Three weeks into the season the Colorado Buffaloes, as has been their recent custom, had fallen flat on their faces.

Few teams stumble out of the gate as consistently as the Buffaloes, who seemingly make it a habit of losing an early non-conference game to a team they're expected to beat.

Few teams have shown the Buffaloes' resiliency, either.

This year they've not only had the requisite early season loss but also had to deal with an impending NCAA probation and the messy situation surrounding the loss of their starting quarterback.

No More Streakin' At Tulsa

Keith Burns stood in the locker room at Skelly Stadium last Saturday giving a halftime speech that was more Miss Cleo than Rockne. It wasn't so much that he was talking to a team that had lost 17 straight, prophesizing that the end of the nation's longest losing streak was at hand, it was what he was coaching them to do after they won. "When this game is over I don't want any of you to tear down the goalposts," Burns told them, "but I do want to help lift the students up on them." And he walked out. The Tulsa Hurricane heeded his advice. They turned a 10-0 lead into a 20-0 win over UTEP and then gave the requested boost to the student body. And their own psyches. When the Golden Hurricane lost at Hawaii a week earlier, Burns told his team to remember the team they had just played. The redshirt juniors and fifth-year seniors, the heart of the Hawaii team, he told them, were there when the Warriors lost a WAC-record 19 games from 1997 to '99. They were also there when the Warriors won a share of the WAC title in '99, nine games after ending their streak. Burns doesn't delude himself that the Hurricane can make that jump this year, but he wants to believe that with games against Rice, San Jose State and SMU among the Hurricane's last four, they have a chance to make a modest move. "With the exception of Fresno State,'' Burns said. "Every team left on our schedule is like us." Burns likes what he sees in his team. He's got a young quarterback in Tyler Gooch, a young safety in Jeff Thibodeaux and a two-deep dotted with freshmen and sophomores. His two best players, center Anthony Taylor and defensive tackle Sam Rayburn, are seniors, but every 20 other starters will be back. This has been the year for long losing streaks to fall. First Duke's 23-game string and Houston's 15-game streak fell on opening day. Then Wyoming (12), Ohio (10), Navy (10), Northwestern (8) and Connecticut (8) all won. Finally, it was Tulsa's turn. That leaves Army, which lost 29-26 to Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday, stuck with the nation's longest losing streak. It's at eight and counting. "That's something you don't wish on your worst enemy," Burns said. "I hope they get rid of it this week. I'm praying for it." -- Mark Wangrin

They head into this week's game against BCS leader Oklahoma, though, in a comfortable place. They control their own Big 12 destiny and, at 4-0 and with a de facto two-game lead over Kansas State, who they beat 35-31 on Oct. 5, own some wiggle room.

"It's not as dramatic as everyone thinks,'' said CU Coach Gary Barnett of the turnaround. "We had the same questions going into the spring, but we had injuries and weren't able to answer them. In the fall we didn't have the same offensive line from practice to practice. It just had to be the right time."

Barnett has been the master of the pick-em-up-and-dust-em-off. At Northwestern, his team lost to Miami of Ohio in 1995 and came back to win the Big Ten title. The next year they lost to Wake Forest and came back to share the title.

Last year the Buffaloes lost their opener to Fresno State, which turned out to be better than advertised. Then CU got hot down the stretch, won the Big 12 in a rematch over the Texas team that had beaten them by 34 points at midseason and came within a BCS computer chip of a shot at the national title.

This season the Buffaloes, picked No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll, lost to Colorado State and Southern California. Then they lost quarterback Craig Ochs, who left the team because of the combination of a concussion and hurt feelings, and they looked to be incapable of defending their North Division title.

The one positive constant through all the Buffaloes' woes was halfback Chris Brown, a 6-foot-3, 218 pound junior from Naperville, Ill. A year ago Brown, running behind a line that included first-team All-Big 12 picks Andre Gurode, Victor Roger and Daniel Graham, burst on the scene late with big games over Nebraska and Texas.

After early struggles, Brown has rediscovered his groove with 831 yards and 11 touchdowns in CU's last four games. Without a web site or slick postcards or bobble-head dolls to plead his case to Heisman voters, Brown has emerged as a darkhorse candidate.

"He's a big strong back who's good at finding seams and has the power to run through tackles,'' said OU coach Bob Stoops, who doesn't sound too concerned by Brown's recent stats.

OU has in consecutive weeks ended or severely damaged the Heisman hopes of Texas quarterback Chris Simms and Iowa State quarterback Seneca Wallace.

"Our defense the last couple of years has played pretty well against everybody,'' he said. "Right now we're playing with a great deal of confidence."

The game will feature a long awaited matchup between the two best players at their position in the Big 12. To gain his yards, Brown will have to get around Lance Mitchell, who has quickly eased Sooners qualms about the loss of senior 2001 Butkus Award winner Rocky Calmus.

Mitchell wound up at Oklahoma by a circuitous route -- he had to drop an English class at San Francisco City College last year because he didn't have the $50 for the book, a move that ultimately didn't give him enough hours by SEC rules to be eligible at Florida.

On the field, he is more direct. His 81 tackles lead the Sooners and his 13 tackles for loss are only four short of the school record for a linebacker, co-held by Brian Bosworth, Torrance Marshall and Rocky Calmus.

OU, by virtue of its win over Texas, also has a practical two-game lead in the South Division, meaning that regardless of who wins this game the teams could likely meet again for the Big 12 title in Houston on Dec. 7.

Around the Big 12

Baylor
Baylor's musical quarterback carousel continues to spin. Josh Zachry, starting in place of the injured Aaron Karas, left the game with his fifth concussion in five years and likely won't play again this season. With Karas, who has a banged up shoulder, and Zachry sidelined the Bears have only two scholarship quarterbacks available, Greg Cicero and Guy Tomcheck. Freshman Shawn Bell and sophomore Davon Vinson are redshirting. ... Receiver Reggie Newhouse, who had 173 yards receiving against KSU, needs seven catches to break the school single-season record of 163 set by Gerald McNeil (1980-83). ... Free safety Maurice Lane is expected back this week after missing the KSU game for his grandmother's funeral.

Colorado
Colorado, already deep at halfback, is expected to regain the services of Marcus Houston, who missed seven games with a knee injury. He's listed as probable for the Oklahoma game. His brother, Lovell Houston, won't be back this year. He's decided to have his fifth shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the year. ... Linebacker Sean Tufts is listed as questionable (ankle) and safety J.J. Billingsley (ankle) is out. ... The Buffaloes have 61 tackles for loss this season, on pace to get 122, nine more than the school record set in 1992. CU had only 61 all of last season.

Iowa State
Iowa State looks like it could wind up in the Alamo Bowl if the Cyclones win two of their last four games. "Right now they're the team we're looking at,'' Alamo Bowl vice president Jack Rogers told the Des Moines Register. "We're very excited about Iowa State." The Cyclones, who've lost consecutive games to Oklahoma and Texas on the road, finish with Missouri, Kansas State, Colorado and Connecticut. ... Quarterback Seneca Wallace has been named one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented to the top senior quarterback. Wallace has also accepted invitations to three postseason all-star games: The East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 11 in San Francisco; the Senior Bowl on Jan. 18 in Mobile, Ala.; and, the Hula Bowl on Feb. 1 in Maui.

Kansas
Kansas may be without its best player, Bill Whittemore, for the rest of the season, though coach Mark Mangino said there is a chance he could be back. The Jayhawk quarterback sprained his left medial collateral ligament when he was sandwiched by Missouri defenders Russ Bell and Sean Doyle in Saturday's 36-12 loss to the Tigers. Former walk-on Jonas Weatherbie replaced Whittemore and completed only 1 of 6 passes. Mangino said former starter Zach Dyer, who moved to safety after being beaten out by Whittemore, would play quarterback only in an emergency. ... KU has the dubious honor of inciting two opponents -- Baylor and Missouri -- to tear down the goalposts after beating the Jayhawks. Missouri's goalpost attack was different -- it was initiated by the Tiger players. "We really don't like Kansas,'' said Mizzou senior cornerback R.J. Jones. "We wanted the fans to run out on the field, but I guess they needed some motivation."

Kansas State
Kansas State's erratic kicking game finally settled down against Baylor. Joe Rheem hit three field goals and all five PATs in the Wildcats' 44-10 win over Baylor. ... KSU's defense and special teams have been among the nation's best at scoring points but the Wildcats broke some new ground against the Bears. Randy Jordan's return of a blocked field goal was the first such score for the Wildcats since Willie Matan went 72 yards against Oklahoma in 1963. ... The injury intrigue continues at KSU. Free safety Jesse Tetuan, defensive tackle Dralinn Burks and wide receiver James Terry all missed the Baylor game with undisclosed injuries and their status for the Kansas game is uncertain. ... The Wildcats had eight sacks against Baylor, holding the Bears to minus-37 yards rushing, a KSU school record.

Missouri
Missouri looks to stick to its run game as quarterback Brad Smith recovers from a bruised thumb. Smith, whose 295.6 yards per game total offense average is first among freshmen, threw only seven passes in the second half against Kansas. With tailback Zach Abron out with a knee injury, T.J. Leon ran for 105 yards. Abron is listed as questionable for this week's game at Iowa State. ... Mizzou has gone three straight games without committing a turnover. ... Senior safety Gary Anthony, who started 33 games his first three season before being beaten out by redshirt freshman Jason Simpson, regained his job against Kansas and made 10 tackles.

Nebraska
Nebraska's much-maligned offensive line rebounded against Texas A&M in a big way. According to film study by the NU coaches, the Huskers had a school-record 110 pancake blocks, breaking the old record of 101 set against Baylor in 2000. Freshman left tackle Richie Incognito had 28, four short of the school mark set by Toniu Fonoti against Texas Tech in 2001. ... The Huskers are hoping to get rover Lannie Hopkins (concussion) and guard Wes Cody (calf bruise) back for this week's game against Texas. ... A memorial service was held in Kansas City last Saturday for former Cornhusker All-America center Jake Young, who was killed after the Oct. 12 nightclub bombing in Bali.

Oklahoma
Oklahoma halfback Quentin Griffin is on the verge of accomplishing a first in the Bob Stoops era. The junior is 178 yards away from becoming the Sooners' first 1,000-yard rusher since De'Mond Parker ran for 1,077 in 1998, John Blake's last year as head coach ... Former defensive lineman Davin Joseph has been working at first-team right guard, replacing Mike Skinner. ... Jimmy Wilkerson is one of 10 semifinalists for the first Ted Hendricks Award, awarded to the nation's top defensive end. ... OU is 10-1 under Stoops when they have more than one week to prepare for a game. The only loss was in the 1999 Independence Bowl.

Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State offensive lineman Kyle Eaton has been named one of six Division I-A National Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Eaton will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. ... Kicker Cole Farden has gotten touchbacks on 28 of 37 kickoffs. ... Mike Denard, back from a suspension, is back at starting fullback in place of the injured Mike Burrough. ... True freshman Vernon Grant got his first career start against Nebraska.

Texas
Texas heads to Nebraska this week in near reverse roles of the team's last meeting there. In 1998 the 7-1 Cornhuskers were ranked No. 7 and the 17½-point underdog Longhorns were unranked and just finding themselves after starting the season 3-2. UT won 20-16 to end NU's 47-game home winning streak. This year the 7-1 Longhorns are ranked No. 7 and the 4-point underdog Cornhuskers are unranked and just finding themselves after starting the season 3-2. But the Huskers still hold a 26-game home winning streak. ... Senior Ivan Williams, squeezed out of the halfback job last year by Cedric Benson, may do the same to starting fullback Matt Trissel. Williams has proven to be a solid blocker and a better receiver than Trissel, who is expected back this week from an ankle injury.

Texas A&M
Texas A&M has now blown back-to-back second-half double-digit leads at home and at 5-3 with upcoming games against Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas, could be hard-pressed to qualify for a bowl game, something the Aggies have failed to do only once since 1998 (not including 1994, when they were banned by NCAA sanctions). ... With OU and Mizzou set to visit Kyle Field, the Aggies are also likely to lose at least four home games, something they haven't done since 1983. A&M has already lost Virginia Tech, Texas Tech and Nebraska at Kyle Field. ... Two of the Aggies' top players, halfback Derek Farmer (shoulder) and defensive tackle Ty Warren (ankle), have been sidelined with injuries.

Texas Tech
Texas Tech's special teams were a disaster against Colorado. Not only have the Red Raiders' kickoff coverage teams allowed returns of 46, 64 and 89 yards in the last two games, but split end Anton Paige hurt his left knee trying to block a field goal. Paige is expected to undergo a MRI to determine the severity of the injury. ... Coach Mike Leach was incensed at the play of his offense and special teams, so much so that after the game he said, "We evaluate the personnel and when I go over the film, if I find anybody that quit on that film, I may consider cutting them on the spot." Leach also got off this line when asked what CU did to stop Tech's deep passing game: "Wait for us to stand there and wet our pants, apparently."

Around the WAC
Louisiana Tech found the perfect cure for its offensive woes and it came from a familiar source, the Nevada Wolf Pack. In the Bulldogs' last three games against Nevada the teams have combined for 278 points and 3,412 yards. Senior receiver Ahmad Harris, who hadn't had a catch in three games, had 113 yards and a score against Nevada, just in time to give struggling quarterback Luke McCown a target. ... During the summer Fresno State grudgingly allowed ESPN to move this week's game against Louisiana Tech to Dec. 5 but may feel differently now. The off week could allow right guard Victor Taifane and tight ends Alec Greco and Stephen Spach to tend to injuries that knocked them out of last week's loss to Hawaii ... Hawaii needs a win at San Jose State this week to become bowl eligible and qualify for an automatic berth in the inaugural ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 25. The Rainbows finally got a break on the injury front, making it through a game without losing a frontline player for the first time this season. ... UTEP coach Gary Nord opted to take the redshirt off freshman Phillip Moss and may start him against Boise State Saturday in place of Omar Duarte. Nord had also considered pulling the redshirt off of freshman Jordan Palmer, who is coming off a broken collarbone. Palmer is the younger brother of USC standout Carson Palmer. ... Rice's up and down season has been mirrored by an injury plagued offensive line, which has had five different starting lineups in eight games. ... Despite SMU's offensive woes the Ponies can claim a record that even Eric Dickerson could accomplish. Halfback Keylon Kincade carried 34 times against Rice to break Dickerson's single-season attempts record of 255 set in 1981. Kincade has 272. With seven 100-yard games he also has a chance to tie Dickerson's record for triple-digit games if he goes for at least 100 against Nevada, UTEP and Tulsa in the Ponies' last three games. ... San Jose State must win three of its last four games to be eligible for the Silicon Valley Football Classic, the bowl game played at the Spartans' home field. SJSU will have to improve its red zone offense after failing to score on two first and goal situations against Boise. ... Nevada receiver Nate Burleson averages 10.6 catches a game and with 85 catches is ahead of pace to break the WAC mark of 109, set by Wyoming's Marcus Harris. That still doesn't put him near the school record of 134 set by Trevor Insley in 1999 or even in the top three. Nevada has produced three of the top six all-time single-season reception totals in I-A history and seven of the top 43. ... Boise State's offense, in the words of quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie, is "rusty." This is what "rusty" means in Idaho -- the Broncos failed to score at least 50 points for the first time in five games against San Jose State. This week the Broncos get the perfect tonic in UTEP, which ranks second to last among 117 I-A teams in scoring defense (43.8 points a game). ... Tulsa has 23 takeaways this season and leads the WAC with a plus-1.12 turnover margin, a statistic normally reserved for winning teams. The Golden Hurricane, 17th in the nation in turnover margin is the only team in the top 29 in that category to have a losing record.

Mark Wangrin covers college football for the San Antonio News-Express.