Boulder, Colo. ? Colorado’s last game was an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference championship, the kind of defeat that can gnaw at players and coaches for months.

Fortunately for the Buffaloes, they get one more chance.

After a bizarre year that started with a sex-and-recruiting scandal and featured more ups and downs than a queasy stomach on choppy seas, Colorado can end its season on a positive note by beating Texas-El Paso in the Dec. 29 Houston Bowl.

“It’s a great opportunity and for us, coming off the Big 12 championship game, a chance to go down and play again rather than have to live with that game,” Colorado coach Gary Barnett said. “I think we’re really looking forward to that.”

They should be.

Colorado (7-5) had a difficult offseason filled with lawsuits, sexual-assault claims, a recruiting investigation and Barnett’s three-month suspension.

The Buffaloes seemed to handle the turmoil well, opening the season with three straight victories, but followed that with four losses in five games. With the season seemingly slipping away, Colorado put together a three-game winning streak to take the Big 12 North by beating Nebraska in the season finale.

That put the Buffaloes in the Big 12 championship, though they might have been better off staying home. Oklahoma jumped to a 21-0 lead and held Colorado to three first downs, turning the title game into a 42-3 rout.

“No aspect of our team played very well that night against Oklahoma, so we all very eager to get back out there and re-establish the way we think we should be playing football and is expected around here,” quarterback Joel Klatt said. “We’re going down to win the ball game, this isn’t just icing on the cake.”

Of course, few figured the Buffaloes even would have a chance to get to this point with everything that happened in the offseason. That is, everyone except the players and coaches.

“Everybody’s gone through a lot and here it is the 17th of December and most of the smoke has cleared, and we’re still standing,” Barnett said. “This university, athletic department and administration has had a very successful year, and the football program. We’re all looking to get going and finish it off with one more game.”

UTEP (8-3) is looking for redemption of its own. The Miners were ranked No. 24 when they were beaten, 37-35, in their season finale by Tulsa, ending their bid to win eight games in a row for the first time in school history.

The payout for the Houston Bowl is $1.1 million.