8/25/2021 football Edit

Oregon State Opponent Preview: Colorado

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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With the 2021 season on the horizon, BeaversEdge.com is introducing all 12 of Oregon State's opponents over the course of summer.

Today, we dive into the ninth game of the season, a road matchup with the Colorado Buffs...

MORE: DAY 16 NUGGETS | WATCH: Jonathan Smith Meets The Media

The Game

Date: Saturday, November 6th

Time: TBD

Location: Folsom Field - Boulder, CO

TV: TBD

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Oregon State 2020 Record: 2-5 (2-5 Pac-12)

Colorado 2020 Record: 4-2 (3-1 Pac-12)

2020 Recap

In the pandemic-shortened, conference-only 2020 campaign, Colorado was able to play in six total contests, finishing with a 4-2 overall record including 3-1 in Pac-12 play.

After opening the season with wins over UCLA & Stanford, the Buffs saw their next two Pac-12 contests against Arizona State & USC canceled due to COVID-19 issues.

Because Colorado required an opponent following the cancelled contest against USC, the Buffs elected to face San Diego State for their third game of the season.

Following the win over SDSU, Colorado knocked off Arizona before falling to Utah in its final Pac-12 game of the regular season. Colorado's final regular-season game against Oregon was also cancelled as the Ducks were elevated to the Pac-12 Championship game against USC following Washington not being able to represent the north.

To round out the season, Colorado dropped a lopsided contest to the Texas Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl, falling 55-23 and concluding their season with a 4-2 overall record.

Given that first-year head coach Karl Dorrell was able to find success right away, and even get the Buffs into the national rankings at one point, Colorado should feel quite good about what the future will hold with him leading the way.

Best Win: @ Stanford on Nov. 14th (35-32)

Worst Loss: vs Texas in Alamo Bowl (55-23)

2021 Outlook

Heading into year two of the Karl Dorell experience, I'm very interested to see what he's going to do as a follow-up.

Given what he was able to accomplish last season with this group in the face of all the COVID-19 uncertainty, I'd say that Dorell is definetly someone the Buffs want to keep around.

Most teams across the conference didn't have a ton of positives to work from in 2020, but the Buffs were one of the few that showed signs of promise. Not only were they ranked at one point, but they also went to one of the conferences' more marquee bowl games in the Alamo Bowl.

With the 2021 season on deck, I expect Dorell to field another team that is extremely competitive and is right on the doorstep of bowl eligibility. The Buffs have a reasonably tough schedule, but a couple of non-conference games are winnable and I could see the Buffs finishing somewhere between five and seven wins.

Key Players: RB Jarek Broussard - QB JT Shrout - QB Brendon Lewis - WR Dimitri Stanley - LB Carson Wells - DB Isaiah Lewis

Season Projection: 6-6

Early Prediction

At first glance, this seems like it could be a tough contest for the Beavs.

Following what I expect to be a very physical game the week prior for OSU against Cal, this could be a bit of a trap game for the Beavers.

The prior two weeks will have seen the Beavers play Utah & Cal, both of who are amongst the most physical defenses in the conference. That lasting effect could impact the Beavs against the Buffs and I think that's a storyline worth keeping an eye on heading into the contest.

Overall, I expect the Buffs and Beavs to be roughly evenly matched this season and with that, I see this game being one of the more nip and tuck of the season.

I see this as a game that could go either way, but right now, I think it'll be a very narrow Buffs victory. These two squads are about as evenly matched as it gets and I think the Buffs having the unique home-field altitude advantage gives them the slight nod in this matchup.

However, the Beavers knocked off the Buffs in Boulder the last time they made the trek, so it's not out of the question to think they could do it again. However, this is one of those games I see as a tough contest where the Beavs might come up just a tad short.

Colorado 34, Oregon State 28