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BOULDER, Colo. -- It is tempting to paint a portrait of No. 10 Colorado as everything we love about sports. A team that no one has taken seriously for a decade has clinched a tie for the Pac-12 South title and can nail down a place in the league championship game by defeating No. 12 Utah next week. The Buffaloes won their fifth consecutive game, dominating No. 22 Washington State in the second half on their way to a 38-24 victory.They are a team without stars, yet they are 9-2 (7-1 Pac-12). NFL scouts come to Buffalo practices and check to make sure they are on the right campus. This is the team that leads the Pac-12 South? Really?Colorado is a testament to hard work and belief and love amongst teammates and all those qualities that makes us escape to college football. But the Buffaloes demonstrated at Folsom Field on Saturday that they check all the fairy tale boxes and they are a seasoned, efficient team.In an era when stars leave for the NFL after three seasons, and graduates with eligibility shop for better opportunities, coach Mike MacIntyre has built a program of veterans who have stuck together through a lot of thin, hoping someday for some thick.The thick arrived Saturday at Folsom Field, with Colorados first victory over a ranked team in seven years. The Buffaloes?did it before 48,658 fans roaring as they did a quarter-century ago, when Colorado perennially stood prominently in the national picture.Its a lot different than our freshman year, said senior quarterback Sefo Liufau, the spiritual and offensive leader of this team, in order of importance.There hasnt been a lot to root for lately. Senior corner Chidobe Awuzie, whose seven tackles led the Buffs against the Cougars, meant it as praise for the fans when he recalled how great it was his sophomore year, when they stayed for the whole game when they lost in double overtime.The only time any Colorado fans left their seats Saturday was to run onto the field after the game. They had a lot to celebrate.Colorado gained 603 yards of total offense. Liufau threw for 345 yards and rushed 23 times for 108 yards and three touchdowns, despite playing with a painful left hip pointer that he suffered last week at Arizona. The injury forced him off the field this game for three plays in the fourth quarter.Tailback Phillip Lindsay, who runs as if a DNA test would reveal a strain of Tasmanian Devil, rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 31 carries. He scored the final, game-clinching touchdown with 4:18 to play from 11 yards out. Lindsay, listed at 5-foot-8 and 190, collided with Cougars safety Charleston White, who has Lindsay by 4 inches and 13 pounds. Lindsay, legs churning, moved White out of the way and pistoned into the end zone.The Buffs won the turnover battle, two to one, and they won third downs. Washington State, which came into the game converting more than half its third downs (50.7 percent), moved the chains on only 4 of 15 attempts.The momentum of the game turned early in the fourth quarter, with Colorado leading 28-24. Washington State faced a fourth-and-4 at the Colorado 18, and coach Mike Leach left his inconsistent kicker, Erik Powell, on the sideline. Earlier in the game, Leach tried to convert a fourth-and-7 from the Colorado 26 and failed.This time, quarterback Luke Falk had time to throw but liked nothing downfield. He dumped the ball off to Kyle Sweet, near the line of scrimmage. Safety Nick Fisher never left Sweet get near the first-down marker, taking him down well behind the 15-yard-line.One of them, I probably shouldve kicked a field goal, Leach said, but in the end it really wouldnt have mattered.Heres what makes Fishers play so special: he is a sophomore second-teamer, forced into action because starter Afolabi Laguda was ejected on a targeting foul in the first quarter and Lagudas replacement,?Ryan Moeller, suffered a concussion shortly after. Fisher finished with six tackles -- four on third down and one on fourth -- and a pass breakup against one of the most prolific passing offenses in the nation.I play special teams, Fisher said. Coach always talks about starring in your role. Tonight, my team needed me to step up. I tried to do that for them. I love my teammates. I want to win. Im playing for 9-2. Im playing for Sefo, this guy right here. Theres just so much love in that locker room. You dont want to let anyone down.Fisher stepped up, as did a walk-on defensive back named Lucas Cooper, who stepped in on special teams for Mueller, and on and on. This team may not have a lot of stars, but on Saturday they starred in their roles.Theres something else MacIntyre has been saying lately: We do not blink. And that means you keep looking and you keep fighting and you keep swinging. You dont worry about anything else.He first brought up the Buffs refusal to blink four weeks ago after an ugly 10-5 win at Stanford. The Buffs almost skipped off the field that day, bathing in the delight of being bowl-eligible for the first time since 2007.You may not recall that Independence Bowl, in which the 6-6 Buffs lost to 6-6 Alabama. Talk about going in different directions: in the next eight seasons, Alabama won four national championships and 101 games; Colorado won 27.No one is saying that Colorado is ready to play No. 1 Alabama again. But becoming bowl-eligible seems like such an afterthought. The Buffs are on the doorstep of playing the winner of the Apple Cup for the Pac-12 championship. If you are looking for a team that will remind you why you love sports, you may end up cheering for Ralphie the Buffalo to run.These days, Colorado is more than a cool mascot. Wholesale Custom Kings Shirts . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Authentic Custom Kings Jersey . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. http://www.customnhlkingsjersey.com/ . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Kings Jerseys China . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Custom Rob Blake Jersey . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. College football national championships arent won in the first half of the season.Ask Baylor, Utah?and TCU, all of which were ranked in the top four after seven weeks of the 2015 season. Of course, none of them made the College Football Playoff, and eventual national champion Alabama was ranked No. 8 after seven games, before climbing to the top at seasons end.But the midpoint of the season at least gives us a chance to look back at what transpired during the first half. And there were plenty of thrilling finishes, compelling storylines and memorable plays and performances.Heres your chance to vote for the best in college football from the first half of the 2016 season:Offensive player of the yearSchlabach says?...?Lamar Jackson, LouisvilleThe sophomore has accounted for 30 touchdowns, which is more than 98 FBS teams have scored at this point. Enough said.Defensive player of the yearSchlabach says?...?Jabrill Peppers, MichiganPeppers has played so many positions for the Wolverines so far this season its getting hard to keep track. On defense, he has 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2? sacks, six quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Plus, hes averaging nearly 20 yards per carry on offense and is as dynamic as any kick returner in the country.Coach of the yearSchlabach says?...?Mike MacIntyre, ColoradoAfter winning a total of two Pac-12 games in MacIntyres first three seasons, the Buffaloes are 5-2 overall, 3-1 in the league, and in the thick of the Pac-12 South race.Best first-year coachSchlabach says?...?Justin Fuente, Virginia TechSure, the Hokies 34-17 loss at Syracuse last week took some luster off the first half of Fuentes first season at Virginia Tech. But the Hokies are 4-2 and upset then-No. 17 North Carolina 34-3 on the road and remain very much in the thick of a crowded ACC Coastal title race. Not bad for a guy who had the unenviable task of replacing legendary coach Frank Beamer.Biggest surprise teamSchlabach says?...West VirginiaWho else had the Mountaineers unbeaten through five games? Theyve yet to face the meat of the Big 12 schedule, but their 48-17 rout of Texas Tech on the road last week was an eye-opener. Theyre in the mix for a Big 12 title, and play No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 9 Baylor at home.Most disappointing teamSchlabach says?... Notre DameThe Fighting Irish are 2-5, their worst start since beginning 1-6 during a 3-9 campaign in 2007, and they just lost to Stanford, which didnt have star tailback Christian McCaffrey. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was fired after four games, and quarterback DeShone Kizer now looks lost.Coach on the hot seatSchlabach says?... Charlie Strong, TexasBarring a complete turnaround down the stretch, the Longhorns will probably be looking for a new coach after the season. Strong has a 14-17 record in two-plus seasons in Austin, and he demoted defensive coordinator Vance Bedford earlier this month. It was the second time in as many years that he changed coordinators during the season.Coach on the riseSchlabach says?... Tom Herman, HoustonHerman is the hottest name in the coaching carousel right now, and he might have his pick among LSU, Texas (if it opens) and other openings at seasons end. The Big 12s decision to table expansion for now only increases the odds oof him leaving Houston.ddddddddddddComeback playerSchlabach says?... James Conner, PittsburghConner battled Hodgkins lymphoma during the offseason, while he worked his way back from the torn ACL that sidelined him for the 2015 season. He was declared cancer-free on May 23 and leads the Panthers with 531 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.Top freshman (offense)Schlabach says?... Jalen Hurts, AlabamaHurts, the first freshman to start at quarterback for Nick Saban, has led the No. 1 Crimson Tide to a 7-0 record. He has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,385 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 428 yards with eight scores.Top freshman (defense)Schlabach says?... Dexter Lawrence, ClemsonLawrence, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound defensive tackle, has helped defending ACC champion Clemson replace its top two pass-rushers from last season. He has 44 tackles, 4? tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 17 quarterback pressures in seven games.Heisman front-runnerSchlabach says?... Lamar JacksonJackson was a one-man highlight show in the first half of the season. He has already rushed for 15 touchdowns and thrown for 15 scores, and hes on pace to become only the fourth player in FBS history to finish a season with 20 touchdowns rushing and passing. Hes completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,806 yards and leads the No. 7 Cardinals with 832 rushing yards.Best finishSchlabach says?...?Tennessee 34, Georgia 31After the Volunteers rallied from a 17-point deficit to take a 28-24 lead with less than three minutes to play, Georgias Jacob Eason fired a 47-yard touchdown to Riley Ridley to put the Bulldogs in front 31-28 with 10 seconds left. But then Joshua Dobbs threw a 43-yard touchdown to Jauan Jennings on a Hail Mary pass on the final play, giving the Volunteers an improbable 34-31 victory on Oct. 1.Biggest upsetSchlabach says?...?Navy 46, Houston 40The Midshipmens stunning upset of the then-No. 6 Cougars on Oct. 8 might have cost Houston an AAC title and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff. It was Navys first win over a top-10 opponent since upsetting then-No. 2 South Carolina in 1984, and ended its 0-18 drought against AP top-10 foes.Best playsSchlabach says?...?Lamar Jacksons touchdown run against Florida StateJackson had more than a few Heisman-esque moments in the first half of the season (like his leap over Syracuse cornerback Cordell Hudson), but his 47-yard touchdown run in a 63-20 rout of then-No. 2 Florida State was most memorable. It featured a nasty cut and electrifying spin move into the end zone. It even prompted Michael Vick to proclaim on Twitter that Jackson was five times better than he was at Virginia Tech.Worst playsSchlabach says?...?South Carolina State kick returner forgets to take a kneeDuring a season in which weve seen far too many players drop the ball before the goal line, South Carolina States Ahmaad Harris might have taken the prize in the Bulldogs 59-0 loss at Clemson. After a Tigers touchdown, Harris fielded the kickoff and flipped the ball to an official -- before taking a knee. Clemson recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. ' ' '