Colorado coach Gary Barnett says he doesn’t feel like a pariah when he walks around Boulder, Colo.

“I went for a haircut, and two kids asked for my autograph,” he said. “People have been really supportive. We’ve sold more student tickets than ever before.”

It doesn’t hurt that Barnett’s Buffaloes, picked to finish as low as fifth in the six-team Big 12 North, are off to a 2-0 start.

And it definitely doesn’t hurt that one of the victories came against rival Colorado State.

Trailing 27-24, Colorado State had first-and-goal on the CU 1-yard line with 34 seconds to play and no timeouts. After spiking the ball, the Rams got stuffed on a run. With five seconds left, they tried a sweep, but J.J. Billingsley made the game-ending tackle.

A record crowd of 54,954 flooded Folsom Field in celebration.

“It was an outpouring of emotion,” Barnett said. “An unleashing of support.”

Barnett became a polarizing figure after his players and recruits were linked to more than a half-dozen alleged sexual assaults.

The former Northwestern coach picked up more enemies after he disparaged the athletic abilities of Katie Hnida, a former Buffaloes kicker who alleged she had been raped by a teammate.

In May, Colorado President Betsy Hoffman reinstated Barnett after a three-month paid suspension. The coach promptly gathered his players, telling them “how special they were and how special a team I thought they could be.”

But it wouldn’t be easy. Six players transferred after the scandal, including No. 1 tailback Brian Calhoun, who will play for Wisconsin next season. Barnett also shook up his defensive coaching staff after a 5-7 season in which Colorado gave up 30 or more points eight times.

But Barnett has turned those low expectations into a strong start. His team can improve to 3-0 today if it beats winless North Texas.

Perhaps most surprising, the Buffaloes have won despite an offense that is producing just 248.5 yard per game, 100th out of the 117 teams.