Best part about this series with Colorado? Well, two. First, the trip to the underrated Boulder campus. Second and foremost, two occasions to work with the CU coach — who, by the way, coaches Division I football … in the Big 12.

He has many things you’d want in a coach. Offensive ingenuity. Drive. Energy. Rapport with kids. Unique hobbies. Positive thinking (awesome profile). Not a lot of wins, no, but overall a solid set of characteristics.

Oh, and Dan Hawkins, head coach of the 1-2 Buffs, also has kids. I do not and that might be an issue. 

“The only speculation was from you guys,” he told reporters. “There was no speculation from my boss, there was no speculation from our big hitters (donors). That speculation came from you guys.”

OK. Was the week following a 58-34 loss at Toledo disconcerting?

“Not at all. I love these guys. I’ve said this many times before.

“Unfortunately in this (media) business, there’s not a lot of you that have children. I don’t know why that is. But when you have kids, you love them up. You give them unconditional love. And you hang in there.

“And sometimes they flunk science, and sometimes they strike out and sometimes they drop fly balls and sometimes they miss last-second shots. But when you’re a true parent, you’re a true teacher, and you hang in there and you keep believing them and keep working on things, and eventually it turns.”