Takeaways From Buffs Vs. Washington State

BOULDER — By any objective measure, this season has been a solid step forward for the Colorado Buffaloes.

The program that endured a 1-11 finish in 2022 is 4-7 this season with one game remaining. Thanks to the presence of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, the Buffs are once again nationally relevant. They have played competitive football, have earned the respect of opposing coaches and have put down a foundation for the future.

No doubt, the expectations sparked by Colorado’s 3-0 start and spot in the nation’s top 20 have made CU’s current five-game losing streak much harder to swallow. Two months ago a bowl game seemed like a sure thing, only to see seven losses in the next eight games douse those expectations with a harsh dose of reality.

But nobody’s expectations have taken a bigger hit than those of Sanders, a man whose entire career — playing and coaching — has been about winning.

Sanders didn’t come to Colorado to engage in a slow rebuilding project. His aim was to turn the Buffs’ fortunes around immediately — and for a while, it seemed as if he was going to accomplish that goal.

Now, while it is relevant to compare this year’s team to the state of the program a year ago, Sanders is far, far from satisfied.

He believes the Buffs should be better.

“We try to compare it to what we’re capable of,” he said in the wake of Friday night’s 56-14 loss at Washington State. “And we are falling short of what we’re capable of. And that’s the tough thing. That’s tremendously tough to digest week in and week out.”

While the Buffs have been competitive in most of their losses — four have been by one score — CU’s weaknesses have nevertheless been exposed. It’s why the oddsmakers have made Colorado a three-touchdown underdog heading into next Saturday’s season finale at Utah (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

But while the Buffs would no doubt like to end the season on a strong note, it is difficult not to cast an eye to 2024. CU’s coaching staff has already started the process of evaluating the roster with an eye on next season, when Colorado will move to the Big 12.

Thus, our takeaways from the Washington State game and how they might apply to the longer term:

1. Improvement up front will be critical. There may be no more two confounding statistics this season for the Buffs than passing yardage per game and sacks…