Before Colorado-Northwestern, Gary Barnett reveals where his loyalties really lie

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Today's game between Colorado and Northwestern is the “Gary Barnett Bowl” for those who know the history.

But who does the former Wildcats and Buffaloes coach want to win?

USA TODAY Sports caught up with Barnett to ask him about that and more before the Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders try to improve to 3-0 in a game televised on Fox (7:30 p.m. ET).

Barnett has been inducted into the athletics Hall of Fame at Northwestern (2015) and Colorado (2019). But his blood runs thicker in Boulder.

“I’m ingrained in the University of Colorado,” Barnett said.

Barnett lives in Boulder part of the year, attends team practices and calls the games for Colorado’s radio broadcast team. In addition to his head coaching tenure at Colorado, he served as an assistant coach at Colorado under then-head coach Bill McCartney from 1984 to 1991. He won a national championship at Colorado after the 1990 season.

“We always want CU to win,” he said. “And when I’m not playing Northwestern, I always want Northwestern to win. In some ways, I’m proud of both organizations and both teams. I want to see them play really good football.”

Rain is forecast for Saturday. The Wildcats are 1-0 and haven’t played since Sept. 5. They are a 3.5-point favorite against the Buffs.

“As an announcer, you always want a good game,” he said. “You want a game that goes down to the wire and a game that’s played well.”

He stopped short of making a prediction.

∎ Read the full story from USA TODAY Sports' conversation with Barnett.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Before Colorado-Northwestern, Gary Barnett reveals where his loyalties really lie

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