BOULDER — On a day when the college football national championship was set to be decided, the Colorado Buffaloes returned to work, six weeks after their last game.

The confluence of the two events did not go unnoticed.

"We've been off for six weeks, we're just getting back into workouts — and they're still playing," said junior offensive lineman Colby Pursell after Monday's workout. "That's tough. You sit at home during break and all those bowl games are being played and there are still teams playing right now. We want to be one of those teams. We want to keep playing, we want to go to bowl games and have longer seasons.

"But that has to start here. Today."

This will be the second spring conditioning session of the Mel Tucker era, who brought with him to Boulder a "Fourth Quarter" mentality when it comes to offseason training.

That mentality showed up last season, as the Buffs made some solid strides under strength coach Drew Wilson . For the first time in several years, the Buffs improved down the stretch, picking up two wins in November (Stanford and Washington), the first time CU won two games in the final month of the season since 2016.

But it wasn't enough to become bowl eligible, never mind enough to compete for a Pac-12 title.

Now, the Buffs have a much better understanding of what Tucker expects from them. They know this nine-week strength and conditioning session will be critical before they head into spring ball (set to begin March 16) and they know Tucker and his staff will only increase the intensity in Year Two.

It means Wilson's time with the Buffs is crucial.

"We have to raise expectations even more," Wilson said. "We see what Coach Tucker's plan is, we know what he expects and I think the players now are understanding that a lot better. They know that no matter where you are in the middle of the storm — or the middle of a season or middle of a game — you keep fighting. You don't look at the scoreboard. You keep fighting, and at the end of the game you find out where you are."

Wilson continues to tweak his strength and conditioning regimen to fit players' needs, but the overall philosophy doesn't change. Everything the Buffs do — from the time they arrive to begin workouts to the time they go to sleep at night — has a purpose.

"The big thing for these guys to understand — and this comes directly from Coach Tucker — is that nothing is casual," Wilson said. "From when we flex at the beginning of a workout through the way we sleep, it has to be done with the determination that everything we're doing is to help us become better football players for Colorado. It will help us in fall camp, help us during the season, help us in the fourth quarter, help us in overtime."

Motivation should not be in short supply. The Buffs have finished 5-7 in each of the last three seasons. They have not played in a bowl game since 2016, and not a single player on CU's roster played in that game.

Meanwhile, they are looking ahead to a spring session that will feature plenty of position battles on both sides of the ball.

But those battles are still months away. Directly ahead is what awaits every team in America at this time of the year — the chance to get bigger, stronger and faster. The teams that separate themselves, however, are the teams that treat strength and conditioning as an opportunity rather than a requirement.

"A lot of people are under the misconception that for great athletes, greatness just happens for them," Wilson said. "Truth is, a lot of great athletes hate training — but they love the rewards. They put in the time and effort, then reap the rewards of that investment. You have to continually refine your skills, and that's the hardest part. Athletes get distracted, especially in the offseason. They think they can show up, go through their workouts at half speed — but when they get half-speed results, they can't figure out why."

Wilson is there to make sure there are no half-speed workouts.

"It all goes back to Mel Tucker 's vision," Wilson said. "Obviously we didn't finish the season on the greatest note. It's not the season we wanted. We have new goals — but it begins with the attitude that you keep fighting, keep swinging, every day. Every player in here has to understand that he can right the ship — but it's up to him. No matter what, we will not quit. That's the mantra of this program and the better these guys understand that, the quicker the results will come."

SPRING SCHEDULE: The Buffs will have a nine-week strength and conditioning schedule, with the opening of spring ball currently set for March 16. They will practice three times that week, take one week off for spring break, then resume workouts March 30. The schedule calls for three practices a week throughout April, with the spring game set for April 25.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu