It is a crossroads season of sorts for the Colorado football program under coach Mike MacIntyre.
Much like last year, the Buffaloes will enter their 129th season of football with a number of question marks dotting a talented yet unproven lineup. And one gets the sense the fortunes of the 2018 campaign may go a long way toward determining the program's immediate future.
Go 7-5 or better with a rotation far less senior-heavy than the one that won the Pac-12 South Division just two years ago, and the MacIntyre-led Buffs can dismiss 2017 as a bad year, both on and off the field, that didn't fully squash the momentum gained by the unexpected run to the 2016 league title game.