The Colorado Buffaloes face an important game this week. Losing four straight after starting the season 2-0, the Buffs are in a tight spot. They must win four of the next six to salvage this season.

The Buffs are coming off their worst season under Deion Sanders. A widely held belief centered around bowl eligibility. Six wins is not a good season, but six wins would possibly stop the bleeding in many fans’ eyes.

The Northwestern and Baylor games were much worse than anticipated. The next two losses were No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 11 Utah in back-to-back weeks. However, the Texas Tech and Utah games are mentally perplexing at best. The Colorado defense held the Red Raiders to three points for a half and didn’t lose the game until the second half of the 4th quarter. Utah was surprisingly close, holding a team that averages 40 points per game to only 27.

Oklahoma State could test the Colorado defense

Sanders and his Buffaloes travel to Stillwater to take on the Cowboys in a game that is difficult to analyze. The surface level metrics would suggest a good offense versus a good defense. However, it’s what comes after that makes this a difficult matchup.

Colorado’s defense is good. It was better than expected, except the Northwestern game. In the case of Texas Tech and Utah, they kept two explosive offenses well below their expected output. According to Game on Paper, there are only three teams in the Power 4 conferences playing better defense than Colorado. As unbelievable as it seems, those teams are Texas, LSU and Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are currently the 5th best offense in the nation. Their 517 yards per game is 5th in the FBS. Their 37 points per game is good enough for 21st in the FBS. The PFF offensive efficiency grade is also good enough for 10th in the nation. If those ranks seem lofty, they won’t when we consider their four offensive players that all rank in the top 50.

Drew Mestemaker followed Eric Morris from North Texas to Stillwater. He is currently the 7th leading passer in the country. He also has the 9th best Heisman Trophy odds after seven weeks. Mestemaker is also joined by three offensive skill players in the top 50. OSU running back Caleb Hawkins ranks 24th among the nation's leading rushers.

Hawkins has a combined 792 yards (592 on the ground, 200 through the air). The daunting concern with him is his recent production when compared to the Oregon and West Virginia games. Over the last two days, he has only 151 yards combined. Between Oregon and West Virginia, he had almost 300 combined.

If Colorado can somehow slow down Mestemaker, there’s no guarantee the Cowboys won’t just lean on Hawkins. OSU wide receivers Wyatt Young and Justin Bowick both make the top 50 list of production. Young comes in at 21st, while Bowick makes the cut at 48th. The Pokes receiving pair have combined for 1,030 yards and 11 touchdowns. Or to put it more creatively, those two receivers combined are in the Jesse Legree or Jeremiah Smith range. The best receivers in college football.

Colorado needs answers on offense

If this game was simply a good offense and great defense vs a great offense and a good defense, this could be a great game. However, it will be the No. 5 offense and No. 45 defense (Oklahoma State) vs the No. 4 defense vs the No. 89 offense.

The only significant factor that is stopping Colorado from winning games is the offense. Colorado’s 19.5 points per game offensively is dead last in the Big 12. Three of Colorado’s four losses came from games where the defense held the opposing team to under 30. Ten points vs Baylor and anything more than a field goal vs Utah is the difference between being 2-4 with real concerns and being 4-2.

Both starting quarterbacks, Julian Lewis and Isaac Wilson, have combined for around 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns, but neither by themselves have unimpressive numbers. Wilson has more interceptions than touchdowns and fewer yards with a worse completion percentage. But Lewis doesn’t seem to be an option any time soon.

The Buffaloes began the season leaning on the run and it worked. Since week 1, the run has become less utilized. Even though Georgia Tech constantly ran it. Receivers Joseph Williams and DeAndre Moore have carried the team with over 800 yards combined. However, if they are not going to lean on the run, the receivers must be more productive than they have been.

If Colorado can beat Oklahoma State, with the offensive weapons the Cowboys have, there is some optimism that the season can end better than it has gone thus far. If they don’t beat Oklahoma State, bowl eligibility is one loss away from being mathematically eliminated.