Last Stand for Fairchild
Trying to fit in Sonny Lubick’s shoes would not be easy for any coach. Steve Fairchild was as good of a pick as anybody, but Lubick took Colorado State to the next level and the Rams expected to stay there. Unfortunately for Coach Fairchild, Lubick did not leave his best team behind when the program was taken over by Fairchild in 2008. Yet, Fairchild still had some early success, winning seven games and beating Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.
After that, things got bad. In 2009 the Rams won their first three games, against Colorado, Weber State and Nevada and lost their last nine. That group was the first team in Mountain West Conference history to lose eight games and it was the first time since 1981 that Colorado State went without a victory in conference play. Those are not exactly records to be proud of, but the good news is there are only eight teams in the Mountain West now, so CSU cannot repeat their 0-8 fate of 2009. The best they could do is 0-7.
The 2010 campaign started off poorly, but for a while it looked like Colorado State turned a corner and finally got something going. However, the Rams looked very bad in their last two games of the year and finishing off a season by losing to Wyoming 44-0 is not a good way to build momentum heading into the next season.
Despite that loss, there is momentum. This is probably Coach Fairchild’s most talented and deepest team and has given the Rams some hope. The schedule is also favorable with CSU picking up four conference home games and three road games. But it may not really matter whether or not they play TCU and Boise State at home or on the road (they travel to TCU and host Boise State). The pressure is on for the Rams to get something going with this team and there are certainly six wins on this schedule. If Colorado State goes another year without a bowl, the heat will be on Coach Fairchild and he will be the first victim of Coach Lubick’s success. The shadow is hard to avoid when you play on Sonny Lubick Field.
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