Per CU, #cubuffs DL Frank Umu suspended for violating team rules (not a legal issue). Length of suspension has not been determined.

— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) August 27, 2017

Was there really any doubt? The Colorado Buffaloes will take the field in Ann Arbor this weekend in the gold helmet, white jersey, black pants combination; the same that was worn in 1994 for the Miracle at Michigan. The Buffaloes will take on the Wolverines on Saturday as part of a one-off deal, there is no return game to Boulder. Buffs fans hope these uniforms, in addition to their stellar play to start the season, will help them pull off the upset.

The @RunRalphieRun uniform combination is ... the exact same as it was on 9/24/94. #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/fbyjoWX3P5

— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) September 12, 2016

As the season approaches, many folks speculate on the upcoming year and how it will play out. The win/loss predictions can be seen on countless websites, both local and national. If Colorado wishes to attain their goal of a bowl game and a .500 record, they clearly are going to win a few games against some seriously talented teams. The Buffs have a very challenging schedule with games on the road against Oregon, USC, conference-favorite Stanford, and of course a trip to the Big House to play a Michigan team that will almost certainly be top-10 team at that time. Add the likes of difficult conference foes such as UCLA, Wazzu, and Utah at home, and they surely have one of the harder schedules in America. So which games can CU realistically win?

The only 3 games that I feel the Buffs will not really have a realistic chance of winning are at Oregon, USC, and Stanford. Those are three great teams, all of which CU has struggled against mightily since moving to the Pac 12. Other than that, they have 9 winnable games including Michigan and UCLA. Michigan will be coming off games against two teams that went a combined 2-23 last year (Hawaii and UCF), and the following week is their Big 10 opener with Penn State. This sounds like the definition of trap game for the maize and blue. Michigan should have a good offense, but not one of the upper echelon power 5 elite offenses. If the Buffs can force a couple turnovers and don't make many mistakes, then they have a chance to win a defensive grudge match and shock the nation in the Big House. As for the UCLA game, this is a humongous chance for CU to upset one of the top teams in the conference. Contrary to Michigan, Josh Rosen leads a superb offense for the Bruins. This could be a little bit more of a high scoring affair, but ultimately it's a Thursday night game and Folsom will be rocking. The spotlight might be on the Buffs more in than game than in any other game on the schedule, but the have the experience on both sides of the ball will give them an opportunity to pull off the massive upset. Colorado will have to bring their A-game in both games in order to stand a chance against either team, but I think they could do it. All things considered, Colorado will have chances to win games, they'll just have to play smart football and limit mistakes that have cost them recently. Then they can finally string some wins together that have evaded them in the past few years.

Buffs Begin Prep For CSU; O-line Taking Shape - cubuffs.com

The Buffs have just started implementing their gameplan in practice this week as they prepare for the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

CU Buffs' Sefo Liufau pleased with progress of offense - Buffzone

"A lot better in my opinion," said Liufau, heading into his fourth year as the starter. "It'll be a lot different when bullets start flying and the real thing happens, but I'm definitely pleased with where we are as an offense. A lot of guys are doing a lot of great things right now on offense, in all positions. We're really consistent right now also, which is real good to see.

Buffs Open Season 2-0 With Victory Over CSU At Home - cubuffs.com

After wins over Air Force, and little brother CSU, the women's soccer team are off to a strong 2-0 start.

Predicting the 2016-17 Pac-12 College Basketball Standings (7. Colorado) - Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report predicted the Buffs to finish 7th in conference play this year. They retain almost the entire team from last year, and hopefully UCCS transfer Derrick White is as good as advertised. So in my eyes, a 7th place finish seems a little low for this year.

Stewart Mandel's 2016 Pac-12 predictions  - FOX SPORTS

Stewart Mandel gives his conference outlook and has the Buffs finishing 5-7 and 5th in the South  ahead of ASU.

CU Buffs' Kabion Ento hopes to seize opportunity - Buffzone

With the loss of Juwann Winfree for the season, fellow junior college transfer Kabion Ento hopes to fill the void at outside receiver.

Sefo Liufau owns a lot of records at Colorado—75 of them, to be exact.

He has been in control of Colorado Football for three seasons, but after suffering a lisfranc injury against USC last season and the commitment of Davis Webb, it looked like things could be changing. But, following Webb’s flip to Cal and a full recovery, Liufau is once again poised to lead the Buffs in 2016.

“I think I’ve made a lot of progress,” Liufau said. “To be able to shed some weight off, get healthy with my foot, it’s been a long road, but it has been a great one, to be able to come back and achieve my goal of being ready for fall camp, so I’m pretty happy with the time I’ve had off and the amount of work I’ve put in in the last four months.”

For the Buffs to finally get over the hump and make a bowl game this year, they will need Liufau to improve on last season, when he completed 213 passses on 344 attempts for 2401 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. The nine touchdown passes is his lowest total for any of his three seasons at CU. Even in his freshman season when he only played eight games, Liufau managed 12 touchdowns. However, he believes that the team’s overall improvement will be the difference this season.

“As players, we’re the ones out there playing, we’re the ones out there making plays, we’re one ones out there that are winning or losing games,” Liufau said. “Being a more mature team, I think we’ve got a lot more pieces to the puzzle, we’re on each other a lot more to make plays as a team overall. “

Echoing both Phillip Lindsay and Chidobe Awuzie, Luifau spoke about just how much it would mean to him to help lead the Buffs to a bowl game this season, but not just any bowl game—the highest of the high.

“I want to leave this football team and university a lot better than when I came here as a freshman because they invested so much in me and I just feel like I owe them everything, so that’s kind of how I’m looking at it this year.”

After everything that Liufau has been through, especially in the past year, it’s easy to see why he is so motivated to make his senior season one to remember.

Fall camp has finally begun which means we have a load of updates on the roster and some changes that have taken place. Let's dig in.

#cubuffs freshman DB Ca'Ron Baham has left the team and will transfer closer to his home in Louisiana

— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) August 4, 2016

Baham, a three-star wide receiver signee out of Marrero, Lousiana is already heading closer to home.

Senior DL Tyler Henington has decided to medically retire from the #cubuffs. He's missed the last two years with injuries

— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) August 4, 2016

Bummer news on Henington, who could just not stay healthy during his time in Boulder. Best wishes on what comes next for Tyler.

Samson Kafovalu and NJ Falo are back after suspensions. Falo will also sit out the first three games. Dino Gordon still suspended #cubuffs

— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) August 4, 2016

Good news that we now have more clarity on Kafovalu and Falo, Dino still in limbo trying to work his way back.

#CUBuffs senior Jaleel Awini was listed as a QB on the initial camp roster but is practicing at WR, per CU.

— Adam Munsterteiger (@adamcm777) August 4, 2016

The more we can get Awini on the field the better. Still think he has a lot to offer this team.

SOURCE: Grad transfer Davis Webb has been named the new starting QB at #CAL. The 6-5, 225-pound Webb had a 46-22 TD-INT ratio at #TexasTech.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 4, 2016

It may not be Colorado but it's certainly relevant. Whatever, Davis.

This article brings an end to the season prediction slate of content that we have here at the Ralphie Report. There’s a wealth of content here to look at for next season, but this one should be the most fun because it’s not just me! To make sure my thoughts aren't completely insane after they come out of my echo chamber, I invited some Ralphie Reporters to tell me I’m crazy and knock down my optimism.

Question 1: Which offensive player (not named Sefo) will have the most impact on the season?

Jack Barsch: Well, you can’t pick the whole offensive line, so I’ll pick Alex Kelley, the 6th year senior, multi-year starter, and protection caller for the OL. He needs to have a good year, especially with the monsters that CU is facing on the defensive line. If Kelley can hold his ground, and even get a little push off the line, this offense will really be cruising. Shorter plays mean more plays, and Kelley needs to be on his game for all of them for this offense to hum all year.

Ted Chalfen: Shay Fields. Sefo has never had to play a game without Nelson Spruce or Paul Richardson as his number one option. If he’s going to improve on last season, he needs Fields to step into the role of being a true #1 wide receiver, which includes drawing double coverage to free up the other guys. Shay has been brilliant as the second option over the past two years, but he’s going to be getting a lot more attention without #22 lining up next to him this year. Staying healthy will be a big part of his equation for success as well.

Sam Metivier: Shay Fields, for all the reasons Ted noted above.

Jeff Hauser: There are two who’ll have a major impact this season, Devin Ross and Phillip Lindsay. Ross should pick up some slack in the slot left by Nelson Spruce and has the ability to be a playmaker. Having Sefo back will help the construction of the entire offense along with providing growth for Fields and Ross. The 2016 campaign should see both receivers breaking out for monster seasons. Lindsay, on the other hand, comes into this season carrying the bulk of the load for the Buffs in the backfield. He led the team last season with 653 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns and is expected to improve his production from last season. No Christian Powell or Patrick Carr leaves Lindsay and Michael Adkins as the two upperclassmen driving CU’s running game.

Jon Woods: I'm going to cheat and say the running backs, inclusive of all of them. The running game has slowly been getting better but it needs to take a big leap this year. The Buffaloes are going to have to have a consistent ground attack to take pressure off of Sefo and the defense and they will have to be counted on to get the short yards when needed, especially in the red zone. Whether it is Lindsay and Adkins or a youngster like Dino Gordon or Beau Bisharat, someone needs to step up in 2016.

Q2: Which defensive player (not named Chidobe) will have the most impact on the season?

Jack: JOSH. TUPOU. CU runs a modified 3-4. The most important part of a 3-4 has always been, and always will be, the nose tackle. Casey Hampton, Jamal Williams, Haloti Ngata. They didn’t put up stats but they drastically changed games. Tupou needs to follow their example and BLOW UP the line of scrimmage. After a year off (basically a redshirt year), Tupou should come back mean and ready to prove his NFL ability. He could be All-Pac if he has a good year. And we better hope he does.

Sam: Whoever plays opposite Awuzie at cornerback will be heavily targeted, and if that player is Isaiah Oliver, he needs to be ready. If Oliver has a rough go as a starting defensive back, the Buffs will get roasted much like they have in seasons past, even with the strong play of safeties Ryan Moeller and Tedric Thompson. If Oliver excels and even exceeds expectations, Colorado should end up having one of the best secondaries in the conference.

Ted: Addison Gillam. Has everyone forgotten what a beast this guy was as a freshman? He looked like he had All-American honors in his immediate future. Then he spent two years dealing with a litany of injury setbacks that derailed his potential. Is that potential still there? Can he be what he was three years ago? How about 75% of it? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, he’d be a huge lift for the defense that people weren’t necessarily counting on.

Jeff: Don’t count out Derek McCartney. The young man plays with nothing but heart and will start turning heads at the defensive end position. His five sacks last season was just a start of things to come in the 3-4 scheme. From a technique standpoint, McCartney plays great as a end and could also play back in coverage, if needed.

Jon: Sam got to it first but I think the corner opposite Awuzie will be super important. Assuming it's Isaiah Oliver, he can create a very strong secondary with above average play. Giving the front seven a few seconds more to get to the quarterback will help this increasingly talented defense immensely.

Q3: Favorite offensive player?

Jack: George Frazier, hands down. No other team has a weapon quite like George. He plays football like Glen Davis plays basketball (LSU version, not NBA version). Balletic feet, huge body, and a mean streak. If Frazier gets 10 or 15 touches a game, he’ll still be underused, but it will be a huge step up. He has all the skills and athleticism needed. CU needs to let him loose and punish people.

Ted: I’ve gotta go with Shay again here. I love watching him run deep routes. He has a certain it factor that makes your eyes want to follow him whenever he’s on the field.

Sam: I’ve always been partial to Michael Adkins and Phillip Lindsay, and never has there been a leader I respect as much as Sefo, but my favorite player on this offense is Shay Fields. Again, just like Ted, I love the way he runs routes and how he goes up for the ball. No player is as aesthetically pleasing to watch as him.

Jeff: I’m rooting for Juwann Winfree. The JUCO transfer from Coffeyville C.C. (Coffeyville, KS) was a four-star recruit at Maryland and has traveled a long road to Boulder. I have watched a lot of game tape on the speedy receiver and I would like to see him become a favorite target for Sefo Liufau.

Jon: I want nothing more than Diego Gonzalez to become a clutch, badass kicker and he certainly has the leg.

Q4: Favorite defensive player?

Jack: I couldn’t answer Chido before, so I sure as hell will now. Chidobe Awuzie is the baddest dude to come through the secondary in a long time. He is the best player on the team, and I don’t think it’s that close. Chido would start for almost anyone in the country, and he will have his name called in the first few days of the draft. There’s nothing I can say about Chido that hasn’t already been said. He will be an absolute joy to watch this year.

Sam: Chido has been my favorite player since the first snap of his first game. He’s quickly catching up to Jordon Dizon and Rodney Stewart as my all-time favorite Buff. Back in May, I jokingly wrote that he would be a dark horse Heisman candidate. It won’t happen, but Awuzie should get looked at for other national awards and recognition.

Ted: Just for the sake of being different, I’ll say Kenneth Olugbode. His interception return against CSU last year was one of my favorite memories as a student.

Jeff: I like Leo Jackson III and would like to see him progress into a strong run stopper. He shows flashes of taking his game to the next level and curious to see what he does as an upperclassmen.

Jon: Tedric Thompson won me over very quickly with his style of play. I expect big things this season.

Q5: Favorite game on the schedule this season?

Jack: Utah, for sure. Because I assume that we will be playing them for bowl eligibility and that will be amazing. I think Buff Nation will come out in force for that game.

Sam: I don’t know why, but I find terrible football simultaneously beautiful and laughable. During the Oregon State game last year in which both teams were trying desperately to lose, I couldn’t stop laughing. As such, the Oregon State game this year will be my favorite. The game I look forward to the most, as an actual fan as opposed to being a schadenfreude addict, will be the UCLA game. If it’s as close and intense as the past few UCLA-CU games, it will be the best game to attend all year.

Ted: The Thursday night UCLA game immediately jumps off the page as a fun one. The Buffs have been agonizingly close against the Bruins the last two seasons, and this feels like an upset in the making with a (hopefully) packed, blacked-out Folsom atmosphere leading the charge. If the Buffs are at 4 wins or more coming into this game it should be quite lit.

Jeff: The Rocky Mountain Showdown with CSU. I want 2016 to be year that CU takes the Rams to the woodshed. We have been part of enough close games between these two schools and it’s time for the Buffs to have a statement win for the first game of the season.

Jon: Definitely Utah. Those games have always been entertaining, even if CU hasn't quite been able to get over the hump. Hopefully will be a lot on the line this year.

Q6: Alright, honesty time: what are your realistic expectations for this season (wins and losses)?

Jack: Well, I kinda just answered this question in the one above, but I expect that we will be 5-6 going into the last game of the season. Mike MacIntyre knows how much this season means for this team and his job. He knows that a bowl game NEEDS to happen. Now if that does happen? We’ll see. But I see at least 5 likely wins on the schedule. CSU, ISU, OSU, ASU, @Zona should all be wins. UCLA could also be a likely win, given the circumstance around that game, and WSU should be close. But those five are the most likely that I’ve seen, and we might actually be favored for a few of those (!!!). But that Utah game should decide the fate of our season, and that should add some fuel to the rivalry fire.

Sam: 6-7. Losing to Colorado State or Idaho State would be unspeakably awful. Oregon State at home is as close to an automatic win as you’ll find in the conference this season. Assuming those are wins -- I’m tempting the gods here — the Buffs are halfway to bowl eligibility. Arizona State, @Arizona and Washington State are winnable, but I can only see the Buffs beating the Sun Devils; there’s something about the Wildcats and Cougars that make them unbeatable against CU. The Buffs will get their fifth win of the season against UCLA after Chido, Derek McCartney and the student section terrorize Josh Rosen in the #Pac12AfterDark game of the year. At 5-6 and on the verge of bowl eligibility, everything will be at stake and everyone will be as tense as humanly possible, especially and most notably Mike MacIntyre. The Buffs will keep it close for a bit and even have an early lead, but they’ll collapse under pressure. In a Shyamalanian twist, the NCAA will decide to let CU play in a bowl game. With nothing to lose, the Buffs annihilate Nebraska as Ndamukong Suh watches on helplessly.

Ted: 3-9. The reality for the last five or so seasons has been that the Buffs have had the potential to lose every single game they play. OK, maybe not Nicholls last year. But a loss to Idaho State would shock me less than a victory over Michigan or Oregon at this point. I expect them to beat CSU, Idaho State, and Oregon State. They could easily lose two of those games and I wouldn’t bat an eye. Any other wins will pleasantly surprise me. I’ve been high on this team for two years and I’ve been wrong, so hopefully I’m wrong again.

Jeff: I’m going to go out with a bang on this one. The Buffs should go 7-6 with some upset wins. I expect an easy time with CSU, Idaho State, Oregon State and Utah. Oregon could have a down season and CU might catch them at the right time. USC and UCLA could be upset territory depending on the circumstances. Anything is possible especially how close the Buffs played their opponents last season. CU’s average margin of defeat in 2014 was 14 points. Last season it was cut in half to 7 points per game and this season ???? Time will tell starting Sept. 2nd.

Jon: CSU - W, ISU - W, UM - L, UO - L, OSU - W, USC - L, ASU - W, Stan - L, UCLA - W, UA - L, WSU - L, Utah - W. That comes out to 6-6 with the swing game ending up with the Buffs finally besting Todd Graham. Will it mean a Bowl game? Time will tell but the odds look good. Please, please let that happen.

The commitments just keep coming. Coach MacIntyre and staff added their 10th commitment, and third from Colorado, for the 2017 recruiting class this morning with the addition of offensive tackle Heston Paige.

The son of Bill Paige, who played for UCLA, the younger Paige prides himself on his footwork and ability to finish tackles, two things that would be of great use to the Buffs.

Heston Paige

Image courtesy of Rivals

Position: Offensive tackle Measurables: 6'5, 270 lbs 40 Yard Dash: N/A School: Thunder Ridge High School (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) Rankings: - Rivals: 2-star - 247Sports: No rating - Scout: 2-star - ESPN: No rating Other Schools of Interest: Air Force, California, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Northwestern, Virginia Status: Verbal with Colorado Notes: From Rivals: "I was so excited and blessed to have received an offer from CU," Paige expressed. "I was just glad that all the hard work paid off. [Offensive line] coach [Klayton] Adams and [head] coach [Mike] MacIntyre said they were impressed with my footwork and liked how my shoulders had gotten bigger. They said they could tell I had been working hard and they were satisfied with the results."

Welcome aboard, Heston!

Here we go! After about a month long hiatus, the Buffs have been active in the past week or so. Chase Newman is CU's third commit in the past seven days, and eighth commitment overall. Newman also comes at an important position of need, linebacker, and has a game perfectly fit to the Pac-12 game. He hits hard, covers very well, and seems to have short-range athleticism in spades. Chase is a five tool player, and a guy that you should move around your defense to get closer to the ball.

Newman also represents the opening of the La Mirada pipeline, one that should serve the Buffs very well in years to come. La Mirada is coached by Mike Moschetti of CU fame, and him and Darrin Chiaverini are close friends. This cycle, Chase Newman , Elijah Hicks and Sire Woods all have offers from Colorado, and all seem to be interested in coming to Boulder. For now, let's not get greedy, and welcome Newman to the Buff family!

Chase Newman

Image courtesy of Rivals

Position: Outside Linebacker Measurables: 6-1/210 lbs. 40 Yard Dash: N/A School: La Mirada High School (California) Rankings: - Rivals: 3-star - 247Sports: 3-star - Scout: No rating - ESPN: No rating Other Schools of Interest: Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon State, Washington State, Wyoming Status: Verbal with Colorado Notes: From Rivals: "I see how it is turning. I think it is going to be a much better program," Newman said when asked about Colorado. "I like the facilities they have there. It is a really great school and I am definitely interested in it. They said they like the way I see the field."

A lot of ears perked up when it was announced that the Colorado Buffaloes would be taking quarterback Sefo Liufau to Pac-12 Media Days. Not only is Liufau going to the only QB to attend, but it was not too long ago that it was thought that he would miss a big majority of the 2016 season, leaving the Buffs with Jordan Gehrke and Steven Montez to battle it out for the starting job after Davis Webb chose California.

However, good news may be on the way. CU's sports media department recently told Buffzone that "We're taking Sefo because we plan on him being cleared to practice by camp."

This is the first time that we have heard any guesses on Liufau's availability and if the staff has known this for a while then it certainly adds some nuance to the way everything went down with Davis Webb. Having him available healthy and ready to go for the start of the season will be a huge boost in the Buffaloes quest to reach a bowl game and this news is a great start.