Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre: ‘We rose from the ashes’

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre said there hasn’t really been a big surprise in terms of his team’s outlook in 2016.

But what he’s most noticed, and what excites him, is how his players keep pushing themselves to be better, knowing how far they’ve come already.

“It’s really exciting to see when young men overcome things that nobody believes they can do, and some of them didn’t even believe they could do it, and now they’ve made believers of themselves,” MacIntyre told 104.3 The Fan’s “Schlereth and Evans” Wednesday.

“And to me, that’s really exciting.”

Certainly the Buffs have been a welcomed surprise to the college football landscape not only in Colorado but also across the country in 2016.

Three weeks into the College Football Playoff committee’s weekly polling, CU sits No. 10 in the rankings. The Buffs are also No. 12 in the AP and Coaches polls.

And if not for road losses to No. 3 Michigan and No. 13 Southern California, both games in which the Buffs held its own, they could be ranked even higher.

Not too bad for a team projected to finish last in the Pac-12 South division in the conference’s media poll (second-to-last overall, just ahead of Oregon State).

“We rose from the ashes. That’s the best way for me to explain it,” MacIntyre said. “And these young men saw it.”

The Buffs success comes after several down years at or near the bottom of the Pac-12. From 2011, the year CU joined the conference, until last season, the Buffaloes had just total five conference wins. Ahead of a date with No. 22 Washington State on Saturday, CU’s won six this year alone.

It’s also the first time since the start of the 2002 season CU’s been ranked in the top 10 in any major poll —No. 7 in the AP and No. 6 in the Coaches — after a 2001 season that saw the Buffs lose just one game.

And that turnaround job and return to prominence has MacIntyre’s name on the lips of those projecting who may the NCAA coach of the year.

But all that’s “just talk,” the coach said.

“It’s all about these players and our coaching staff. They’ve done a phenomenal job. And they deserve all the credit — every bit of it,” MacIntyre said. “What I tell our players all the time is if you star in your role, then everyone’s dreams can come true.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.