CU Buffs could open the season against the Oregon Ducks
A brand new coach that was hired later than any new coach in the football bowl subdivision.
A new quarterback that could possibly be a true freshman.
A very limited practice schedule which included no spring practice and very limited time for the players to learn a new system and technique on the field.
Congratulations, CU Buffs! You get to play the Oregon Ducks to open your season.
That is a very likely possibility as the Big Ten has already announced they are moving to a conference only and it is likely that many conferences will follow behind.
Look, to speculate the schedule for the college football season, or whether there will be a season at all, seems disingenuous at this point.
But the current rumblings are a conference only schedule and the Buffs open up their conference schedule with the Ducks.
Oregon will be widely picked to be the winners of the Pac-12 after winning the conference and the Rose Bowl last season.
And they will be in the top ten nationally on many pre-season rankings with an outsiders shot at making the College Football Playoff.
They do not return their star quarterback, Justin Herbert, but they return plenty of firepower on offense and defense.
They have the Outland Trophy winner, given to the nation's best offensive lineman, returning on their offensive line and it is once again expected to be one of the top in the country.
They also have Kayvon Thibodeaux on the defensive side of the ball, who finished with nine sacks last season and is expected to be one of the top defensive players in the nation.
Unlike last season's 45-3 thrashing by the Ducks, the game will be a home game for the Buffs. But how much of an advantage will it be with no, or limited, fans in attendance?
Colorado will certainly have their work cut out for them if they have to open the season against Oregon.
The full conference schedule:
- Week 1: vs Oregon
- Week 2: at Arizona
- Week 3: vs UCLA
- Week 4: vs Arizona State
- Week 5: at USC
- Week 6: vs Washington State
- Week 7: at Stanford
- Week 8: at Washington
- Week 9: vs Utah
