Colorado went 3-10 in its first Pac-12 season, but the Buffaloes won two of their final three games – a 48-29 win over Arizona in Boulder and a stunning 17-14 win over bowl-bound Utah in the season finale in Sal Lake City – raising hopes of a turnaround.

The problem is, Colorado had 28 seniors last season, the most since 1987, and 22 of them were two-deep regulars. With only eight seniors on this season’s roster, Colorado is still looking toward the future. Many of the key contributors for years to come will compete for starting jobs when training camp opens Aug. 5.

Here are five questions the Buffaloes hope to answer before they take the field Sept. 1 against Colorado State.

1. Who’s the quarterback?
Tyler Hansen graduated, leaving a giant void. Sophomore Connor Wood took most of the snaps this spring, but that was only because Nick Hirschman had a broken bone in his foot. Hirschman has a little more experience but was less than impressive last season, completing 18 of 35 attempts for 192 yards. Intriguing Kansas transfer Jordan Webb just joined the club, making this a wide open race.

2. Can the freshmen contribute?
It’s a lot to ask in a major conference, but CU’s staff expects as much as 75 percent of the incoming class to play as the staff transitions to its own players and own style in Jon Embree’s second year as coach. Defensive tackles Josh Tupou, Justin Solis and cornerback Kenneth Crawley could help fill particular areas of concern for the Buffs.

3. Can Nick Kasa made the leap to TE?
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wants to roll out two-tight end sets a lot this season but that desire is dependent on Kasa making the transition from defensive line. His size (6-6, 260) would be a huge advantage for the Buffs, but he’s only played three games at the position after playing the first eight of the 2011 season on defense. It’s an ironic twist since Kasa chose Colorado over Florida because the Gators wanted him to play offensive tackle. Now he says he loves tight end. Go figure.

4. How fast can Paul Richardson heal?
The Buffs originally believed the speedy receiver would be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL suffered in the final week of practice, but coach Jon Embree indicated he might be able to return this season. That still seems like a stretch given the 6-7 month typical recovery time for such an injury, but players have come back from the surgery after five months and Colorado needs reasons for hope. Richardson caught 39 balls for 555 yards last season as a sophomore.

5. Will the defense be improved?                                
Colorado allowed a Pac-12 high 475 points last season. Some of those were due to offensive or special teams miscues, but the Buffs still ranked 10th in the conference in yards allowed and last in scoring defense. With big questions marks at one defensive tackle spot and cornerback, CU needs a big showing from defensive tackle Will Pericak, defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe and a solid group of linebackers.

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