Columnist Steve Guiremand: Neuheisel & Co. face rocky return to Boulder

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Sept. 15, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

Steve Guiremand covers college football for the Sun. His Around Campus column appears Friday during the football season.

They've been waiting 22 months in Boulder, Colo., for this.

The Washington Huskies, coached by public enemy No. 1, Slick Rick Neuheisel, play the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on Saturday.

You might remember Neuheisel was the topic of a lot of four-letter words in Boulder two years ago when he suddenly departed CU after four years to accept a stunning million-dollar per year offer from Washington. He was ripped for announcing the decision during a key Saturday night recruiting dinner and leaving popular replacement Gary Barnett just days to try to salvage the 1999 recruiting class.

Worse yet, Barnett then publicly accused Neuheisel of trying to recruit Colorado players to Washington, an NCAA violation.

The coaches continued to jab at each other prior to last year's game in Seattle, which the Huskies won, 31-24.

Both sides are trying to low-key Saturday's rematch, no doubt to try and keep things from getting too ugly at Folsom Field.

"I don't anticipate a real lovefest," Neuheisel said. "If people are bitter that I left, that's part of college football. There's a lot of passion in college football. If that passion manifests itself in a dislike for me, I've got big enough shoulders to handle that."

Said Barnett: "At least in Boulder, I think a lot of that has worn off. I don't think you'll hear half as much as last year."

Right!

Hey, Gary. If you really believe that, would you be interested in buying some oceanfront property in Tonopah?

* PAC-WHO? Just when it looked like the much-maligned Pac-10 Conference could finally stick its chest out over some impressive nonconference wins over Alabama, Miami and Penn State, along comes this score: San Jose State 40, Stanford 27.

It wasn't a fluke, either. This is the third straight year the defending Pac-10 champion Cardinal has lost to its little Silicon Valley brothers to the south.

"They're the little rich kids up the street," San Jose State defensive tackle John Hammer said. "They won the Pac-10, but how good is the Pac-10? I think the WAC is better than the Pac-10."

Added star tailback Deonce Whitaker: "It's like Beverly Hills getting beat by Watts."

The Spartans (1-1), who host Southern Utah this week, let Stanford players have it on the way back to their locker rooms.

"Pac-10, schmack-10," they yelled. "Pac-Who?"

Once around the MWC

Once around the nation