Colorado Buffaloes Opponent Watch: Week 8

If you're only interested in our opponents the week we're slated to play them, then this piece isn't for you. This is a look at all 12 13 of our opponents in 2011 and how they did from week-to-week. Eventually, this will be a measure of our schedule strength, but since there's a pretty good chance we're not playing for a BCS bowl this season, it's just a friendly update about those teams that we'll be facing at some point. Also, with us playing Cal in '10 and this season, OSU is the only Pac-12 team we don't know anything about, so I figured we should follow them a bit so we know what to expect when we face them finally in 2013. And because they're important too.

Follow the jump to see how long I can hold my breath!

Hawaii Warriors (4-3, 2-1 WAC)

Moniz once again did some damage with his feet to ensure a victory for the Warriors over New Mexico State. He ran for two TDs, along with two through the air, helping Hawaii to rack up more than 500 yards of Offense (big surprise). They are currently behind only Nevada in their conference, with a game at 1-win Idaho coming up. The Rainbow Warriors are still in it to win the Western Athletic Conference.

California Golden Bears (4-3, 1-3 Pac 12)

The Bears beat up on a beat up Utah team for their first conference victory. Their defense shut down the Utes completely, and QB Zach Maynard had a pretty good game. He threw for a TD and ran for another, Keenan Allen nabbed a receiving score and Isi Sofele ran for one on the ground. Cal next gets a shot at UCLA.

Colorado St. Rams (3-4, 1-1 MWC)

The Rams were steamrolled by UTEP for their third straight loss, giving up 340 yards on the ground and 456 overall. Pete Thomas was sacked seven times, they never led and they barely had the ball for 24 minutes in the game. And seven of their first ten points were on an Int return for a TD. Their offense is really struggling. They've got a chance to get back on track this week against a 1-5 UNLV team.

Ohio St. Buckeyes (4-3, 1-2 B1G)

They had a week off, which they definitely needed. They face Wisconsin this weekend, and the Badgers look to be angry coming off of a last second upset loss to MSU. I expect the Buckeyes to be on the wrong end of a beatdown this weekend.

Washington St. Cougars (3-4, 1-3 Pac 12)

We remain their only conference victory. They were stomped (yes, stomped) by Oregon State. Jeff Tuel was knocked out of a game with an injury for the second time this season. They were terrible, and their defense was incredibly porous. Not only that, but the timing was bad, because they face Oregon this weekend.

Stanford Cardinal (7-0, 5-0 Pac 12, BCS #6)

Do you want to bet against the Tree? They ran for a team record 446 yards on the way to 615 yards and 65 points against the #25 ranked Washington Huskies. They have the nation's longest winning streak, they have Andrew Luck, and they're really freaking good. They play at USC this weekend, but I don't see a loss on their schedule all season.

Washington Huskies (5-2, 3-1 Pac 12)

You could say they drew the short stick this past weekend. They get a chance to redeem themselves against Arizona this week. As good as Washington has looked this year, they never had a chance in this one. And while this drops them from the rankings, I bet they'll be back before too long. This is going to be a dangerous team in the next few seasons.

Oregon Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac 12, BCS #7)

We all know what they did... and next up is Washington State. I'm hoping they beat them worse than they beat us. Will it make me feel better? Probably not, but it's worth a shot!

Arizona St. Sun Devils (5-2, 3-1 Pac 12, BCS #21)

They've been resting for a week, which is the exact opposite of what their opponents (our Buffaloes) have been doing. They get guys like Junior Onyeali back from injuries, so they're looking to come out firing against us to remind the country about how good they are. Lets hope we can stave off yet another blowout...

USC Trojans (6-1, 3-1 Pac 12)

They beat Notre Dame with an incredibly balanced attack and takeaways on defense. They got good games from the guys you'd think (Matt Barkley, Robert Woods) and from Curtis McNeal on the ground. It was the kind of confidence-building win you need before a game against a team like Stanford. I still don't think they have a chance to win, but this is exactly what they needed to get ready for the Tree.

Arizona Wildcats (2-5, 1-4 Pac 12)

With a new coach, the Wildcats actually did look like a new team. That's not a good thing for the Buffs. They finally found their running game, but we'll see if it was just a fluke when they play Washington this weekend. Nick Foles had another good game through the air, but Arizona also racked up more than 250 yards on the ground and their defense completely shut down the Bruins.

UCLA Bruins (3-4, 2-2 Pac 12)

After a week off, all of their positive juju from beating WSU was gone and they got stomped by ‘Zona. It wasn't pretty and our ex-HC looks like he's really on the hot seat. They play Cal this week, but those two teams look like they're on opposite trajectories. Let me just put it this way: I'm looking forward to our matchup against the Bruins.

Utah Utes (3-4, 0-4 Pac 12)

The Utes, much like the Buffs, are still looking for their first conference victory and are missing a number of key players to injury. Not nearly as many as we are, but still enough to make a difference. They face Oregon State, who two weeks ago would have been a good bet for their first conference win, but now it doesn't look like a sure thing. This will be one to watch. Why? I don't know, but I'm sure it will be.

***Oregon St. Beavers*** (2-5, 2-2 Pac 12)

All of a sudden, the Beavers have a better record than we do... that makes me want to cry, so I can't finish this piece