It’s the middle of October, which means the heart of the football season is here. There’s no more time for easing into things, works in progress or transitioning into new systems; teams need to be rounding into shape at this point.
But up and down the Front Range, at both the college and pro levels, there are plenty of things that are far from buttoned up as teams head into either the second half of their seasons (CU and CSU) or approach their bye week (Broncos). That’s creating uneasiness, as patience wears thin when things aren’t clicking by mid-October; that’s a sign that they may never come together.
As a result, three prominent football figures find themselves on the “Hot Seat” this weekend. Here’s who has to perform on Saturday and Sunday in order to quiet the naysayers:
No. 3 – Mike Bobo
Colorado State coach Mike Bobo says Nick Stevens will remain starting QB for #CSURams but Coleman Key will continue to play some, too. #MWfb
— Kelly Lyell (@KellyLyell) October 12, 2015
The enthusiasm surrounding the CSU program after last year’s 10-win season has evaporated; with the team scuffling in 2015, off to a lackluster 2-4 start, Rams fans have once again disappeared. That’s not a good thing for a first-year head coach to see happen on his watch, but that’s the reality Bobo currently faces. With Air Force coming to Fort Collins this weekend, CSU has a chance to get things back on track. But they’ll once again have a sub-30,000 crowd, which certainly won’t create much of an atmosphere, and they continue to have issues at quarterback, which is a riddle Bobo hasn’t been able to solve since benching Nick Stevens in a week two loss to Minnesota. The Rams feel like their about to become irrelevant again. Can Bobo prevent that from happening?
No. 2 – Peyton Manning
PFT on NBCSN looks at whether the Broncos should bench Peyton Manning – http://t.co/CSlR77MLc4 http://t.co/OPnS4k5UEj
— Peyton Manning (@PeytonManning36) October 14, 2015
Yes, his team is 5-0. But that hasn’t prevented the future Hall of Fame quarterback from hearing plenty of criticism this week after his team failed to score an offensive touchdown in last Sunday’s win at Oakland. In Denver, winning isn’t enough; Broncos fans are looking for style points, as well. That has prompted plenty of discussion on sports talk radio about the option of going with Brock Osweiler at QB, a notion so ridiculous that it’s amazing that anyone is taking it seriously. But people are, to the point that head coach Gary Kubiak was asked about the idea at his Monday press conference. The only way to quiet the talk is for Manning to have a Manning-like day in Cleveland. If he doesn’t, the chatter will continue; and with a bye week on the horizon, that will make for a long two weeks in the Mile High City.
No. 1 – Sefo Liufau
Mike MacIntyre: Sefo Liufau will remain #CUBuffs' starter at QB http://t.co/VHSKD4EOlh
by @johnmeyer pic.twitter.com/sckgaB8qqo— Denver Post Sports (@DPostSports) October 13, 2015
Mike MacIntyre’s team may be on the upswing, but they are still searching for that elusive Pac-12 victory that would show they can compete with the class of the conference. Two weeks ago, they had a shot against perennial power Oregon, but couldn’t get it down. Last week, they got rolled at Arizona State, primarily because they couldn’t make a big play or two to turn the game. On Saturday, they have another show, this time on Homecoming Weekend against Arizona. In order to beat the Wildcats, the Buffaloes are going to need to do more than manage the game on offense; they need to make some plays. That’s where their junior quarterback comes in. Liufau continues to be a QB that is good enough to keep CU in games, but not good enough to be a difference maker. At some point that needs to change; otherwise, MacIntyre will have to consider a change at the most important position on the field.