The Colorado football program has been a Pac-12 punching bag since joining the conference in 2011, but it wasn't always that way.
I was the Oregon football beat writer in 1995, when the Ducks and Colorado were picked to play each other in the 1996 Cotton Bowl.
At that point, CU was considered a college powerhouse and the Ducks were plucky, little upstarts. I remember going to Boulder in December to do a few Colorado-centered stories, and being treated with amusement by CU support staffers.
The Buffaloes stomped Oregon 36-6 in the game. Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel called a fake punt late in the game to keep alive a drive that padded the CU margin of victory.