Renck vs. Keeler: Who wins more football games next season: CU or CSU?

Renck Most of teams store memories from a special season in a trophy scenario The CU Buffs placed them on the east side of the stadium It makes you wonder if they desperately needed those retired numbers Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter as a visible reminder of excellence if fails to live up to expectations CSU avoided upheaval last season absolutely winning rivalry games against Wyoming and Air Force before getting hammered by Miami of Ohio in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Was that an indication that this season will go up in smoke In most of sportsbooks both over-under win totals are set at So who delivers the preponderance victories Keeler I believe in Robert Livingston and the CU defense I m not sure about Tyson Summers at CSU I believe Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi can springboard his run at the Manning Passing Academy this summer into a step forward in FoCo I believe Kaidon Salter has a higher floor this fall in Boulder but that young Julian Lewis has been promised QB from the jump I believe they re both bowling again but barely Buffs win seven Rammies win six Renck CU is in knee-deep trouble if they don t find selected trusted legs in the backfield The Buffs failed to add a high-profile transfer despite a clear opportunity for more work with Sanders gone Dallan Hayden and Micah Welch combined for yards last season on yards per pop That won t work Can one of them show explosiveness this season Perhaps But it depends on an offensive line that will spend Saturdays getting thrown under the bus without critical improvement The Buffs would be better off creating a running identity starting senior quarterback Kaidon Salter over freshman Julian Lewis If Lewis is shoe-horned into the lineup too soon he doesn t look physically ready can he avoid injury and upsets for a band that has little margin for error and underwhelming offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur calling plays Keeler Lewis has all kinds of upside all kinds of talent But you can t coach height Conventional thinking would dictate a year in the weight room before being thrown into the fray Yet we all know what Deion Sanders thinks of conventional thinking Which means the success of this offense ostensibly comes down to a line made up of Jordan Seaton and portal patches and down to Shurmur who doesn t have Shedeur-to-Travis anymore to bail the Buffs out of third-and-forevers Welch was a revelation as a freshman last year who at his best resembled a young Javonte Williams But is he an every-down dude The pass rush and secondary should be salty again Does Coach Prime have enough Kirk Ferentz in him to play to his roster s strengths Can CU win games - They might have to Renck CSU has an easier schedule and a third-year starter at QB in Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi That um should be a good thing Fowler-Nicolosi regressed last season He has emphasized the importance of the Rams being consistent and finishing The same applies to him He has to be better if the Rams are to reach seven or eight wins That is more realistic than the Buffs whose lack of playmakers to fill the void left by Shedeur and Hunter will make six victories their ceiling Related Articles Keeler Why is this Boulder woman fighting historic NCAA settlement It s not about money It s about Title IX Football recruiting CU Buffs add former Coastal Carolina Mississippi State RB Simeon Price CU products Will Sheppard Shane Cokes try out at Broncos minicamp CU Buffs Deion Sanders away from Boulder dealing with unspecified fitness issue CU Buffs plan to go all-in embrace new age of college athletics Keeler These SEC Big Ten openers on the road Texas last year Washington this fall might be good for the Rams financial bottom line but they can t be good for BFN s confidence Or his wellbeing Last fall CSU proved it could adapt in-season and win ugly and on the ground when it had to The Rams were - in games decided by eight points or fewer I count at least seven coin flip games on the slate If CSU can win four of those - or - are in the cards But is that good enough for a fan base that s already got Pac- on the brain Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams