There is no dipping your toes into the college football season. No testing the waters. With a full slate bearing down Saturday, it’s sink or swim.
For local and national fans alike, there’s enough college football to choke a Razorback. So much college football will be thrown out Saturday that fans could plan a 15-hour day around games that begin and end with Colorado teams.
Schedule your day as such:
The hangover brunch starts at 10 a.m. with Colorado and Colorado State facing off at Invesco Field at Mile High. The game, normally dubbed the Rocky Mountain Showdown, this year should be tagged the Bloody Mary Bowl – thank you, Jim Armstrong. The game airs on FSN.
Virginia Tech returns to the field after a shooting massacre engulfed the campus in the spring, with a game against East Carolina at 10 a.m. on ESPN. The lunch hour starts with Virginia traveling to Laramie to take on Wyoming at noon, in a game airing on Versus. And South Carolina State goes to the Air Force Academy to take on the Falcons, also a noon start time. That game airs on The Mtn.
Georgia Tech and Notre Dame take the field in South Bend beginning at 1:30 p.m. on NBC (KUSA-9).
The game that bumped CU-CSU back to an early morning kickoff, North Texas at Oklahoma, starts at 5 p.m. on FSN.
The marquee game of the day, Tennessee at California, shows on network TV during prime time, starting at 6 p.m. on ABC (KMGH-7).
Idaho will be the first team with a chance to knock off the No. 1 squad when the Vandals play Southern California at 8:30 p.m. on FSN.
Finally, in what might be the highest-scoring game Saturday (at least for one team), Northern Colorado travels to Hawaii to take on the Warriors at 10 p.m.
Phew.
THE COUCH
ON: Lost in the Beckham AWOL brouhaha this week was a huge jump by the home team. The Rapids, after a 3-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday, moved into a tie for the eighth and final MLS playoff spot. The team the Rapids are tied with? The Columbus Crew, who host the Rapids on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Crew Stadium in Ohio. The Rapids own a tiebreaker over the Crew by number of wins. But this isn’t the time to split hairs. Colorado needs a win. The game, which airs on Altitude, will also be a rubber match of sorts. The teams tied 0-0 earlier this season. For party purposes, there will be a viewing party at Casey’s Bistro & Pub, 7301 E. 29th Ave. in Stapleton.
OFF: For running events, Labor Day weekend is a veritable pu-pu platter. For distance variety, we offer two standout events. The CU Kickoff Classic 5K in Boulder on Monday at 8 a.m. benefits the highly successful, yet cash-strapped, Buffs cross country team (boulderroadrunners.org). Also on Monday, the Park-to-Park 10-Miler in Denver starting at 7 a.m. runs through some of Denver’s best neighborhoods and parks, with a route that connects City Park to Cheesman Park to Alamo Placita Park to the finish line at Washington Park (parktopark10miler.com).
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Injuries kept Kara Goucher, formerly Kara Grgas- Wheeler, a standout on the University of Colorado cross country team, from showing well at the Athens Olympics. But Goucher rebounded this week to win bronze in the 10,000 meters at the world championships in Osaka, Japan. Hers was America’s first outdoor world medal at 10,000 meters. Hopefully the former Boulder resident can rebound further for a medal showing at Beijing next summer.
AROUND THE STATE
The 35th MotherLode Volleyball Classic in Aspen this weekend isn’t just some collection of beer-league rec players out to get tanked and yell. The tournament, which started Thursday and runs through Monday, will feature a slew of former collegiate, Olympic and pro beach volleyball stars digging out in what organizers say is the largest doubles volleyball event in the U.S. The more than 700 teams, in multiple men’s and women’s divisions, play mostly at Koch Lumber Park in Aspen, among other venues. For fans, it’s the perfect opportunity for a party. Check for more information.
WEAK IN REVIEW
After much consternation, the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday finally signed the NBA’s sixth overall draft pick, Yi Jianlian, to a rookie contract. Yi had said he would never play in Milwaukee because it lacks a sizable Asian population. After all the effort, expect Yi to reach Nikoloz Tskitishvili-like levels with the Bucks. The 19-year-old Yi has already been steamrolled in summer leagues by players bound for the NBA D-League.
