Was CSU, CU or AFA this season’s biggest disappointment?

A year ago, all three of our in-state FBS college football programs — Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force — went bowling. It was the first time that had happened since 2002. This season, it’s only the Rams who are playing in the postseason. With the Buffs coming off a Pac-12 South championship, CSU being picked second in its division and the hype of the new stadium and now Air Force missing a bowl for only the second time under coach Troy Calhoun, which team was the biggest bust of 2017?

Let’s start with the Cadets down in Colorado Springs. I was there the evening of Aug. 6 when Air Force kicked off fall camp, and you could tell even then that uncertainty loomed large for the season ahead. Air Force graduated a program-record 32 seniors from last year’s 10-win squad that won the Arizona Bowl, and the resulting inconsistency was glaring. One week, Air Force beat CSU 45-28 on the road, and the next week was shut out 21-0 at home by Army. But don’t sound the panic alarm, Falcons fans. Quarterback Arion Worthman, who broke the program record for single-game total yardage (396), returns next fall with a more experienced supporting cast.

I think we can eliminate Air Force from the mix. With a new quarterback taking over and the loss of safety Weston Steelhammer and wide receiver Jalen Robinette to graduation, we weren’t expecting much from the Falcons. CU immediately comes to mind as the obvious choice. The Buffs went from one win shy of reaching the Rose Bowl last year to a fivewin team that wasn’t even competitive in the Pac-12 this season. CSU was the only team they beat that finished the season with a winning record. CU was a complete letdown, don’t you think? Fredrickson: I fully anticipated the Buffaloes to take their lumps defensively this fall with the loss of eight starters and the introduction of first-year defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, but considering the circumstances, finishing No. 6 in the Pac-12 for scoring defense (28.2) was all but expected. Truth is, CU played good enough defense to become bowl eligible. It was the offense that didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. Outside of tailback Phillip Lindsay, it seemed like a new problem popped up week to week, from team captain Jeromy Irwin’s early-season suspension, to quarterback Steven Montez’s decision-making, to receivers dropping touchdown passes, it never seemed to end. I do believe “The Rise” was real. But so was “The Fall.”

OK, I thought CU was the biggest bust until I sat down at the dinner table Tuesday and my wife, a CSU graduate, asked about which bowl games the Buffs and Falcons were playing in. I told her they weren’t, and she replied, “Didn’t they both beat CSU?” Well, yeah. And CSU lost to Wyoming, too. In fact, in a year when it was championship-or-bust for the Rams, they technically finished fifth in the Mountain West and, from a win-loss perspective, have shown no progress since coach Mike Bobo’s first season in 2015. With the expectations surrounding CSU, I think it may be the biggest letdown this fall, regardless of reaching the postseason for the fifth straight year.

What makes CSU’s woes even more unfortunate? That shiny new football stadium on campus. Those seats were easy to fill for the inaugural season as many fans flocked to simply see its completion. But it’s hard to imagine that will factor into as many future visits in coming seasons. If the stadium is going to continue to be a point of pride for CSU, the football team must provide a winning product to ensure tickets are sold. And the Rams aren’t off to the best start in making that happen.