College football is stepping into high gear as both Colorado and Colorado State begin conference play this weekend and Air Force faces a military foe in Navy. But only two of these games are on our radar as must-watch football for the first weekend in October.
Who else makes the cut? You’ll have to read on to find out.
No.3 – Air Force @ Navy
While Army–Navy is the traditional service academy football rivalry, Navy–Air Force is a much better contest. http://t.co/W30RdxhF7C
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) October 2, 2015
Task & Purpose may need to educate the greater pubic, but football fans in Colorado know that Navy is always the biggest task in securing the Commander in Chief’s Trophy for the cadets of the Air Force Academy.
Air Force opens its quest to keep the Trophy in Colorado Springs for a third straight year against an undefeated Midshipmen squad in Annapolis. The Zoomies’ only loss was a tightly contested 35-21 loss at No. 2 Michigan State, so this one sets up to be a doozie.
Last year’s contest was decided by one point in overtime and Navy will be looking to settle that score with a home win. The game is on CBS Sports Net at 1:30 p.m. MDT.
No. 2 – A matchup of two top-5 prep squads
College and pro football may dominate the landscape in Colorado, but there are some big prep games this weekend that could foreshadow what’s to come when the playoffs arrive in December. Chief among those is a 5A showdown between two top-5 teams.
No. 2 – Columbine @ Mullen
https://twitter.com/MullenFootball1/status/649964314015600640
Says Dan Mohrmann of CHSAANow.com, “The No. 2 team in 5A has surrendered 14 points to their opponents this season. In case you’re wondering, that means that the Rebels are good defense. Their ground attack, led by Mikey Griebel, has also proven to be difficult to contain. They topped then No. 3 Ralston Valley last week behind 216 yards of total offense by Griebel. If Columbine gets ahead, their ability to dominate time of possession should help them remain undefeated. If they find themselves down late, it’ll be interesting to see if they can battle back. But that’s a problem they have yet to deal with.” Editor’s Note: Colorado High School Football Rule No. 214 – Never – ever – bet against Andy Lowry.
For more great preps coverage, along with Dan Mohrmann’s weekly “Top 10”, check out CHSAANow.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @DanMohrmann
No. 1 – A Pac-12 primetime showdown
The game of the weekend (sorry Broncos) is in prime time on ESPN. The Colorado Buffaloes will face a reeling Oregon Ducks team at Folsom Field in Boulder with a chance to put years of futility in the rearview mirror.
No. 1 – Oregon @ Colorado
Oregon is not only 4-0 vs Colorado since they joined the Pac 12 they have won the 4 by an avg score of 54-10 and are +345 ypg.
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) September 29, 2015
Phil Steele paints a pretty bleak picture for the Buffs, but this is a new year and the Ducks are coming off an embarrassing loss at home against Utah.
Many experts peg this as CU’s best chance to reestablish themselves in the recruiting world and to give fundraising a boost with a good showing on national TV. And an injury to a key player for Oregon could open things up for the Buffs’ passing game.
Whatever plans you might have had for Saturday night, scrap them in lieu of this. This game will determine much about what the future holds for Mike MacIntyre and the Colorado Buffaloes.