A lot of rain is in the forecast for Durango, making it a perfect fall weekend to catch all of Colorado’s Division I college football teams.
All four Colorado Division I college football teams have a losing record, with three out of the four teams at least two games below .500. The schedule doesn’t get easier for any of these teams as three of the four teams are underdogs in Week 7 (Northern Colorado doesn’t have any lines assigned to its games since it plays at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.)
Two of the four Colorado schools are going up against ranked opponents. One of those schools is Colorado. The Buffaloes could really use their first Big 12 win of the season to snap a two-game losing streak.
Here’s a look at what matchups Colorado Division I college football teams have this week:
Where: Folsom Field, Boulder
How to watch: ESPN
Records: Iowa State is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference after its 38-30 loss at Cincinnati last Saturday. Colorado is 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12 Conference after its 35-21 loss at TCU last Saturday.
Line: Iowa State is a 2.5-point favorite.
Notes: The Buffaloes are off to their worst start through six games in the Deion Sanders era. If Colorado loses to Iowa State, the Buffaloes will have their first three-game losing streak since Sanders’ first season in 2023.
To make matters worse, Sanders’ blood clots have returned and he had surgery on Tuesday. Sanders was in pain with his left shoe off in the second half of the game against TCU.
Against TCU, Colorado blew a 14-0 lead for the second consecutive week. Quarterback Kaidon Salter finished the game with 217 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and three interceptions. The Buffaloes had no answer for TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, who finished with 275 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
Iowa State fell behind 17-0 to Cincinnati after the first quarter. The Cyclones allowed Cincinnati to rush for 260 yards and three touchdowns as well as 214 passing yards and two touchdowns. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht finished the game with 314 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
Where: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins
How to watch: CBSSN
Records: Fresno State is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference after its 20-17 win vs. Nevada on Saturday. Colorado State is 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West after its 45-24 loss at San Diego State last Friday.
Line: Fresno State is a six or 6.5-point favorite depending on the sportsbook.
Notes: Fresno State has won its last two games by a combined five points. Colorado State has lost its last two games by a combined 38 points.
The Bulldogs scored all 20 of their points in the second quarter against Nevada. Quarterback E.J. Warner finished with 190 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Fresno State picked off the Nevada quarterbacks three times.
Colorado State’s defense was destroyed by San Diego State last Friday. The Aztecs had 259 yards passing and two passing touchdowns along with 282 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns. Colorado State quarterback Jackson Brousseau had 155 yards passing, one passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
How to watch: CBSSN
Records: Air Force is 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain West after its 34-31 loss at Navy last Saturday. UNLV is 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West after its 31-17 win at Wyoming last Saturday.
Line: UNLV is a 6.5 or seven-point favorite depending on the sportsbook.
Notes: Air Force put up quite the fight against its rival Navy. The Falcons’ 34-31 loss at Navy was its first one-score loss of the season.
It was a battle of the quarterbacks in the Air Force at Navy game. Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka finished with 212 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 152 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath finished with 339 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 130 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
UNLV beat Wyoming despite Wyoming finishing with 356 yards of offense compared to only 256 yards of offense for UNLV. The Rebels had two punt-return touchdowns in the win.
Where: P1FCU Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho
How to watch: ESPN+
Records: Northern Colorado is 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big Sky Conference after its 26-18 loss to Idaho State on Sept. 27. Idaho is 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big Sky after its 41-30 loss at No. 4 Montana on Sept. 27.
Line: No line.
Notes: Northern Colorado trailed 16-0 against Idaho State in the second quarter. The opponents had opposite offensive strategies, with Bears quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. finishing with 397 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Idaho State finished with 289 rushing yards.
Idaho lost to Montana despite Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood rushing for three touchdowns. The Vandals allowed Montana to finished with 190 rushing yards and four scores on the ground.
Note: The rankings for the Northern Colorado section and its opponents are different than the first three games because Northern Colorado and its opponents are part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
