The Colorado Buffaloes can either keep their bowl hopes alive or become eliminated on Nov. 13. Colorado and coach Deion Sanders enter Folsom Field with a 3-6 mark before facing No. 14 Houston.

So Colorado looks like it's in "back against the wall" mode. Cougars coach Willie Fritz, however, doesn't see a vulnerable Buffaloes team.

What Coach Willie Fritz Said About Colorado

Fritz praised the play of the Buffaloes despite what the record indicates heading into this Friday the 13th showdown in Boulder.

"They’re very talented. They’ve been in every game they’ve played this year," Fritz said.

He clearly sees the one that took Baylor to the wire. Plus, the Colorado team that hung with reigning Big 12 Conference champion Texas Tech before turnovers unraveled for CU. But Fritz also brought up a certain game that highlights what he's really seen from the Buffaloes.

"They probably gave Utah — the No. 2 team in the country — the best game out of anybody this season," Fritz said.

That's also the same Utah team that's 9-0 and the only unbeaten team left among Big 12 teams. Yet Fritz clearly saw how Colorado came close to beating the Utes in their 27-24 loss. And that margin was a lot tighter compared to Utah's last victory: 28-20 over nationally ranked BYU in the Holy War.

"Very talented team," Fritz said about Colorado. "They've given everybody one heck of a game."

One Colorado Assistant Torched a Willie Fritz-led Team Before

Fritz and his Cougars claimed last year's meeting 36-20 out in "H-Town." So Fritz owns a 1-0 overall record against Sanders.

However, he had a not-so-great experience facing one member of the Colorado coaching staff. Buffaloes offensive coordinator Brennan Marion handed Fritz and his defense lots of fits during his own last meeting with the Cougars.

"Their offensive coordinator was the offensive coordinator for my first game here at University of Houston when he was at UNLV," Fritz said. "And did a really good job against us then, and did a good job that whole season."

So Marion owns the edge there, helping lead UNLV to the 27-7 victory over UH in Fritz's Cougars' debut. Marion unleashed the ground attack, part of his "Go-Go" offense that evening, and tallied 195 yards, with running back Michael Allen hitting 65 yards and former quarterback Matthew Sluka racking up 59. That victory eventually led to UNLV's first-ever appearance in the Mountain West Conference title game.

Colorado Still Has Its Own Offense to Fix

The Buffaloes, though, haven't seen the past success of the "Go-Go" carry over to Boulder. Colorado has delivered lots of letdown moments on offense.

Turnovers have played a big part in Colorado's issues, regardless of whether it's quarterback Isaac Wilson or the running game having ball security issues. The air attack has seen notable drops too in crucial down situations.

The offense can be a dangerous brand when the execution is there. Fritz and his staff clearly have seen that side of Colorado. But again, execution lapses have occurred in all six of the Buffaloes' losses. Still, Fritz is looking past the 3-6 record here.