Colorado is finally bowl eligible again after an ugly win against Stanford

Welcome back to the postseason, Colorado.

After an epic battle of futility between Colorado and Stanford, the Buffaloes were able to come out victorious in Palo Alto, 10-5. The last time the Buffaloes defeated the Cardinal was in 1990 when Colorado won the national championship.

The win moves Colorado to 6-2 and makes it bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. That year, the Buffs were 6-6, but lost to Alabama 30-24 in the Independence Bowl.

Alabama and Colorado have gone in two very different directions since then, but the Buffs are slowly making their way back to college football relevance.

And it’s not always pretty.

Colorado missed three field goals Saturday and wasn’t able to build on the 7-3 lead it got after a Shay Fields’ 15-yard touchdown grab early in the second quarter. But after some strong defensive stands, the Buffaloes essentially secured the win with a late field goal and an interception of Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns with about two minutes remaining.

But, true to the ugliness of the game, even the final minutes got a little hairy.

After taking three knees and a Stanford timeout, Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre decided to take a safety to run out more clock. However, he got more than he bargained for when quarterback Sefo Liufau ran out of the end zone and tight end Sean Irwin was called for holding in the end zone – the ole double safety.

While Stanford was only awarded two points on the play, this was par for the course in this game.

When asked postgame how they won the game, MacIntyre was honest in his answer — he had no idea.

Stanford’s offense continued to struggle Saturday. It amassed just 263 yards, Burns threw three picks and Stanford fumbled the ball once. Running back Christian McCaffrey, who missed the past two games with injury, had 21 carries for 92 yards in his return, but it wasn’t enough to jumpstart the Cardinal.

Colorado now sits tied atop the Pac-12 South with Utah, which squeaked by UCLA on Saturday. However, with four conference games remaining, it’s a little early to anoint either team the Pac-12 South winner, though they both seem to have the inside track.

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