[ColoradoTree]

Oh, I certainly don't think CU is about to "break out" by any stretch, but living in Colorado, it feels like they're right on the edge of a couple more conference wins and getting to bowl eligibility.  I'm not sure they could reasonably expect more for quite a while.

CTcard, you're right that the W-L record doesn't show that the program is improving, but to me, the number of one-score losses in '14 and '15 shows that the program is better positioned than it was before McIntyre (and Walters et al.) got there.  And adding former USF head coach Jim Leavitt as the DC this year has seemed to really tighten up that defense. 

Even looking beyond the one-score games, things have tightened up, meaning the 4-score blowouts are now more competitive two-score games on average.  In 2013, for example, CU was outscored 459-305 (-154) for the season.  In 2014, that tightened to 468-342 (-126), and this year it was 357-320 (-37), a massive improvement.  Our game against them was an outlier this year. 

I don't think they'll get to a bowl game next year (scheduling Michigan seems unwise for where they are as a program right now--they really could have used a cupcake as a 3rd non-conference game), but I think they'll win more than 1 conference game, and their games will be even more competitive. 

[ColoradoTree]

Oh, I certainly don't think CU is about to "break out" by any stretch, but living in Colorado, it feels like they're right on the edge of a couple more conference wins and getting to bowl eligibility.  I'm not sure they could reasonably expect more for quite a while.

CTcard, you're right that the W-L record doesn't show that the program is improving, but to me, the number of one-score losses in '14 and '15 shows that the program is better positioned than it was before McIntyre (and Walters et al.) got there.  And adding former USF head coach Jim Leavitt as the DC this year has seemed to really tighten up that defense. 

Even looking beyond the one-score games, things have tightened up, meaning the 4-score blowouts are now more competitive two-score games on average.  In 2013, for example, CU was outscored 459-305 (-154) for the season.  In 2014, that tightened to 468-342 (-126), and this year it was 357-320 (-37), a massive improvement.  Our game against them was an outlier this year. 

I don't think they'll get to a bowl game next year (scheduling Michigan seems unwise for where they are as a program right now--they really could have used a cupcake as a 3rd non-conference game), but I think they'll win more than 1 conference game, and their games will be even more competitive.