Colorado (1-7, 0-4 Pac-12) at No. 23 Arizona State (5-2, 3-1)
4:30 p.m., Sun Devil Stadium, ROOT
Once again, Colorado is considered more than a four-touchdown underdog. But there is no indication that the Buffaloes’ upperclassmen have given up, despite a slew of injuries that has left the lineup young and largely inexperienced. “With our schedule, we have an opportunity to play all these great teams,” CU junior defensive end Will Pericak said. “That opportunity allows us to get signature wins. If we play like we know we can play, where all three phases (offense, defense, special teams) come together and we play four quarters against a team like Arizona State, yeah, we can get a signature win.” The Sun Devils had a bye last week after their 41-27 loss at Oregon. Since 2000, ASU is 5-6 in games after a bye week.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
Air Force (3-4, 0-3 MW) at New Mexico (0-7, 0-2)
Noon, University Stadium, MTN
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun believes it’s essential for the Falcons to have success running at the middle against New Mexico. That shouldn’t be a problem. The Lobos rank last in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing 249.4 yards per game, and second to last in total defense (532.0). That puts the middle of Air Force’s offensive line — center Jeff Benson and guards A.J. Wallerstein and Jordan Eason — squarely in front of New Mexico linebacker Carmen Messina, one of the best defenders in the Mountain West. The Falcons are averaging 325.7 yards rushing per game and an impressive 6.0 yards per carry.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
Colorado St. (3-4, 1-1 MW) at UNLV (1-5, 0-1)
4 p.m., Sam Boyd Stadium, MTN
No one is going to confuse UNLV’s passing offense with one as potent as, say, Houston’s, but when the Rebels do complete passes, the majority of them are to one of the Mountain West’s best wideouts, Phillip Payne. Payne, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior, is one of the conference’s leaders with 26 catches for 337 yards and four TDs. Half of his catches this season came against Southern Utah, when he had a career-high 13 receptions for 175 yards. Payne ranks third all time in the MW with 25 receiving TDs. Colorado State is one of the better teams in the nation defending the pass; it ranks 29th nationally, giving up just 193.6 yards passing per game. After this week, the Rams get another bye and return Nov. 12 to play at home against San Diego State.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
Wyoming (4-2, 1-0 MW) at San Diego State (4-2, 1-1)
8 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium, MTN
Though the Cowboys are 4-2 at the midway point, two of those wins were against FCS teams. The tough part of their schedule is ahead with this trip to San Diego, then games against TCU next week and Boise State on Nov. 26. The key today will be stopping SDSU running back Ronnie Hillman, who is No. 1 in the country in rushing with 138.8 yards per game. The Aztecs are coming off a bye, but two weeks ago against Air Force, Hillman had 172 yards and two TDs; his only sub-100-yard game was Oct. 6 against TCU, when he was held to 55 yards on 20 carries. In the Cowboys’ favor, they held Hillman to 44 yards on 21 carries last season.
David Krause, The Denver Post
North Dakota (4-3) at Northern Colorado (0-8)
1:30 p.m., Nottingham Field
This is a preview of a future conference matchup. North Dakota is one of four teams scheduled to join the Big Sky in 2012. The Fighting Sioux, who are in the Great West Conference, are No. 25 in the current FCS poll. These teams have not played each other since 2002, when both were members of the North Central Conference. Bears LB Clarence Bumpas has had double-figure tackles in the past six games and ranks fifth in the nation with 12.9 tackles per game. As they struggle through another winless season, the Bears have started seven freshmen this season, and 12 freshmen have played. Bears QB Seth Lobato has thrown for 666 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games.
David Krause, The Denver Post
