The Quad Countdown: No. 43 Colorado - The Quad Blog
Paul Myerberg places the Buffs at #43 in the New York Times "The Quad Blog" annual countdown of every FBS team in the country. It's a pretty decent read, so head over and check it out. Other than getting Jon Major's name wrong, Myerberg seems excited about the right things: the offensive line, linebackers and the running backs. Basically, what it all comes down to in most people's mind is consistent and decent quarterback play. Overall a pretty optimistic preview of the Buffs. Would seven wins be enough for you, 3rd in the Big 12 North?

Season breakdown & prediction: Could this be it? Could this be the year when Dan Hawkins and the Buffaloes break through and win the Big 12 North? Will Colorado win 10 games, as Hawkins so brazenly predicted at the tail end of last fall’s five-win finish? So many questions. First things first: Colorado is not winning 10 games, not in the Big 12 and not with this schedule. (In the team’s defense, it does get Kansas and Nebraska at home.) However, that doesn’t mean the Buffaloes can’t be very good, especially if they can overcome the debilitating injury bug that has plagued the program in each of the last two seasons. Some groups – offensive and defensive line, for instance – remain enigmas, but each has the potential to be very good, especially the young and talented offensive front. The big question revolving around the C.U. offense is what type of play the Buffaloes will get from the quarterback position: if the team gets good – not spectacular, just good – play and consistency, the offense will be much, much better. So I expect an improvement from this team in 2009; however, to be honest, I can’t justify placing Colorado any higher than at this spot. But I could see the Buffaloes, with some luck, the development of their young players and a largely injury-free campaign, being a dark horse Top 25 candidate. A lot would have go right, however. My prediction is a little more guarded: I believe Colorado will finish 7-5, 4-4 in the Big 12, third in the North.

"'6.5 wins and no excuses" doesn't have the same ring" by The Newell Post / LJWorld.com
The Lawrence Journal World pokes fun at Dan Hawkins and his 10 win proclamation by saying the folks from VegasInsider think otherwise. 6.5 wins is a little hard to swallow but it is probably right based on the preseason thinking.

The college football future odds have been released by Vegasinsider.com, and, not surprisingly, sports books have slightly lower expectations for the Buffs. Vegas Insider's predicted win total for Colorado this season is 6.5. So even if Hawkins's team falls three wins short of his prediction, his friends would still be rolling in the dough if they bet the over. For fun, here are the predicted regular-season win totals for the Big 12 teams*: Baylor 5 Kansas State 5.5 Texas A&M 5.5 Missouri 6.5 Colorado 6.5 Texas Tech 8 Nebraska 8 Kansas 8 Oklahoma State 9 Oklahoma 9.5 Texas 10.5 * — Iowa State was not listed.

Player commitments shaping up for Big 12 media days - Big 12 - ESPN
Big 12 media days start next week...a great time for college football news. The Buffs will be represented by the following coaches and seniors:

Colorado: Coach Dan Hawkins, linebackers coach Brian Cabral, TE Riar Geer, LB Marcus Burton, LB Jeff Smart.

Kasa, Orms get taste of life on CU campus - Boulder Daily Camera
Welcome to Boulder fellas...Nick Kasa and Parker Orms' bikes were already stolen in the first month and a half, but according to them, that is the only thing that has gone bad. Orms has added 10 pounds already and hopes to be 200 pounds by the start of camp. That is impressive. Nick Kasa seems to be getting some good reps in but should be in line for more when camp starts in August.

The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports - WVU - WVU opponent: Colorado
Something I didn't totally realize until I read it from The Charleston Gazette:

Colorado's first four games are all on different days of the week, from a Thursday to a Sunday. The worst stretch, at least from a preparation standpoint, is right at the start when the Buffs open at home against Colorado State on a Sunday evening and then play four days later on the road at Toledo. So if Monday is more or less a recovery day and Wednesday a travel day, that essentially reduces practice to just Tuesday

The Longmont Times-Call - WR Andre Simmon Expects to be on Campus

Simmons, a junior college recruit from Independence Community College in Kansas, said Saturday during a phone conversation that he’s "on the road to getting it done." Simmons has had to complete six spring courses and three on-line courses this summer. He said he has all passing grades. He thinks he’ll be in Boulder the week before camp starts. Players are due to report by Aug. 6; the first practice is Aug. 7. He said he expects to be admitted to the university.

Time for Nebraska to embrace CU as a rival - Mark Knudson