Mailbag: The state of CU football And Mike Shannahan - The Denver Post - Woody Paige
Woody Paige of the Denver Post brings up Mike Shannahan for the next coach of the Buffs and also has a nice realistic response to a fan saying he still believes in Dan Hawkins because he has a "clean" program which is a big false PR ploy that Bohn and Co. have put out when a) it has been four years since Barnett and b) the program's cleanliness is better but let's not act like the Buffs are angels.

After watching the Toledo game, I am a bigger fan of Dan and Cody Hawkins than ever. That is as good as CU can be right now. Class and courage at its best!! Yes, I wanted both of them gone after CSU and in the first half of the Toledo game. The reality is this team is not good, but Coach Hawkins is the right guy. When you have the cleanest team in America, it will take a long time to turn around from ashes. I am extremely impressed how both Hawkins have handled first two games. ("Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" - Winston Churchill) -- Duke, Tampa, Fla.

 Duke: Winston Churchill was drinking one night (which wasn't that unusual), and a woman said: "Sir, you are drunk." He replied: "Yes, I am, madam, but tomorrow morning I will be sober, and you still will be ugly." Colorado is a clean, swell, courageous program, but it's still ugly. I love Cody Hawkins as a player, and I like Dan Hawkins, even though he had become snippy this year even before the first game. But both might just be out of their realm. Cody, honestly, should have been a Division 1-A (or whatever that group is now called) player, and he will be a great coach pretty soon, but he's not a Big 12 Conference quarterback. Despite his desire, his knowledge of the game, his effort, he was at the bottom of the league statistically last year and again this year. If you're Dan Hawkins, don't tell your team it's going to win 10 games and then have to eat that statement. If you're Dan Hawkins, and you were the coach at Boise State, and your team, under your assistants, utilized some great trick gimmick unique plays, why not try some of them at CU? They seem to work at Boise State. Why recruit the best running back in the country, supposedly, and then not play him? Why allow your only great receiver leave? At least, try everything (legal) to keep him. Why can't you beat Toledo? Where are the skilled players at wide receiver? The idea this year was to run. The secondary was touted as being good. Dan Hawkins says he doesn't make the decision about the starting quarterback. If you're the offensive coordinator, who are you going to choose? I don't think special quarterbacks were going to come here if they knew Cody was going to be the quarterback for four years. It was suggested when Gary Barnett was gone that Dave Logan should have been hired. That was the right idea then, and it's probably the right idea now (if Shanahan wouldn't take the job).

Scout.com: 2009 CFN Big 12 Week 3 Expert Picks & Roundup
Once again, the editors at College Football News are picking the Buffs to win this week, except for this one game named Matt who picked Toledo last week as well. He has also gone an impressive 18 - 4 straight up and 12 - 4 against the spread, leading the group of six editors.

More links after the jump...

Colorado Buffaloes stampede into the Bottom 10 - ESPN
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the Buffs have entered ESPN's "Bottom 10". At least we aren't first...but they also turned the Buffalo upside down which is not a good look for Ralphie.

Big 12 predictions, Week 3 - Big 12 - ESPN
Tim Griffin is on board...again. He picks the Buffs to win in an "ugly game" this weekend against the Wyoming Cowboys. I would take the ugliest win in history just to take a week off from all the crap.

Colorado 24, Wyoming 21: It can’t get any worse for Dan Hawkins and the Buffaloes, can it? If they lose this one, it will. Despite the struggles stopping big plays and operating the offense in losses against Colorado State and Toledo, the Buffaloes will rebound. Even though the Cowboys turned the heat up on Texas last week and Dave Christensen had his way against the Buffaloes when he was offensive coordinator at Missouri -- he outscored Colorado by a combined 113-10 margin last season -- it won’t be that easy this time. The Buffaloes will rebound and win a gritty game that won’t be very spectator friendly.

Miller tackles new, yet former, position - The Denver Post
I looks like Buffs LB Shaun Mohler will be back for the game this weekend after sitting out the Toledo game with a concussion:

Mohler ready. Suffering last week from effects of a concussion, senior linebacker Shaun Mohler did not play against Toledo but has been cleared for action against Wyoming. Mohler did not make the trip to Ohio and had to watch the Friday night horror show on TV. "It was pretty frustrating," Mohler said. "I wanted to be out there with the guys. We struggled, but I think we'll be a lot better this week."

Geology head: Apology will be required - The Denver Post
You have heard about the encounter between Marcus Burton and his Geology teacher. The department head found out and is now making the professor apologize for the comment about the Buffs football team this season:

Just like numerous Colorado football fans, Lang Farmer was taken aback when he read in Wednesday's Denver Post that Buffs football player Marcus Burton had been called out in class by his professor for the team's poor play. "My reaction upon reading the article this morning is just as negative as everyone else's, more so probably since it was my department," wrote Farmer, the chairman of the geology department at CU, via e-mail Wednesday.

Barking Carnival — Blog — Dan Hawkins Seeks The Wisdom of Busey
Barking Carnival has an "interesting" interview with Coach Hawk....

The Longmont Times-Call - Former Buff WR Kendrick Celestine Eyes Return

10 things to watch in the Big 12, Week 3 - Big 12 - ESPN

4. Can it get any worse for Colorado? Coach Dan Hawkins’ team has been one of the nation’s biggest early disappointments. Hawkins brashly predicted "10 wins and no excuses" before the season. They might not make that prediction at this point if they played 50 games. Expect some fans at Folsom Field to be wearing paper bags over their head in shame after the Buffaloes’ disappointing 0-2 start that included losses five days apart to Colorado State and Toledo. Hawkins’ seat already is blistering and he’ll be facing a Wyoming team directed by Dave Christensen, a former Missouri offensive coordinator who helped outscore the Buffaloes by a combined margin of 113-10 in the last two seasons he was there. Christenson’s offenses have a current run of 106 straight points against the Buffaloes after those two games. If that streak continues, Hawkins’ tenuous job status may bubble over.