Saturday’s do-or-die game at Utah in terms of bowl eligibility marks a milestone for Mike MacIntyre.
It will be the 100th game in which he has served as a head coach – 62 at Colorado and 37 at San Jose State.
Right now, though, MacIntyre isn’t interested in landmarks. He’s just trying to get the Buffaloes bowl eligible for the second straight year and, with Utah also 5-6, the entire 2017 campaign has boiled down to one winner-take-all game. The winner goes bowling, the loser heads home for a long winter asking themselves endless ‘what ifs.’
Indeed, the game is that big.
“For years, nobody thought about (Colorado) not going to a bowl game,” MacIntyre said Tuesday during his weekly presser. “So, that tradition (of going to a bowl game every year) is here, which it should be. Last year, the guys got it started. This year, they want to keep it going. I know some of the guys who were here last year have called our guys saying, ‘Don’t let it end.’ It is extremely important for us to keep it going.”
What are the consequences of not going to a bowl game? MacIntyre fears the perception of the Buffs programs will turn negative.
“Not going to a bowl game affects the overall view of the program.” MacIntyre said. “Momentum-wise, in terms of recruiting and different things like that, it’s a bigger deal. Keeping the tradition going propels the program because the guys next year feel it and then the next year.”
Because both Colorado and Utah are 5-6, how each team approaches Saturday’s game and their mental outlook is critical, MacIntyre said.
“The attitude and desire each team walks onto the field with, and I believe both teams will come with that, (will be extremely important),” MacIntyre said. “Then it will just be execution. Both teams are pretty evenly matched, so turnovers will make a big difference in the football game.”
After a 4-0 start, Utah has lost six of its last seven games. However, had they not collapsed in the final minute, they would have beaten Washington on the road last weekend. Because the postseason hopes of both teams are on the line Saturday night, MacIntyre expects a raucous atmosphere inside sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“I’m expecting an intense atmosphere, for sure,” MacIntyre said. “When you play there, it’s always intense. It’s tight like our stands are. It’s right on top of you. It’s loud. Their fans do a great job there. It’s their Senior Night, so even more intensity will be added to the atmosphere. It should definitely be an exciting evening.”
NOTES
-- How close has the Utah rivalry been? Every matchup between the teams since they joined the Pac-12 in 2011 has been decided by seven points or less. “They have their big rivalry with BYU and we have our rivalry with CSU, but this is something that has definitely turned into a little bit of a rivalry,” MacIntyre said.
-- MacIntyre is wasting no time hitting the recruiting trail once the Utah game is over. He said Tuesday that he is flying out Sunday to begin recruiting in advance of the early signing period.
-- Buffs QB Steven Montez has thrown for over 300 yards four times this year, including the last three games, a CU record for most consecutive games with 300 yards passing. His four total games this season of 300+ yards passing is just one off of tying the school record of five Montez’s predecessor, Sefo Liufau, set in 2014.
-- For the second straight year (and the only two times in school history), three different players have at least 500 yards receiving: WR Bryce Bobo (640), WR Shay Fields (623) and WR Devin Ross (508). The same trio did it last year (Fields 845, Ross 765, Bobo 523).
PAC-12 WEEK 13 SCHEDULE (Nov. 24-25)
Cal at UCLA, 8:30 p.m. (FS1)(Fri.)
Arizona at Arizona State, 2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network
Oregon State at Oregon, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Washington State at Washington, 6 p.m. (FOX)
Notre Dame at Stanford, 6 p.m. (ABC)
Colorado at Utah, 8 p.m. (FS1)
(All Times Mountain)
PAC-12 SOUTH STANDINGS:
USC 8-1 (10-2)
Arizona 5-3 (7-4)
Arizona State 5-3 (6-5)
UCLA 3-5 (5-6)
Utah 2-6 (5-6)
Colorado 2-6 (5-6)
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: USC vs. Stanford/Washington State (Dec. 1 at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.)
