Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
It's been an extremely rocky road for the Colorado football team in recent years.
Washington State is quite familiar with that same path, but the Cougars have managed to find smooth terrain this season.
While Stanford, Oregon and USC have been the elite, model programs in the Pac-12 over the years, Colorado would be pleased if it followed in Washington State's footsteps.
"Definitely, they've turned the corner," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "They've made some plays. They're close and they've made some of the plays (to win games).