Colorado football updated 2020 schedule

Colin Bailey Posted on

The Pac-12 Conference released its updated schedule for the fall 2020 season on Oct. 3. Colorado football is now scheduled to start its season on Nov. 7 against the UCLA Bruins at Folsom Field.

All 12 conference teams will play a six-game regular season with the division winners playing a seventh conference championship game. The conference championship was previously scheduled to be played at the Raiders’ brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but the game will now take place in a home-hosted format this season.

The Buffs will play all five of their South Division opponents and will travel to face Stanford from the North. Colorado will travel to USC and Arizona with home games set for UCLA, Arizona State and Utah.

Thanks to the partnership with Quidel Corporation, the FDA-approved rapid tests will hopefully allow for no postponements or schedule changes. There are currently no bye weeks built into the schedule in case any games have to be postponed due to outbreaks.

“We’re excited that we finally have something in concrete to look forward to,” Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell said. “We’re all excited, coaches, players. We’re also looking forward to starting the season at home.”

For Dorrell, he will be making his debut for the Buffs against his former team. Dorrell served as head coach for the UCLA Bruins for five seasons from 2003 to 2007. Ironically, his first game as head coach for the Bruins was in Boulder against the Buffs, a game in which CU came out victorious 16-14.

Four games were eliminated from the first revised schedule. Oregon State and Washington State were supposed to visit Boulder, while the Buffs were scheduled to travel to Oregon and Washington. One of these opponents could return in the Pac-12 championship game if CU were to make it out of the South Division on top.

Colorado is entering its 10th season as a member of the Pac-12 conference and as always is the case with league games this far into the fall, kickoff times will not be known until the conference’s television partners make their weekly selections. These selections can come 6-12 days in advance of the games. Colorado athletic director Rick George has indicated he is open to the Buffs playing home games at 10 a.m. in order to be featured in the noon window in the Eastern Time Zone. This would allow for much more viewership and a national spotlight for CU football games.

The home opener against UCLA will be Colorado’s latest season opener in 102 years. Back in 1918, the season was delayed till Nov. 16 due to an influenza pandemic at the end of World War I. CU lost that game at home to Colorado State Teachers College, now known as Northern Colorado, 9-0. The last time Colorado faced a conference opponent in a season opener was in 1961 when the Buffs defeated Oklahoma State in Boulder 24-0.

On the other end of the schedule, the Dec. 18 or 19 end date will be the latest game to ever end the regular season. The latest home game in CU history was back in 1890 on Dec. 13. In a weird turn of events, in 1893 rival Colorado State University issued a challenge to CU and the two played on Feb. 11, to which CU’s 70-6 win over the Rams was actually tacked onto the 1892 schedule.

Colorado went 5-7 last year, with a 3-6 conference record for fifth place in the South Division, under former head coach Mel Tucker. On Feb. 11, Tucker agreed to a new deal to become the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, breaking his promise to CU and numerous potential recruits

Dorrell was hired on Feb. 23 and will be CU’s 27th full-time head coach in school history. His first Colorado football team returns 58 lettermen, including 15 starters.

2020 Colorado Football Schedule

Nov. 7 UCLA
Nov. 14 at Stanford
Nov. 21 Arizona State
Nov. 28 at USC
Dec. 5 at Arizona
Dec. 11 (Fri.) Utah
Dec. 18 Pac-12 Championship Game
(OR) Dec. 19 TBD

Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com