There’s no doubt Colorado will be an underdog when it faces Texas A&M early next season. Karl Dorrell likely wouldn’t have it any other way.

The game is set to take place during Week 2 of the 2021 season, on Sept. 11, and was recently moved from Boulder to Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. This decision was made after the first game of the series, set for Kyle Field in 2020, was lost when both the Pac-12 and SEC went to conference-only schedules.

Most assumed Dorrell and Colorado were in for a rough season last fall considering Mel Tucker left the program after just one year in Boulder and very late in the coaching carousel — Tucker was hired away by Michigan State — but the Buffs went 4-2 and advanced to the Alamo Bowl by the end of the 2020 season.

The reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year was recently asked to share his thoughts on the upcoming matchup against Texas A&M.

“That’s one of those really impressive games where we hopefully play well at the beginning of the season,” Dorrell said according to the team website. “That might shed some light on us as a conference, that we’re a conference that’s ready to get some recognition across the country.”

The way Dorrell sees it, matching up against Jimbo Fisher’s program should prove to be the ultimate measuring stick for his program.

“That second game is a big measuring stick,” he said. “The last measuring stick we had was Texas (in the 2020 Alamo Bowl) and we fell way, way short there. There’s a lot that’s driving us this offseason. The last game, our bowl, that’s really driving our momentum right now as we move forward as a program.”