Buffs Ready For Pac-12 Title Tilt With Huskies

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Thursday afternoon, Mike MacIntyre took his Colorado Buffaloes for a little tour of Levi's Stadium.

It's where MacIntyre told the Buffs last August they would be on Dec. 2.

It's where they have been planning to be all fall.

Now, while the rest of the college football world has been taken by surprise, the Buffs are taking their trip in stride — ready to play one more game with the aim of taking one more step in a rather improbable journey.

MacIntyre's eighth-ranked, 10-2 Buffaloes are just one win away from winning CU's first Pac-12 football title and the program's first conference title since 2001. Standing in their way is fourth-ranked Washington (11-1).

A Colorado win in Friday's 7 p.m. Pac-12 Championship game (Fox) would guarantee the Buffs of at least a spot in the Rose Bowl, while also keeping alive their slim hopes of moving up to a No. 4 ranking in the College Football Playoffs and a berth in the CFP semifinals.

But while the stakes and stage are no doubt bigger, the Buffs have been doing their best all week to treat this game just like they've treated every other game this year: a game they need to win.

"I think it's the same kind of focus because we've wanted to win every single game this entire season and this game is no different in my mind than other games," quarterback Sefo Liufau said. "That might sound a little crazy to some people but each game each game was really important if we wanted to reach this one. We just want to come out here and put a complete game together and do our best to be very consistent because this is a very good team we're up against."

The Huskies may present Colorado's biggest challenge yet this season. They boast the conference's highest-scoring offense (44.8 points per game) and the stingiest defense (17.8 points per game). They have a quarterback, Jake Browning, whose name has been at least mentioned in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and nine first-team All-Pac-12 selections.

The Buffs come in with just two, outside linebacker Jimmie Gilbert and safety Ryan Moeller, selected for special teams.

It's a slight they believe they can correct with a solid performance Friday.

"We play an excellent football team in Washington," said MacIntyre, who was named the Walter Camp National Coach of the Year on Thursday. "It looks like they don't have any weaknesses. They play really well. Coach (Chris) Petersen is a heck of a coach. I coached against him one year when he was at Boise State and I was at San Jose State and he beat us bad. He does a great job."

The Huskies are simply the latest in a rather long list of Pac-12 teams against whom the Buffs have had little — or no — success against in recent years. Washington leads the all-time series with Colorado 9-5-1, a record that includes six straight wins and four in a row since Colorado entered the Pac-12 in 2011.

But the Buffs have halted a number of such losing streaks this year. Friday simply offers another opportunity.

MacIntyre doesn't believe his team will be fazed by the magnitude of the game. While the the stakes and stage Friday will be much bigger than anything they've seen this year, one thing the Buffs have shown this year is the ability to to "manage the moment." Whether it's been a game against Michigan in the "Big House," a crucial Pac-12 opener vs. Oregon at rowdy Autzen Stadium or a sold-out Folsom Field tilt against Utah with a Pac-12 South title on the line, the Buffs have responded in the same manner.

They've played well.

They aren't expecting anything different Friday night.

"Our whole mantra is take care of Colorado," MacIntyre said. "That's how we meet, that's how we practice, that's how we live life, that's how we take care of our bodies, that's how we treat each other. If you take care of Colorado and you prepare the right way, then we go out there and play fast and tough. That's our motto that we talk about all the time. That's what we do. Then, we can perform and we have the opportunity to beat anybody we play. If we're so worried about the other team or what's going on and not taking care of our business and thinking we can just show up and win, that's not the case. It's all the preparation is what we mean by that – take care of Colorado."

NOTABLE: The last time the Colorado Buffaloes beat Washington came in the 1996 Holiday Bowl, when Colorado took a 33-21 victory. The Buffs tied the game 21-21 in the first half on a 7-yard scoring pass from Koy Detmer to sophomore Darrin Chiaverini. Now, Chiaverini is in his first year as CU's offensive co-coordinator. … Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt is one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach every year. Asked about the honor Friday, Leavitt joked that it made him feel old. Why? Another one of the finalists, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, played for Leavitt when he was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State. … If you believe in omens, the Buffs have several in their favor. For starters, they are staying in the same hotel in Santa Clara occupied by the Denver Broncos last February when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. In that game, the Broncos also wore white jerseys and white pants — the same combination the Buffs will be wearing Friday night.

BROADCAST: Friday's game will be televised by Fox with Joe Davis calling play-by-play, Brady Quinn providing color commentary and Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines. KOA radio will provide the broadcast with Mark Johnson and former CU head coach Gary Barnett.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu