Leavitt did an excellent job this season with a maturing Colorado defense that returned nine starters, including eight seniors, who had grown up together as Buffaloes. Five of them are four-year lettermen heading into CU's bowl game, and only three were JC transfers. They also lost an outstanding linebacker to a knee injury in the Michigan game. They led the Pac-12 in third-down defense. They're legit.

However, had Helfrich picked Leavitt as his new DC last year after the Alamo Bowl, when CU's defense (105th) wasn't much better than Oregon's (115th), you'd have howled like, well, you. Now he's a genius hire. It's all about timing.

Colorado paid Leavitt more this year than Oregon has ever paid a defensive coordinator. Now he's going to be the highest-paid assistant in the Pac-12, close to what Michigan's DC, the Big Ten's highest-paid assistant, makes after Jim Harbaugh hired him instead of taking the über-talented Leavitt with him two years ago from his 49er staff.

Again, timing.