By Marc Lawrence, PlaybookSports — Colorado’s stunning 45-42 win against No. 16 TCU is one of the most eye-opening results from a season opener in recent Football Bowl Subdivision history, per Paul Meyerberg of USA Today.
Hyped and criticized in nearly equal measure amid a transformative offseason makeover, Deion Sanders delivered a victory that justified his decision to bring in more than 60 new scholarship players and immediately overhaul what had been one of the worst rosters in the Power Five.
Should this continue, beginning with next week’s matchup with historic rival Nebraska, the Buffaloes’ unique blueprint may become the new standard for first-year coaches looking to quickly turn lemons into lemonade.
On the other hand, the narrow loss for TCU sucks some of the life out of last year’s Cinderella run from the bottom half of the Big 12 preseason rankings to the national championship game against Georgia.
A three-touchdown favorite, the Horned Frogs were stymied by mistakes, turnovers, and an inability to capitalize on opportunities in the red zone.
Meanwhile, Washington’s senior QB Michael Penix launched his Heisman campaign with a bang: Penix had 450 yards and five touchdowns, four coming in the second quarter, as the Huskies overcame a sluggish start to romp past Boise State 56-19
