Colorado? Well, that’s more like tied for first place in the Pac-12 South Colorado to you. The Buffs are well on their way to being back to national prominence with a 5-2 record and Mike MacIntyre clearly looks like the right man for this job. Fresh off of a manhandling performance against Arizona State, the Buffaloes head to Stanford to try and knock off another former Pac-12 North titan (they dispatched Oregon earlier this season). They’re doing it with offense too, and are putting up their highest points per game (39) in over a decade.
Colorado vs. Stanford 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Can Stanford get back on the right foot?
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Meanwhile, it seems like Stanford can’t buy a point. They’ve scored 39 in their last three games combined. The Cardinal look like a neutered version of their former offensive selves. Offensive linemen aren’t dominating and Christian McCaffrey is unable to dazzle out of the backfield to power the team on offense. Colorado has shown it can score, and if Stanford still can’t then this is going to be a long day for the team that made a living on "intellectual brutality" mauling you all the way to the end zone. At the very least, we hope the Stanford strength coach is much nicer this week.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. The broadcasters are Greg Wolf, Glenn Parker and Jill Savage.
Online streaming: Pac-12 Networks Live.
Spread: Stanford is a two-point favorite at home.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Ralphie Report (for Colorado fans) and Rule of Tree (for Stanford fans).
Three big things to know
- With injury doubts put behind him, Colorado’s Sefo Liufau threw for 265 yards in his return. But as important as he is to what the Buffaloes do, RB Phillip Lindsay really stole the show on the offensive end. He rushed for 8.4 yards per carry with 219 yards on 26 rushes. Three touchdowns didn’t hurt things either. It’s the first time Lindsay broke the 100-yard rushing barrier all season, much less that 200-yard one.
- The Cardinal are pretty good in the red zone, converting 88.8 percent of their tries. The problem is they barely ever get there. Stanford is dead last nationally in red zone attempts, with only nine trips in six games. For the Cardinal to even begin to score, they’re going to need to at least get within striking distance of the end zone every once in awhile. Colorado is tied for 22nd in the nation at red zone attempts allowed so Stanford will have to work hard to get inside the 20-yard line.
- Christian McCaffrey hasn’t played since Stanford’s game on Oct. 8 and has been sidelined with what the team has called an “undisclosed injury.” In his stead last week vs. Notre Dame, Bryce Love did get something going on the ground rushing for 129 yards on 23 carries. But it’s to be taken with a grain of salt because of the porous defense the Fighting Irish bring to the table (No. 83 in the country against the rush).
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