Division I-A Coach of the Year Runners-up.

GARY BARNETT COLORADO Back in late July, Colorado Coach Gary Barnett visited Dallas for the Big 12’s annual preseason media event when he decided to take some of his players on a trip to Texas Stadium, home of the 2001 Big 12 championship game. Then he told his players that the season would be a disappointment if they did not return to Texas Stadium at the end of the regular season. After last year’s team fell to 3-8, with a multitude of key injuries and four losses by a combined 12 points, Barnett’s detour seemed more like fantasy than reality. However, the Buffaloes not only returned to Dallas for the conference championship game, but they also won the Big 12 title by beating Texas 39-47 on Dec. 1. Along the way, the Buffaloes went 10-2 and overcame a season-opening loss to Fresno State and a late-season loss to Texas by beating Big 12 North Division rivals Nebraska and Kansas