Rooney: Dominant Folsom finale caps remarkable program turnaround for CU Buffs

Its been a while since Folsom Field hosted a party quite like this.

Eight years and a whole lot of ugly losses since, to be exact.

More often than not over the past decade, Senior Day has meant a hearty pat on the back for all the hard work and effort before sending the outgoing players back out on the turf to endure yet another butt-kicking.

Not this year.

And certainly not this team.

This was a party long awaited by the faithful at Folsom, who were treated to a 52-0 waxing of an Oklahoma State squad that set a new low for the phrase not bothering to show up in the regular season finale on Friday.

What a day.

Colorado improved 9-3, just two years removed from a 1-11 mark as the worst power conference team in the nation.

Help will be needed on Saturday, but when the Buffs exited Folsom for the final time this season, the Big 12 Conference title game remained in play.

Until that changes, the College Football Playoff is as well.

Travis Hunter put an incredible exclamation point on what should be the second Heisman Trophy season in Colorado history.

Shedeur Sanders continued his assault on the program record book.

On a sunny Friday-after-Thanksgiving affair, the Buffs took care of business.

Onward and upward.

Since the 2016 squad won the Pac-12 South Division title, clinching that title by defeating Utah on Senior Day, the Buffs had gone 2-5 on Senior Day heading into Fridays finale.

Most of those losses were of the brutal variety, with those five setbacks going down by an average of 19.8 points.

Regardless of the 52-point drubbing, this almost wasnt quite the performance CU wanted heading into its first significant postseason appearance since 2016 (Sorry, weird and short 2020 season; I just cant bring myself to count you).

Against any other team except the downtrodden Cowboys, who sunk to embarrassing depths this season, the Buffs could have been in trouble, thanks mostly to themselves in a perfectly dreadful second quarter.

After jumping to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns on their first three possessions, the Buffs ended four straight possessions with punts and mostly went backwards during that span.

Going into halftime, the Buffs had left the door open.

After halftime, they slammed it shut with authority.

For one of the few times the past two seasons, the offensive line was able to all but eliminate a sack fest after halftime.

I wrote earlier this month that style points dont matter in November, and there still were style points aplenty in the other three quarters.

That adage rings even truer in December, regardless of whats next for the Buffs.

And there will be a next.

Thats something that hasnt been said after many regular season finales the past two decades, either.

Were not going to go out like that, Shedeur Sanders said of the Buffs halftime conversation.

They didnt, beginning the third quarter as they started the first, and this time the feet remained squarely on the gas pedal.

Next Wednesday will mark the two-year anniversary of coach Sanders introductory press conference at CU, when he also anointed Shedeur as the Buffs starting quarterback.

Love him or leave him, Coach Prime has delivered on just about every promise made that day, from razing the roster to improving the talent (Shedeur and Hunter wont be the only 2024 Buffs in the mix come next springs NFL Draft) to getting the program to compete for championships.

And yes, maybe the championship part is out the window.

The Buffs had a grip on their own fate until last weeks loss at Kansas.

They need help on Saturday in the form of more than one team bucking the odds to record upsets against the other Big 12 frontrunners.

Still, to even be in the conversation for a championship of any sort is an incredible accomplishment.

And anyone that has followed Big 12 football this fall knows Expecting the Unexpected could be the league moto heading into December football.

Anything can happen.

Its not over yet.

And that, above all, is the biggest credit to a program that seemingly had no future to look forward to beyond more misery just two short years ago..

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