSU Ram!
Go Buffs!
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