Wait, WHO won the PAC12 South?!

A few short months ago I found myself at a Target in Portland, following around my mom and wading knee-deep through the PAC-12 magazine football predictions for this 2016 season. I scanned the list... Washington... USC... Nope, still not us... Utah... Oregon... Oh, there we are... Colorado.

At the bottom of the PAC-12 ranking predictions.

I stopped mid-aisle, rolled my eyes and told my mom, "Just wait."

Fast forward to today, Nov. 27, 2016, end of the regular season. Colorado earned the PAC-12 South title and heads to the PAC-12 Championship game this Friday against No. 5 U-Dub.

I think I speak for CU fans near and far when I say, BUFF 'EM UP.

But that's the meat and potatoes behind Colorado's mantra - "Make CU Great Again." Take something damaged, rusty, a little hurt and broken down, then bust your ass to shine it up, glue back the pieces and make it prosper. Take the predictions, shred them up, hit the gym, hit the field, hit the games HARD, win. Put in the work and whatever you do, don't ever, ever give up.

Led by Mike MacIntyre, Coach Mac crafted this ideology and sold it to the boys for the small price of their faith and effort. They learned to succeed wherever they found themselves - in the locker room, watching film, on the field or on the sidelines. Succeed in your role.

They say, "the pride and tradition of the Colorado Buffaloes will not be entrusted to the timid or the weak."

And it's true. Want to transfer? Go. Want to quit? Okay. Not serious? Bye. It's helped the Buffs trim the fat and cope with recent team walk-aways, notably underclassman RB Patrick Carr and transfer QB David Webb (yes, Cal's QB). But it's also brought in serious recruits who know this seasoned team full of vets is about to graduate and move on, leaving this hard-earned status of "PAC-12 upper-echelon" in their young hands without key players like QB Sefo Luifau and CB Chido Awuzie... *sigh.*

These kiddos know they have big shoes to fill and by succeeding in their roles now, they've shown they'll be ready when the time comes. Need further convincing? How about that freshman QB Steven Montez who stepped up when Sefo Liufau was hurt early this season, totaling nine touchdowns and nearly 1,000 yards in his select few games.

More proof of recent recruiting gains? Glance over at Nick Fisher, a sophomore who had only served his time on special teams.

But last week against No. 19 WSU when starting safety Fo Laguda was ejected and backup Ryan Moeller went out with a concussion, Fisher was given his chance. Rising to the occasion, Fisher made a HUGE stop on a Wazzu 4th down attempt in the second half, giving CU the ball back on their 14-yard line. In case you missed it, Buffs won that game 38-24 and can now still be found in the top 10 of the AP's latest rankings a week later.

In the midst of giving my applause to the many players who put CU atop the podium, I think it's also important to look at the administration who allowed it to happen. Shoutout CU for the heartbreaking tuition fees (ugh), enabling the construction of the Champions Center aka the nicest college athletic center in the nation. Another shoutout belongs to the coaching staff (Coach Mac, Darin, Leavitt, etc.) for finding that gem hidden in the mud and turning it into the Blackout Boyz, Trench Mob, Money Gang and THE RISE. The players did the work but the coaches believed they could at a time when nobody else did.

Now, it's no secret I'm a Colorado Buffalo. Loud and proud. I've bled black & gold since I first signed up for those pre-med classes in 2011 and never looked back since. Though I thankfully changed my major and eventually graduated, I never changed my support for that crazy university in Boulder. Through a select few wins (five) and so many handfuls of losses (exactly 40 through the first five years in the PAC-12), sometimes it was a little tricky to stay through all four quarters of all the home games through five seasons.

But my friends played on the field four quarters each week so I waited in the stands too, and I think that's part of this season's beauty. We've been at the very bottom together and it's made this rise to the top so much more exhilarating. Shoulder to shoulder, we did it.

I held off on writing this post because I want it to be taken seriously, not just brushed off as another CU fan saying "this season is the one to turn it allllllll around, you'll see!" But after these boys grabbed bowl eligibility, led the PAC-12 South all season, knocked down yet another ranked team, landed themselves in the top 10 AP & CFP rankings and won the PAC-12 South, I feel it's time.

So here I am writing this in my Colorado hoodie, still grinning and sitting in a kitchen full of Wazzu Cougar and UW Husky fans. I'm happy but it's not just because my alma mater has a 10-2 record - it's because these guys are finally seeing the success they're worked so hard for.

I'm proud of my friends who suit up every week, just as I'm proud of the friends who still chose to suit up all those years we weren't so great. It's been a long time coming, but it's finally a good day to be a Colorado Buffalo and we showed you just how real this rise really is.

Predicted to wind up last but worked to finish first. Started from the bottom, now we here. Make CU great again? Well, I think it's just been done.

Good luck on Friday, boys.

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