Tuesday Buff Bites - Entering the Slow Season

Basketball

 Grading the 2010 college basketball coaching changes - FOX Sports on MSN - Certainly can't argue with this grade. He gave Bzdelik a B- by the way... (h/t to @BupsJones)

COLORADO The Old: Jeff Bzdelik The New: Tad Boyle It’s hard to question Boyle, who took over a Northern Colorado program four years ago that was in the process of transitioning to the Division I ranks and led them to a 25-win campaign this past season. Boyle is a Colorado native and has learned under one of the most underrated coaches in the country in Texas A&M’s Mark Turgeon. I love this hire.

Grade: A-

 CU`s Boyle lands first Buffs recruit - Buffzone - Ryan Thorburn takes a look at Tad Boyle's two new additions.

 CU Buff Knutson packing bags for Europe - Buffzone - Levi Knutson is heading to Europe to play some ball this summer with Athletes in Action.

 Vic and Gary Podcasts - Head on over to hear interviews with Tad Boyle from last Friday (4/30) and Jeff Bzdelik (5/3) yesterday.

Football

 Post-spring Big 12 power rankings - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN - I'm remaining causiously optimistic about our chances this upcoming season, but I can promise you that the Buffaloes will not be ending the 2010 college football season in the Big 12 basement.

12. Colorado Transfer Toney Clemons infuses some excitement into the Colorado faithful, and alongside Markques Simas and leading receiver Scotty McKnight, the Buffaloes could have one of the more underrated receiving corps in the conference, helping loosen things up for Rodney Stewart. But the defense gave up the second-most points in the conference last season, and there’s little reason to think they’ll be a lot better in 2010. Scoring 22 points a game and allowing just under 29 is the opposite of a recipe for success.

Much more after the jump...

 Ranking the Big 12's nonconference schedules - Big 12 Blog - ESPN - Without a doubt the Buffs have a tougher upcoming schedule than Iowa State and one could make a strong argument that it is harder than Oklahoma's as well.

3. Colorado -- Colorado State (at Denver), at Cal, Hawaii, Georgia Colorado’s nonconference schedule will help prepare them for a Big 12 slate, but it won’t make their final win-loss look any prettier. The Buffs had a tough schedule last season and went 1-3. 

 CU suspends football player accused of buying booze for Boulder High campout - Boulder Daily Camera - Come on now... Of all the ways for college athletes to get in trouble, buying kegs for high schools has got to be one of the dumber ones I have heard of...

 Why we need underdogs, and six to root for this fall - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF Blog - Yahoo! Sports - Dan Hawkins the underdog?

• Dan Hawkins. Hawk was hired in large part to rebuild Colorado's reputation from the smoking rubble of the Neuheisel/Barnett era scandals, which he's largely achieved: Going into his fifth year, CU hasn't had to respond to a hint of impropriety. And Hawkins remains as doggedly un-cynical as ever – especially for a guy who probably would have been fired last November if it wouldn't have cost the university too much money to let him go after another losing campaign. He has one more shot to deliver as the likable eccentric whose teams actually perform on the level they did when Hawkins was initially turning Boise into a WAC power (59-11 with four conference championships from 2001-05), or fall victim to the pendulum swinging back toward wins and losses.

 Big 12 officials may be seeing replay reviews in HD - The Dallas Morning News - This certainly won't help us with the awful Pac-10 refs when we have to visit Berkley, but it's good to hear none the less.

 CSU's Eastman to transfer - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN - Colorado State quarterback Jon Eastman has decided to leave the Rams.