BOULDER, Colo. -- Linebacker Kenneth Olugbode and several of his Colorado teammates spend quite a bit of time on their headsets, barking out commands and watching each others back.Theyre always in perfect step, too. And thats from separate rooms while jointly playing the video game Call of Duty.Their on-the-field chemistry is even more cohesive as the ninth-ranked Buffaloes (10-2, No. 9 CFP) boast an opportunistic defense thats forced 26 turnovers this season.We communicate well and thats why we play well, said Olugbode, whose team will face No. 4 Washington (11-1, No. 5 CFP) on Friday in the Pac-12 championship game.The proof is certainly in the numbers: The Buffs are allowing 323.8 yards of total offense this season. Thats nearly 100 yards fewer than a year ago. Even more, they allowed 27.5 points last season and just 18.8 in 2016. The players chalk it up to growing even more comfortable in Year 2 of defensive coordinator Jim Leavitts system.We werent getting that many turnovers before. But coach Leavitt has been stressing that since hes gotten here, said safety Tedric Thompson, who had two interceptions when the Buffaloes beat Utah last Saturday to clinch the Pac-12 South. Each and every game we try to go in there and create as many turnovers as we can.Colorado currently has a nation-best streak of forcing at least one turnover in 25 straight contests. The key has been relatively simple.Everyone has to do their 1/11th, defensive back Ryan Moeller explained. Once you start worrying and hoping someone else will be there, then you arent paying attention to your own job. We just had faith in everyone and knew where everyone was going to be. We just had to execute.One of the leaders of this defensive unit is do-everything standout Chidobe Awuzie, who was recently voted the teams co-most valuable player along with senior quarterback Sefo Liufau. Awuzie has played cornerback, safety and nickel back at times in his career, along with a little bit of outside linebacker.No matter where he lines up, hes a handful, which is why he figures to be a high pick in the NFL draft come April.Every game we approach the same way, (with a) 1-0 attitude like its the Super Bowl, Awuzie recently said.The creed has served the Buffaloes well so far.Now, they face a Washington team with an explosive offense directed by quarterback Jake Browning.We always respect our opponents, give each opponent the same respect every game, pass rusher Jimmie Gilbert said. We are going to work hard to stop Washington.Much like Awuzie, Olugbode always winds up in the middle of the action. He had a 10-yard fumble return for a score against Utah that gave Colorado some much-needed breathing room in the fourth quarter.These days, his arms are covered in little nicks where the helmets of tailbacks have caught him. The scar on his right shin is still there -- a reminder of a scary situation.Last season in a game against Oregon, he was hit in the calf while making a tackle. Olugbode played until the third quarter even though his leg began doubling in size due to swelling.A few hours later, he underwent emergency surgery for acute compartment syndrome, a painful condition where blood flow to a muscle is restricted and results in tissue trauma. He missed two games before returning.I didnt know the magnitude of what it was, until I was told I couldve lost the foot, said Olugbode, whos the teams leading tackler. It was just a minor setback for a major comeback.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Air Max Black Friday China . 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Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. A football bouncing from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos right foot into one upright and through them both could decide the AFC West race this season. The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders will still have plenty to say about that, but the wacky overtime ending in Denver -- Chiefs 30, Broncos 27 -- showed again just how fraught the prediction business can be.We soldier on, using input from coaches and evaluators to predict how all eight NFL divisions will finish, starting with those with the highest degrees of difficulty.AFC WestCurrently: Raiders 9-2, Chiefs 8-3, Broncos 7-4, Chargers 5-6Prediction: Chiefs 12-4, Raiders 12-4, Broncos 11-5, Chargers 7-9The Chiefs were my preseason choice to win the division at 11-5, but they needed that wild overtime victory att Denver on Sunday night to maintain the narrowest edge.dddddddddddd That assumes Kansas City wins upcoming home games against the Raiders (Week 13) and Broncos (Week 16). It also assumes the Broncos will win at Tennessee and home against the Patriots. So many of those games could go either way, just like that epic Chiefs-Broncos game Sunday night.I think its Denver until proven otherwise, a coach from another team said. A lot rides on [Trevor] Siemian and how much he can open up their offense. [Gary] Kubiak likes to run and play-action pass. Siemian had three touchdowns [against the Chiefs], and two were longer. That supports their case. ' ' '