CU football: No more excuses, Buffs

There are no more excuses for Colorado football.

The Buffaloes should be able to win in the Pac-12 Conference moving forward. That isn’t to suggest they’re going to be competing for a conference title this fall or even a division championship, but all the necessary pieces of the puzzle are being put in place to produce those results in the not too distant future.

The facilities upgrades currently being completed in and around Folsom Field are flat out amazing. For years the Buffs have been bringing up the rear when it comes to facilities and they’ve paid a heavy price for it on the recruiting trail, which has played a big part in a decade of losing.

No more.

With these new facilities, Colorado can now compete with any other program out there. Yes, anyone.

Sure, CU might not have all the amenities of a place like Alabama, Ohio State or Oregon where the newest and latest is simply a phone call away to Nike founder and Ducks’ sugar daddy Phil Knight. But it now has facilities many, many other programs around the nation would love to have.

The thing is, none of those other places have everything else CU does in terms of beauty on the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains and small college town feel within a 30-minute drive of all that a major metropolitan area like Denver offers.

I’ve been to every other city and every campus in the Pac-12 along with many others around the country and very few are even in the discussion when it comes to the quality of life, education, community and facilities CU offers.

But don’t take my word for it. Senior offensive lineman Stephane Nembot saw what many others had to offer when he was being recruited and he has seen up close what CU is in the process of completing. He’s a guy who still chose CU over others in the Pac-12 when new facilities were just a dream here.

“I’m proud to be a senior, but I’m also proud that when I’m leaving there is something to be built off of,” Nembot said. “When you get new facilities, what does that help? It helps recruiting.

“You cannot compete with anybody else in the Pac-12, like Oregon or USC, because the first thing they do when you get there, what do they show you? The facilities. ‘Oh, we have this. We have that.’ Now Colorado has all of that. Even better now. Our Champions Center is going to be like No. 1 in America. So you can’t compete with that. Now when you bring in recruits, you can blow their minds and show their parents that their children will be taken care of. That adds a lot as far as competing with others teams and bringing in more athletes from California, Florida and all over the country.”

It’s a marvel that 30 years ago former coach Bill McCartney was able to begin recruiting pieces to what became a national title team in 1990. McCartney was digging out of a dark period in the program’s history not unlike Mike MacIntyre is now. You have to understand at that time, CU’s locker room and weight room weren’t much more than you would find at an old municipal recreation center. He sold Boulder instead.

“I would go into a home and say, ‘You’re going to think you died and went to heaven,” McCartney told me recently.” I’m going to take you to a place that is going to really rally your heart.”

McCartney was special when it comes to the recruiting game. And now it’s time for MacIntyre and his assistants to begin reaching for the next level of talent and even the level of above that because there is no reason they can’t.

MacIntyre has everything McCartney had in terms of the place he is selling and he has 100 times better facilities to show off. Maybe 1,000 times the facilities.

The next chance you get, please visit the rooftop terrace on top of the champions center in Folsom Field and then show me a more picturesque place anywhere in the country to see a game. Now remember everything in the massive building below your feet is state of the art.

“We had the best players and we had good coaches, but the best coaches are good recruiters,” McCartney said. “You’ve got to recruit. If you can’t sell Boulder, you can’t sell, something is wrong with you. I mean, seriously.”

MacIntyre and his staff are already showing signs of life when it comes to landing bigger and better recruits. They recently received a commitment from a wide receiver in Florida who has offers from more than 25 others programs, including some who will start this season in the national rankings.

The excuses are disappearing. Possibilities are opening up. Get ready CU fans. Winning again is right around the corner.

Kyle Ringo: twitter.com/kyleringo