The Key to Colorado's Season

There's one group that's going to make or break CU this year

The play of the offensive line is going to determine whether Colorado wins the Pac-12 championship, makes a bowl game, or wins three or four games, as is the latest prediction in Vegas. 

You can kinda say that any year. If you have the best offensive line, you're going to have one of the best teams, as a general rule. But it's especially true this year for Colorado. 

CU has a preseason All-American at wide receiver. It has an NFL prospect at quarterback. It has a deep wide receiving corps and a gifted freshman running back. With a good offensive line, that adds up to one of the best offenses in the conference. With a bad offensive line ... it doesn't really matter how talented the running backs are, and the quarterback isn't going to look like such a prospect, and the All-American receiver is going to be frustrated. 

Colorado has questions marks on defense, too. The secondary is suspect, and the defensive line could use another playmaker. But you can kind of scheme around that stuff. If you find out you need a nickel back, for example, there's probably a wide receiver on your roster who could train for a week or two and do a serviceable job. If you desperately need a pass rush, there's probably a fast backup linebacker you can put on the edge on third down.

But if it's the offensive line that's giving you problems -- you've got problems. 

Those positions are too difficult to learn and the group as a whole needs so much continuity and familiarity that there are no quick fixes. 

The good news is, Colorado improved its offensive line over last year. It added Oklahoma State graduate transfer Arlington Hambright at left tackle, allowing Will Sherman -- who started the last eight games of 2018 at LT -- to move to the right side. Any time a tackle moves from left to right, you know a more talented player has been added at left. It also helped that Sherman, who played at just 280 pounds last year, is up to 300 now.  

It's up the middle where the Buffaloes might be vulnerable. 

Between Tim Lynott and Colby Purcell two starters are set, with a battle between Kerry Kutsch and Casey Roddick for reps at left guard. Kutsch is the starter on CU's depth chart, but we'll see how that plays out over the first few weeks. 

There is plenty of experience up there, and Colorado added some veteran talent this offseason. Which is good news, because it's make or break.