Colorado's Decision

In his fourth year Coach Dan Hawkins promised the fans in Boulder ten wins. But two weeks into this season they are 0-2. The sting of defeat at the hands of Colorado State has become a very familiar sensation for the Buffalo's over the past years, but the blowout defeat to MAC opponent Toledo marks a new low for a program that used to matter. So does the rebuilding begin now with a new coach now? Or with a new coach after the season?

The fact that Colorado brought back enough talent to make a run in the Big 12 North made the Ten Win Promise farfetched, but not altogether impossible. And it might be that elusive Big 12 North run that keeps Hawkins in the captians chair for a few more weeks. Pre-season Nebraska and Kansas were ranked right at the upper end of the top 25, and after a convincing win over Illinois in the arch-rivalry Missourri joined them in the polls. After two weeks anyone can see that there is no room for Colorado to be in the ranks of those three powers.

The schedule Colorado must play in the Big 12 South is even more brutal and includes both Texas and Oklahoma State. In a rational mind those two games keep Colorado out of Big 12 North running alone. Thus, with no memories of national prominence and no chance of Big 12 success, the university should fire coach Hawkins. If only for recruiting reasons: so they do not have a lame duck head coach bringing in new players.

The honeymoon of Hawkins is over, years of having an invitation to a bad bowl game and pulling one or two upset victories over Big 12 powers are no more. The University of Colorado must make drastic changes in order to pull out of this tailspin, and to once again become a respected and ranked program.

Without a doubt the Colorado of old is gone, just like the Nebraska and Kansas State of old. Whether they are able to follow Nebraska's footsteps and build back up or continue to flounder like the current Kansas State program remains to be seen, but teither way the short term does not look good.