Team preview: Colorado State

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(All information as of July 1, 2006)

Only three years ago, Urban Meyer and Joe Glenn came to Utah and Wyoming, respectively, and announced at their introductory press conferences they were setting the bar at Colorado State's level.

There have been no such proclamations from the four new MWC coaches hired since then. While Colorado State, and moreover its 14-year year coaching legend Sonny Lubick, retain universal respect in the league, Utah and newcomer TCU have succeeded the Rams as the MWC teams to beat.

Consider:

•From 1999-2002, Colorado State posted a 4-3 record against teams from BCS conferences. CSU's last win over a BCS school came at California in 2003.

•CSU hasn't won more than seven games since the 10-4 2002 season when the Rams were a few minutes away from going undefeated in the MWC. Many point to that 2002 regular-season finale and the last minute loss to a woeful UNLV team as the moment the program jumped the shark.

•The Rams are 17-19 overall in three seasons. True, they rebounded from the 2004 4-7 disaster with a second-place tie with BYU and a Poinsettia Bowl appearance. However, they were not competitive in losses to BYU and league champ TCU.

Lubick would say the school's budget woes have caught up to the program. At $18.5 million, Colorado State ranks at the bottom of the MWC athletic departments in overall budget. A turnover in several key assistants hasn't helped. Some could simply suggest other schools have caught -- and in a few cases surpassed -- the Rams.

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