Middle Earth

2008 record: 5-7 overall, 2-6 Big 12 Conference

2009 projection: Coach Dan Hawkins says 10 wins. I say seven or eight. Every game in the Big 12 North is winnable, but I'd expect only one win against the top three.

Reason to get excited: New run-oriented offense will take the pressure off Cody Hawkins to move the ball in the spread offense and control the game clock.

Reason not to get worked up: They decided to implement the power run game after spring practice, so expect them to be a little wet behind the ears -- not good for an offense trying to bounce back from being the Big 12's worst a year ago.

The gist: A lot went wrong for Colorado last season, from injuries to inconsistencies to occasional hard luck. After all, they had a bowl appearance in their teeth until this happened:



Things look a little better this season. The running backs Darrell Scott and fellow sophomore Rodney Stewart, who led the Buffs in rushing last year, are one of the strongest components of the team, and have a respectable offensive line to work behind. Conversely, junior Cody Hawkins is an experienced quarterback who won't get much help from a young group of wide receivers that ranks among the worst in the Big 12. Unless the new recruits at wideout can step up, Hawkins may be in for a frustrating season.

The defense won't take any steps backwards after last season and is probably the stronger of the two units, despite Dan Hawkins' reputation as an offensive genius. There's no shortage of potential starters at linebacker, led by senior Jeff Smart, and cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Cha'pelle Brown star in a secondary that can hold its own against most of the Big 12. The D is also prepped to operate out of 3-4 as well as 4-3, which will help keep opposing offenses on their toes. A lot is riding on how much and how fast CU's freshman can contribute.

Rallying point: Scott. His coaches are expecting him to break out as a sophomore.

Cover your eyes: If that 10-win marker starts to fall out of reach. The problem with setting a goal as lofty and finite as 10 wins is this: if you place too much importance on it, and then you lose a couple early games or find out 10 wins is either unrealistic or mathematically impossible, you might be poised for a big letdown.

For what it's worth: I like the idea of using two running backs heavily, and in theory it will help the passing game. Plus, as late as they're installing it, I'd expect it to share snaps with the spread offense, particularly early in the season. The running backs and offensive line are good enough that Cody Hawkins only needs to manage games instead of win them. Finding that balance will at least get them to a bowl game and should be enough to keep Dan Hawkins out of the hot seat.