THEY WILL BE PARTYING IN BOULDER TONIGHT

Well, they party in Boulder every night, but tonight they have a good reason.

They Buffs beat the Oklahoma Sooners, the third ranked team in the entire United States of America, 27-24.

Just this morning, I told my friends that the Buffs would be embarrassed. The Sooners were prohibitive favorites. I said they should be extra-prohibitive favorites.

I said a smart bettor should take the Sooners and lay three touchdowns.

I was wrong. So was America. No one, unless they graduated from CU, were employed by CU, or had a son playing football for CU, thought they could cover. Not only did they cover, they won. Outright. Over the third ranked team in the country.

This is the beginning of the Dan Hawkins era. Hawkins made the Boise State Broncos a team that could compete with the national elite.

Now, the Colorado Buffaloes can do the same. This is the biggest win in Boulder since Bill McCartney’s daughter was getting to know the team. (Okay, that’s a gratuitous cheap shot. I apologize.)

The Buffs may not even finish over .500 this year. It will not matter. They beat the Sooners.

Dan Hawkins can bring that score with him to every recruit he visits. They will listen. He can coach. He will get the Buffs ranked again. Next year, perhaps. The year after that for sure.

If you saw the game, you saw the beginning of an era.