Gary Barnett says it's all about having options. And nobody has as many options in the ground game as Colorado. So how does the Buffs coach decide who gets to tote the rock and when?

"Eeney, meeney, miney, mo, it's time for you to go," Barnett says jokingly.

Even if Barnett did go that route, he probably wouldn't go wrong. Not when he's choosing from powerful Chris Brown (946 yards, 16 TDs, including a 198-yard, 6 TD performance against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game), shifty Bobby Purify (916 yards and a team-best 5.8 yards per carry) and the dynamic Marcus Houston (finally 100 percent after groin and hip flexor injuries derailed his first two years at CU). It's the equivalent of having an Escalade, a BMW and Mercedes-Benz CL 600.

	Chris Brown, Colorado's leading rusher last year, leads a talented trio of backs in Boulder.

"All three of those guys are great players," says Barnett. "I don't know that each week we're not going to have a different strategy. If a guy gets hot, he's going to get more time for himself."

Having an embarrassment of riches never sounds like a problem, but some coaches say that you're better off picking one guy and letting him get into a groove. Not disrupting his rhythm. Last year, Penn State had four capable backs and none of them ever got untracked. Barnett, however, doesn't buy that it's a problem.

"In the fourth quarter, we're going to have a fresh back," he says. "And I think that's a tremendous advantage for us. We're going to ride those three horses."

Last season, CU rode it potent running attack to the Fiesta Bowl after having gone 3-8 in 2000.

"We all know that all three of us are going to play. We all go out there and push each other everyday. That makes us a better unit, because we always have to stay on top of our game," Brown says. "It keeps us going day in and day out. We all get the job done, too...all with different styles. I am very excited. I know what we are capable of doing this season and we just hope we can better our performance from last year."

Of the three, the most intriguing is Houston, the all-everything prep who gained national attention for his Just Say Know program benefiting kids. He had a stunning debut in Boulder, slashing his way to three 100-yard efforts in his first three games, before the injuries came. Last season, he got into RB coach Eric Bieniemy's doghouse. Some around the program questions Houston's toughness, but this spring he made a big move silencing any doubters. He shored up his understanding of the offense and improved as a blocker, especially in passing situations.

Says Bieniemy, "he made himself into a complete player this spring."

Now the question is will he get enough carries to show that he is the superstar many experts projected he'd be.

Bruce Feldman covers college football for ESPN The Magazine. He can be reached at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.