For Coach Prime’s second Buffalo group, it’s really simple. Keep winning and pray one of Iowa State’s four opponents knocks off the 17th-ranked Hurricanes. A road game at Utah and a season finale home matchup against No. 22 Kansas State are still on ISU’s schedule. Buffs need ‘Cats or someone else to level up the Hurricanes.

Two sorrows opened the door to hope. Now the question is: Can supplements blow this wide open? There are four games left, three against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State, who sit at the bottom of the conference. Appearing in front of you in Lubbock? The Texas Tech Red Raiders suffered a shocking away defeat against previously undefeated Iowa State. Tech is now bowl eligible and hungry for more.

The Big 12 was heralded in the preseason as one of the most unpredictable of the Power Four conferences. It did not disappoint. BYU is undefeated but still has to play Arizona State and Utah, which are now 6-2. The Utes are underdogs this year after losing their talented quarterback Cam Rising, but they would love to play the spoiler role against Colorado and BYU.

In preseason polls, the Cougars were ranked 13th among the conference’s 16 teams, two spots behind the Buffs. Preseason forecasters have sniffed out the Big 12 Conference, which is expected to be in great position to play for the title on Dec. 7 at Jerry’s World in Dallas.

All this craziness harkens back to the wild and crazy season of 1990. Hall of Fame coach Bill McCartney’s Buffs squad started 1-1-1. That wasn’t the plan, as most respected national polls expected Colorado to challenge for the national title after the tragic but magical ’89 “One Heartbeat” season.

Why doesn’t Deion Sanders want Colorado to finish the season?

Colorado opened the 1990 campaign with a draw against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic. This was the “coming out” party for future NFL first-round pick Mike Pritchard. The second game was played at home against Stanford, and Eric Bieniemy’s last-second goal averted disaster. Game three was a disappointing loss at Illinois, with the Buffs taking an early 17-3 lead and losing 23-22.

I’ll never forget interviewing the downtrodden Buffs in a small, crowded locker room in Champaign, Illinois, after the crushing setback. Almost every player or coach interviewed solemnly declared: “We should forget about this ‘national championship’ talk and focus on winning the Big Eight.” It was like Coach Prime and his players going after Nebraska.

Longtime Buff fans know what happens next. Colorado won ten straight, including a fifth-place referee error at Missouri, and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl for the school’s only national championship. It was a split decision. The Buffs won the AP poll, and unbeaten Georgia Tech won the UPI Coaches poll (thanks to Tom Osborne).

Deion Sanders asks if Texas Tech tradition is illegal before showdown

There was no play-off system back then. Georgia Tech’s status as ACC champions didn’t stop the Yellowjackets from carrying their No. 2 seed into the Orange Bowl and advancing to a decisive championship game against the top-seeded Big 8 champion in Colorado. But the Orange Bowl committee wanted Notre Dame instead of Georgia Tech as the Buffaloes’ opponent because Notre Dame had a larger fan base and would generate more money and better TV ratings. Money talks then and now.

Let’s go back to the present. Watching Iowa State lose at home to Texas Tech and K-State lose on the road in Houston brought emotions to the 1990 team. He needed help, just like Prime’s team needed help right now.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Texas Tech is at the emotional peak of the recovery late in Ames. Third-year coach Joey McGuire’s team will be playing in front of die-hard fans, and he’d love nothing more than to dash CU’s dream of an “incredible season.”

There are also those who try to spoil the mood of the team. Coach Prime reportedly spoke passionately big time about academics This is the farewell week. Rhetoric like “Discipline creates champions on the field, in the classroom and everywhere.” Reminds your author of McCartney again. He always says, “I love them after a tough defeat, but I find them humble when they fly high.”

Buffs make their mark. Lady Luck also appeared. Buff fans hope the Red Raiders don’t become CU’s dream raiders.