Lest we forget, the University of Colorado football team is still the defending Big 12 North champion, despite any recent prognostications for or against the Buffs.
Remember when the Buffs eked through late last season on an Iowa State loss to win the division? They were on top of the world. Nobody was gonna break their stride, nobody was gonna hold them down … until the following week when Oklahoma trounced CU in the Big 12 conference championship game 42-3.
But this is a new season, and the Buffs have a North Division title to defend.
They begin conference action Saturday in Stillwater against unbeaten Oklahoma State, which blew out the Buffs last season in Boulder 42-14.
The Cowboys were maligned this week when they discovered the new Harris Poll left them without any votes – a major slight considering Idaho (0-4) received a vote totaling five points. The Buffs are coming off a not-entirely-embarrassing loss at Miami last week, after going 2-0 to begin the season.
The Buffs’ offense, which scored just three points against the Hurricanes, will again have its work cut out. Oklahoma State’s defense ranks third in the nation in points allowed, yielding 7.7 points a game. But CU has won 10 of the past 12 against the Cowboys.
The game is not being televised, so check out the audio action on KOA-850 AM.
WEAK IN REVIEW
1. Idaho – at a staunch 0-4, including a 24-0 loss at home to Hawaii – received a five-point vote in the inaugural Harris Poll this week. Three undefeated teams – Oklahoma State, Indiana and Kansas – were left off. Former Arizona coach John Mackovic said of the voters on the poll: “To tell the truth, I did not know a couple of them were still alive.” All of this gives credence to the theory that the poll is named for former Florida election commissioner and hanging chad phenom Kathleen Harris.
2. If ABC’s intent with its 60-second Jimmy Kimmel promotional halftime monologues during Monday night NFL games was to air the least humorous material possible, the network deserves major kudos. Even these weak Sports Weekend jokes deserve more laughs. Right?
THE COUCH
On: Baseball in October is awesome. Always. But this year, the excitement gets going early. With the AL East and wild-card races at full speed and the NL wild-card chase going to the wire, there is plenty of hardball to soak in. The New York-Boston matchup is one of the marquee events in baseball, and with the teams neck and neck in the AL East standings, they surely will be at each other’s throats in the rivalry. The final Yankees-Red Sox series of the regular season kicks off tonight at Fenway and airs at 5 p.m. on ESPN. On Saturday, Fox (KDVR-31) broadcasts the action at 11 a.m. With Cleveland in a virtual tie with New York and Boston for the wild-card lead, more than just the AL East pennant is at stake.
Off: More than 1 million people worldwide will take to the streets this season to run and walk in the annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. On Sunday, Denver takes its turn and more than 60,000 are expected to pitch in to the cause. The event begins at the Pepsi Center, goes by Invesco Field and loops back around. A competitive 5K run starts at 7 a.m., with fun walk/runs to follow. And for those who just can’t leave the couch, or the bed, but still want to chip in, a “Sleep In for the Cure” can be accomplished for a small donation. Check out www.denver.susangkomen.org for details.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Champ Bailey, the Broncos’ more-than-a-cover cornerback, have an easier go of extending his consecutive games played streak to 100. A new hamstring injury this week will hamper Bailey, who already is nursing a bum shoulder, but not remove him from Sunday’s 11 a.m. game at Jacksonville. But come on, the Fates should give the guy a break already.
AROUND THE STATE
When Congress passed the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, it put into federal law a lasting tradition of weekend football. In the bill, the NFL was prohibited from broadcasting games on Fridays and Saturdays through most of the fall season, thus ensuring the lower levels an audience.
This is one reason, to this day, Saturday is known for college football and Friday is left for the high school teams. Colorado continues this tradition tonight, when two elite small high school football teams play in a crucial conference matchup.
Lyons, ranked No. 4 in Class 1A, hosts No. 5 Akron at its field north of Boulder. At stake is a leg up in the North Central Conference, consistently one of the state’s most competitive leagues. The game guarantees smash-mouth excitement. Akron continues the near-dead legacy of the single-wing attack, while Lyons runs more straight ahead and straight at defenses.
The game, which begins at 7 p.m., typifies the area’s bright Friday night lights.
