At last, we’ve made it to the end.

On Saturday, Colorado will wrap up its 2022 football season with a game against No. 14 Utah at Folsom Field. The Utes enter the matchup as a 29.5-point favorite, meaning that barring something truly unexpected, the Buffs will finish the year with a 1-11 record before heading into a coaching search that they hope will bring about better, more prosperous days.

Beyond the questions of who that new coach might be, there are still things to cover with this team, inconsequential as some of them may seem. To do that, CU Sports Report staff writers Nicolette Edwards and Craig Meyer gather for one final roundtable for this football season, offering up their insights on the Buffs’ roster beyond this season, what to make of Deion Sanders’ name being connected to the Colorado job and, as always, a score prediction.

Which three players of the senior class are eligible candidates for the Buffalo Heart Award – given annually to the Colorado player who demonstrates grit, toughness and determination – and why?

Nicolette: Three players who demonstrate grit, determination and toughness that the Buffalo Heart Award represents, in my eyes, would be Quinn Perry, Brady Russell and Alex Fontenot.

Each player has his own unique journey, but they all share similar leadership qualities that have helped this team keep their heads up throughout the season. Last year’s Buffalo Heart recipient, Nate Landman, took Perry under his wing and through their friendship and Landman’s mentorship, Perry emerged a captain this season and a positive voice for the team to listen to.

Perry’s performance this season boosts his stock for this award, as well being a steady leader for the Buffs’ defense, with 62 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

Russel, a co-captain,l ticks all the boxes for grit, determination and toughness. He was once a walk-on and through continuous hard work he earned a scholarship and became one of the Buffs’ key contributors on offense. He hasn’t had too many receptions (six for 114 yards) and hasn’t scored, yet, but his blocking this season has been phenomenal.

Russell provided a solid barrier for Alex Fontenot to run the ball for big gains. Fontenot could've transferred or left the program after his fifth season, but he came back to help his team one last time. His early injury against Air Force limited his contributions for eight weeks, but when he came back he brought life back into the offense. In his last three games, he ran for 220 yards and one touchdown. He fought back this season and it’s great to see him finish out his last season on a high note.

Craig: We obviously don’t see how things go behind the scenes on a daily basis, so it can be a little tough to know exactly what each of these players provide the team and the traits they consistently embody. Having said that, though, we know enough about these players’ biographies and what their teammates and coaches say about them publicly, so let’s give it a go.

Alex Fontenot – the running back has missed half the season, but in the time in which he has played, he has been incredibly productive, especially since returning from an injury. He has shown resiliency in the past, too, having recovered from an injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2020 season.

Brady Russell – the tight end has had a statistically disappointing senior season, even as his blocking has been strong, but this isn’t a purely statistical award. Russell rose up the ranks in his time in Boulder, joining the program as a walk-on and going on to become the starting tight end the past two seasons.

Terrance Lang – the defensive end has been one of the Buffs’ best defensive players this season, but more than that, he’s widely respected by his teammates. He has previously won the Eddie Crowder Award for leadership and like the other two honorees, he has been with the program for a time of immense change, having played for five different head coaches, including interims.

How do you feel about the possibility of Deion Sanders being hired as Colorado’s next head coach?

Nicolette: Sanders would be Colorado’s best-case scenario. What he built at Jackson State shows what he could bring to Boulder – highly touted recruits, a vibrant and disciplined culture, and regular bowl appearances.

Colorado can’t play the long game with this head-coaching hire with how fast things evolve in college football. I think Sanders can provide the results that CU football desperately needs, specifically its desire to reach a bowl game. Sanders would rebuild CU into a competitive program with his resources and leadership tactics. He’s a guy people can rally around. We’re already seeing the rallying commence on Twitter. There’s a chance he may jump ship after one or two seasons, but at least the program will contain new talent, a new brand or image and have some semblance of stability moving forward.

This 2022 season was as bad as it gets, but with Sanders as the head coach, this program can begin to gain back what it has lost in the past several years.

Craig: On my first two coaching big boards, I was dismissive of the idea, mostly because I thought there would be bigger, more appealing suitors for him. But with Auburn apparently more interested in other candidates, it’s a much more realistic possibility than I once thought.

It’s a potential pairing that has generated more momentum the past week. On Wednesday, Adam Munsterteiger of 247Sports reported that Colorado had presented Sanders with “a very impressive offer” that would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the Pac-12.

The Buffs aren’t the only program vying for him. South Florida has reportedly also spoken with him about its open job and Sanders’ name has been connected to the vacancy at Georgia Tech for almost two months. It’s not daunting competition. South Florida is in a smaller conference that’s about to be even weaker following the departures of Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida. And if you think Colorado’s academic restrictions make it too difficult to recruit, whew buddy, do a little research on what Georgia Tech requires of its athletes.

So, understanding that it’s possible, would it be a good match? I think it very well could. Sanders would bring Colorado the kind of instant excitement and recruiting momentum it wouldn’t get with any of its other targets, some of whom are excellent coaches with impressive track records. He’s not a natural fit given his lack of ties to the region, but frankly, that shouldn’t be a deterrent. After all, we’re talking about a program whose most successful coach ever spent all but a few years of his life in Michigan before arriving in Boulder.

Deion’s about Deion, which there’s nothing wrong with, but it means he likely won’t be somewhere for long unless it’s one of the sport’s premier jobs. He’ll tout the virtues of coaching at an HBCU until a Power Five program comes along with the right offer. If he’s successful at a school like Colorado, he’ll likely move on to a bigger program with more money. That wouldn’t be the worst thing on Earth, as such a move would mean the Buffs are in a much better spot than they are right now and could be more attractive to Sanders’ replacement. In that sense, the Mel Tucker experience was a worst-case scenario for Colorado – a promising coach came in and improved the program, but bolted after one year, before any of those positive steps could really be solidified.

There’s still part of me that has trouble seeing this happening – he’s not someone who needs the money and he’s got a nice enough situation at Jackson State, a school with a big fan base and a proud history, to where he can wait for the right offer – but it no longer would surprise me if we’re at a press conference in two weeks with Coach Prime being introduced with a black-and-gold Sanders jersey.

What was your personal experience covering the team this season?

Nicolette: This was technically my second season covering the Buffs. I covered them when I was a student journalist in 2021, but this year I took the professional step forward and attended every practice, every game and every moment I could.

This season shattered my expectations going into it. I truly did not think that the results would be this bad. For the most part, it seemed like CU had a well-rounded team, at least in the beginning. As we saw, there weren’t any front-runners at quarterback and week after week, we all experienced how detrimental that was to their offense.

The defense was allowing insane amounts of yardage each game and the offense could not convert. The unbalanced football persisted and each game was really hard to watch.

Of course the Cal game and the practices leading up to that special Saturday was one of my favorite memories. Interim head coach Mike Sanford had two weeks to save this 0-5 team and he did just that.

Cal was a perfect opponent for CU, but from weeks prior, I doubted the Buffs would come away with a win. The Buffs’ defense was unrecognizable the way they stopped the run that day (just 35 rushing yards!) and limited missed tackles. Sanford, interim defensive coordinator Gerald Chatman, the coaches and the players wrote an important story that day, a story of resilience and hope. They needed that win.

Mike Sanford is truly an incredible person, coach and mentor. I really respect how he handled this difficult situation with a selfless approach and invested so much time into each individual player. I applaud him, the coaching staff and the players for working through each week and each opponent. They became closer through the process and I felt I got closer to the program, as well.

I learned a lot about myself, football, and addressing difficult topics. In sum, this season provided me with many important learning lessons for the future.

Craig: It’s been interesting, although not always in the most appealing ways. Beat writers (and journalists in general, but that’s a discussion for another day) are often falsely accused of being biased, but one of our few biases is covering a winning team. The people you interact with are generally in a better mood, the fan base is more engaged and more people are reading your work, even beyond the market in which you live.

Of course, Colorado hasn’t been that this season. I’d have to do more research before making a more definitive statement, but this is one of the worst Power Five teams I’ve ever seen. From a media standpoint, though, it hasn’t always felt that way. Five years ago, back when I was living and working in Pittsburgh, I covered a Pitt men’s basketball team that went 8-24 overall and 0-19 in the ACC. You’d see after every game and in damn near every media session how dejected the players were. It was an exceptionally young team that came into the season with hope and excitement, but by the end, they were just beaten down physically, mentally and emotionally. I never got that with the Buffs. They’ve only been marginally better on the field under Mike Sanford, but they’re more resilient and upbeat than they were under Karl Dorrell. That certainly makes a difference.

I’m still new here with this being my first year covering Colorado – which means I’m still meeting people around the program and athletic department – but I have to imagine the on-field product will be better in the years to come. I don’t care that much for my sake. I mostly just hope the great and loyal fans I’ve gotten to interact with on here for the past few months have something worth cheering for and being excited about.

With the departure of 19 seniors, what position pickups need to be made in the offseason?

Nicolette: No one at quarterback is leaving, but first and foremost, CU needs a new and experienced quarterback.

The Buffs will need to seek out a few new defensive lineman with the departures of Chance Main, Terrance Lang and Justin Jackson in addition to more linebackers with Perry, Josh Chandler-Semedo, Guy Thomas and Jamar Montgomery.

True freshman inside linebacker Aubrey Smith will be a productive player moving forward, but there will be many more growing pains with the younger groups. The Buffs will have to replenish their size with the front seven.

Craig: While some of the more important positions like quarterback need to be improved considerably this offseason, they’re not losing anyone of note due to exhausted eligibility.

Given the seniors and graduate students they’re losing, I’d say linebacker will probably be the spot where the Buffs have the biggest need for reinforcements. Josh Chandler-Semedo has been the team’s best defensive player this season, but the West Virginia graduate transfer will be gone after Saturday’s game. Though they’ve each had their struggles at various points this season, Guy Thomas, Robert Barnes and Quinn Perry are also in their final college seasons. When Jamar Montgomery is added to that mix, the Buffs will be losing their five most-used linebackers this season.

On a team this bad, none of those departures are particularly debilitating, especially if an excellent coach is brought aboard who can immediately dive into the transfer portal, but still, those are starting and key bench spots that will need to be filled.

What is your score prediction and why?

Nicolette: Utah 50, Colorado 17

The end is almost here. The past month was incredibly challenging playing against the Pac-12 hardest teams. Saturday will be another one of those hard to watch games. Regardless of the score, I’m cherishing this final game and the team is looking to do that, too.

Craig: Utah 34, Colorado 10

This isn’t going to be a close game and I give the Buffs next-to-no chance of winning, but I think they’ll be energized by being back at home, it being senior day and to try to finish out the season on something resembling a strong note. I don’t really think there’s any solving of the offensive struggles short of a big game from Fontenot, but I think you’ll see a pretty aggressive effort from the Colorado defense against an opponent that will need an implausible scenario to unfold for it to make the Pac-12 title game after falling just short against Oregon last week.