Colorado Got Cocky

It really was a trap game

You know it's a trap game when somebody insists it's not a trap game. 

Colorado spent the week trying to convince itself there wasn't going to be a letdown after the big win over Nebraska, then lost to Air Force on Saturday in a performance that looked every bit like a team that was feeling itself maybe a bit too much.

You can see how this could happen. It happens all the time, to all kinds of people in all walks of life. It happens to me all the time. I do something good, and then I sort of take my foot off the gas. 

I'm sure the Buffaloes didn't feel like they were doing that, but the false starts and sloppy play suggest otherwise. CU was coming off a huge win over a ranked rival, and was a win over Air Force from being back in the poll for the first time since the first half of last year. 

It's not like this was a bad loss, per se. CU was only a three-point favorite and everybody knows Air Force isn't an easy out. But after Colorado took an early 10-point lead ... some hard lessons began to be learned. 

This loss isn't a season killer, but it hurts. The Pac-12 is going to be tough, especially if Steven Montez and the offensive line don't look any better than they did on Saturday. Colorado may well look back at the end of the season and say this was the game that cost it a bowl appearance. 

Or maybe this is the humbling moment that changes a team for good. 

We'll learn a lot about Mel Tucker over the next few weeks.