Team:
Colorado Buffaloes
Stadium: Folsom Field
Conference: Big 12
Sport: College Football
Background: The University of Colorado
at Boulder (CU or CU-Boulder) is the flagship university
of the University of Colorado system. With its unique
Tuscan sandstone architecture and its location nestled
under the Flatiron rock formations of Boulder, the campus
is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the
United States.
CU has produced a number of astronauts, Nobel Prize
laureates, and respected academics, but also has a reputation
as a party school. In 2003, the Princeton Review awarded
it as the top party school in the nation (USA), out
of 351 entrants. CU is home of the Alferd Packer Grill,
supposedly the only campus eatery in America named for
a convicted cannibal.
Athletics:
Sports teams at the school are called Buffaloes.
CU participates in the NCAA's Division I (I-A for football)
as a member of the Northern Division of the Big Twelve
Conference. The school mascot is Ralphie the Buffalo
and the school colors are Silver and Gold, but are usually
represented by Black and Gold.
In football, CU enjoys major rivalries with Colorado
State University and Nebraska. The annual CU-CSU football
game, dubbed the "Rocky Mountain Showdown,"
has been played in recent years in Denver at Mile High
Stadium (and subsequently INVESCO Field at Mile High).
Colorado and Nebraska traditionally finish their respective
seasons in a nationally televised confrontation on the
Friday following Thanksgiving.
In 2004, the football program was embroiled in a major
sex scandal. It was reported that players had hosted
parties for recruits featuring escorts and strippers.
Several women, including former walk-on placekicker
Katie Hnida, have alleged that they were raped by players.
Soon after Hnida made her rape accusations, head football
coach Gary Barnett was asked about her allegations in
a news conference; he chose not to directly address
Hnida's charges, but instead made disparaging remarks
about her playing skills. Within days of his remarks,
he was placed on administrative leave. An independent
committee reviewed the entire CU football program, placing
most of the blame for the scandal on the university
administration. After the report was issued, Barnett
was reinstated.