The finish line has arrived.
Thanksgiving meals have been eaten, and you may or may not be about ready to sneak your third helping of leftovers out of your grandma’s fridge. Besides the feast in late November, with that comes the last week of the college football regular season.
While Colorado (1-11, 1-7 Pac-12) may not have a lot to play for results-wise against No. 14 Utah (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) on Saturday, this game does provide one last afternoon at Folsom Field in 2022 and the chance to put an end to the Utes’ slim Pac-12 title game chances.
That would take a lot, though.
Colorado’s going up against the best defense in the Pac-12 when it comes to yards allowed, and Utah ranks second in the conference in points allowed, surrendering only 20 per game. Combine that with a Buffs offense that has been anemic in 2022, and that isn’t the greatest combination.
If Colorado is to have a chance, it’ll likely have to come from the legs of running back Alex Fontenot. The senior has had an impressive stretch over the last two weeks, including a 108-yard effort at USC. Equally important, though, will be Colorado winning the time of possession battle against the Utes, and Fontenot provides the best opportunity to do that.
Utah’s passing game under Cameron Rising has been a strength throughout the year — last week’s loss aside — and the fewer possessions that Colorado affords the Utes, the better its chances are at winning.
A major concern for the Buffs on Saturday will be their defense. Colorado has one of the worst defenses in Football Bowl Subdivision, allowing nearly 43 points per game while being ripped apart by both the pass and run games. The Buffs will have to go completely against that track record on Saturday if they’re to stand a chance, and their showing on defense will go a long way toward determining if Colorado has a chance to pull off a tremendous upset late.
Things don’t look great for Colorado as it stands, but if it can pull off a win, it would undoubtedly be the one of the greatest upsets of this college football season.
Best for last? We shall see.
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