DENVER — Teachers are often known for wearing many hats, and that is no different at Denver East High School.
By day, Andrew Wimbs teaches physical education. On weekends, he’s officiating college football games during one of the busiest stretches of the season.
With the NFL playoffs underway, football is top of mind for many fans. While most attention stays on the players, Wimbs says there is another team on the field that often goes unnoticed: the officials.
“People wearing the stripes,” Wimbs said. “That’s the third team on the field.”
Wimbs’ path into officiating was not carefully planned. It began almost by accident during a high school championship game he attended with his father.
“Denver South was playing Monarch, and the High School Football Association had a tent,” Wimbs said. “Someone called me over and asked me about football officiating. I wrote my name down, and they called me a few months later. I went to the first class and just fell in love with it.”
That love has carried Wimbs to the college level, including a recent assignment officiating the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
“That was a lot of fun,” he said. “Being inside SoFi Stadium was amazing.”
Still, officiating comes with constant scrutiny and other challenges.
“I like the physical challenge as well as the mental challenge,” Wimbs said. “We are actually our worst critics.”
When asked if more officials are needed, Wimbs didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” he said.
To help address that need, Williams plans to bring officiating into the classroom. Starting next fall, DPS will launch a new sports officiating course at Denver East High School.
“The students will hopefully be able to leave the course with a certification,” Wimbs said.
Lessons learned on the field also influence how Wimbs approaches teaching. He emphasizes discipline, accountability and the ability to accept feedback.
“You have to be able to take feedback and apply it,” he said.
From high school gyms to college gridirons, Wimbs is working to shape the future of football, one call at a time.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Joe Jackson rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas State defeated Colorado 24-14 and earned bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season on a cold and blustery day. The game-time temperature was 32 degrees with a wind chill of 24.
Quarterback Avery Johnson was 10-of-17 for 115 yards in difficult conditions for Kansas State (6-6, 5-4 Big 12).
Kaidon Salter was 14-of-25 for 172 yards for Colorado (3-9, 1-8), who got two rushing touchdowns from Micah Welch.
Jackson scored his second touchdown of the day from 1-yard out with 4:32 left in the third quarter. The score capped a 56-yard drive.
The Wildcats then made it a two-score game with a 35-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez. The Wildcats stalled at the Colorado 19-yard line, but they burned 6:43 off the clock.
Welch’s second rushing touchdown of the game capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive and brought the Buffaloes to within 17-14.
But Jackson’s third touchdown, a 17-yard scamper with 2:34 left, extended the lead to 10 points.
K-State used nearly half the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Jackson. The Wildcats used 7:13 for a 13-play drive.
Neither team did much offensively for most of the rest of the half until Colorado marched 84 yards in 11 plays for the tying touchdown.
Welch hurdled over the line from the 1 for the score. Colorado finished the half with 162 yards of total offense. K-State finished with 114 yards, with 74 of those coming on its opening drive.
THE TAKEAWAY:
Colorado: The Buffaloes didn’t look like a team with nothing to play for. They outgained the Wildcats 323-321.
Kansas State: The Wildcats struggled to find its rhythm on offense. A week after gaining 574 yards, they gained just 321.
UP NEXT:
Colorado’s season is done. Kansas State will await a bowl invitation.
BOULER, Colo. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw four first-half touchdown passes and the Arizona Wildcats forced five turnovers in rebounding from two closes losses with a 52-17 rout of the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night.
“This is a huge win coming off two heartbreaking losses,” said coach Brent Brennan, whose Wildcats had lost in double-overtime to BYU and by a field goal at Houston. “We’re gonna enjoy the plane ride home.”
The Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) raced to a 38-7 halftime lead by scoring on six of their first seven drives, and the Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5) trudged into the locker room with more penalties (nine) than points.
For the first time in his three-year tenure in Boulder, Colorado, coach Deion “Prime” Sanders didn’t allow any of his players to talk post-game. He said that was because he was solely to blame for the bedraggled Buffs’ second straight blowout loss.
“Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don’t attack the players. Come at me,” Sanders said.
Sanders had no answers as to why the Buffs played so poorly again, insisting good practices had given no inkling another rout was forthcoming. He bristled when asked if his team had checked out: “I know a quitter when I see one. I haven’t seen that.”
Sanders added that he’s confident he can coach Colorado back into winning ways, saying, “I don’t doubt me. Let’s get that straight: I. Don’t. Doubt. Me.”
Buffaloes QB Kaidon Salter was benched late in the first half for Ryan Staub, who was also benched after both of his passes were intercepted in the third quarter. Freshman Ju-Ju Lewis came on and threw a 59-yard touchdown strike — the first of his career — to Omarion Miller. The pass also was 10 yards longer than the 49 yards passing that Salter managed while completing 11 of 15.
Lewis left the game in the final minute with an injury to his throwing hand.
Colorado’s two most damaging first-half flags wiped out a 75-yard touchdown catch and an interception.
Fifita got the rout started just three snaps into the game when he threw a short pass to Tre Spivey, who eluded six tacklers and outraced two others to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown — his seventh TD in just a dozen touches this season.
After a field goal made it 10-0, linebacker Chase Kennedy strip-sacked Salter and defensive tackle Leroy Palu recovered at the Colorado 12. On the next snap, Fifita found Kris Hutson for the score and a 17-0 lead.
“A very big win,” Arizona defender Jay’vion Cole said, “especially on the road, on the road in the Big 12 at a challenging place like this.”
The Buffaloes finally got on the board with Salter’s 8-yard strike to Miller that capped a 17-play, 75-yard drive which took nearly eight minutes and prompted returning alum Shedeur Sanders, now a backup QB for the Cleveland Browns, to pull up a folding chair at midfield along the Buffs’ sideline.
The takeaway
Arizona: Fifita directed the ‘Cats on eight scoring drives in 10 possessions before giving way to backup Braedyn Locke. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 213 yards. The Wildcats got touchdowns from seven different players. Their 18 takeaways are two more than they had all of last season.
Colorado: The Buffaloes were still hung over from their 53-7 bashing at Utah a week earlier. Over their last two games, the Buffs have been outscored by halftime 81-7. They racked up 14 penalties against Arizona.
Up Next
Arizona: Hosts the University of Kansas on Saturday.
Tad Boyle, the all-time winningest coach in program history, and the Buffaloes try to rebound after turning in their first losing season since 2014-15. They have a solid but youthful nucleus led by big man Bangot Dak, who was seventh in the Big 12 in blocked shots last season. He also averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds.
Colorado brought in junior transfer Barrington Hargress to add more scoring punch. Hargress was an All-Big West Conference player for UC Riverside last season after averaging with 20.2 points per game. He broke the school’s single-season scoring mark with 686 points.
As a team, the Buffaloes averaged 69.7 points per game.
“I like this team. I like the talent level we have. We’ve have great length and great explosiveness,” Boyle said. “We can shoot the ball. I think we can be a good defensive team. We’re certainly not there yet, but a lot of different weapons. I like the depth. It’s going to be a work in progress, though.”
Players to watch
Forward Sebastian Rancik earned the team’s most improved award as a freshman. He picked up steam in the second half of the season when he was moved into the starting lineup. He scored a career-best 19 points at Kansas in February. Elijah Malone also returns as he enters his sixth college year and second graduate season at Colorado. He was fourth on the team in scoring (7.9) and fifth in rebounding (3.2).
Departures and arrivals
The Buffaloes will have a lot to replace after losing Julian Hammond III, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals. He also led the league in free throw percentage.
They added height by bringing in a pair of 7-footers. Fawaz Ifaola, who arrived in the U.S. from Lagos, Nigeria, in ninth grade, was a McDonald’s All-American nominee for the state of Arizona. There’s also Leonardo Van Elswyk, the 7-1, 245-pound center from Milan, Italy. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in the Lega Basket Serie A NextGen Cup last winter.
Top games
Colorado opens the season on Nov. 3 by hosting Montana State. A big rivalry game awaits on Dec. 6 when the Buffaloes travel to Colorado State. The Buffaloes play in the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, California, on Nov. 27 (San Francisco) Nov. 28 (either Washington or Nevada) and against Stanford in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame series in Phoenix on Dec. 20.
Facts and figures
Boyle has 10 of Colorado’s 14 seasons of 20 or more wins. He’s led the Buffaloes to the NCAA Tournament six times. … Ifaola and fellow freshman Jalin Holland both went to Dream City Christian in Arizona. Holland scored more than 2,000 points in three seasons at Los Lunas High School in New Mexico before joining Dream City for his final year.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado’s live buffalo mascot Ralphie VII appears to be a big fan of a certain yacht rock song. So much so that it inspired her new nickname of Brandy.
This is a fine buffalo, too.
The 1-year-old bundle of 700-pound energy earned her moniker after the Ralphie Handlers squad noticed she took a liking to the 1972 hit tune “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass.
A release from the school Tuesday said that “in addition to enjoying the tune, Brandy, clearly a fine girl, strongly identifies with the lyrics.”
A classic-rock nod to one of college football’s most iconic traditions. Colorado’s live buffalo mascots have been part of the school’s fabric for the past 58 years.
Denver7 traveled 160 miles to the Coalmont, Colorado, ranch that donated Ralphie VII. Learn more about Eagle’s Wing Ranch in this story or the video player below
‘Surreal’: Meet the Colorado ranchers – and CU alums – who donated the newest Ralphie mascot
Ralphie VII made her first appearance on Sept. 20 against Wyoming at Folsom Field as she took over for Ralphie VI, who retired after showing an indifference toward running.
The newest buffalo was an instant hit.
As custom dictates, a mascot receives her nickname sometime after the first run. The names of Ralphies before Brandy include Moonshine (Ralphie II), Tequila (Ralphie III), Rowdy (Ralphie IV), Blackout (Ralphie V), and Ember (Ralphie VI).
The band Looking Glass originated from New Brunswick, New Jersey, and started out performing at frat parties. Their biggest — and catchiest — hit, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” shot up the music chart to No. 1. It’s a tune about a barmaid pining after a sailor whose true love remains the sea.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State head football coach Jay Norvell is building more than a football program. Off the field, he and his wife, Kim, are tackling a fight that hits much closer to home: cystic fibrosis.
The Norvells recently donated $50,000 to support cutting-edge lung research at Colorado State University, advancing development of electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a radiation-free lung imaging technology.
“We’ve always been involved in fundraising everywhere we’ve been for cystic fibrosis,” Jay Norvell said.
The research is led by Dr. Jennifer Mueller, who is developing EIT. This real-time lung imaging method utilizes low-frequency electrical currents applied through electrodes, thereby avoiding exposure to ionizing radiation.
For Kim Norvell, the cause is deeply personal. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby.
“Dr. Mueller talks to me like a person, not just a patient,” Kim said. “She explains things in a way I can understand.”
The Norvells’ donation is also funding hands-on experience for eight undergraduate students, allowing them to participate directly in lung imaging research.
“People who have this disease have had their lives improved by research,” Jay said. “Kim is a walking example of that. Our lives have been affected directly, and the research is the key.”
The couple’s contributions extend beyond financial support. Each spring, they host the “Grit Run,” a community 5K in Fort Collins that raises awareness and funds for cystic fibrosis research. The event has drawn widespread support from CSU, the Fort Collins community, and across northern Colorado.
“It’s just been a really special feeling from the community — how they’ve all supported us,” Jay said.
Dr. Mueller said EIT could be in hospitals within five years, aiding not only cystic fibrosis patients, but also premature infants and people living with muscular dystrophy. Thanks to the Norvells’ support, that timeline may arrive even sooner.
The latest recruit on Deion Sanders’ roster weighs in at 700 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash as fast as she wants.
Colorado’s new live buffalo mascot will make her debut at Folsom Field on Saturday night against Wyoming. She’s officially named Ralphie VII, although a unique nickname is soon to come after her first run.
Ralphie VII is the latest in a string of field-storming live mascot buffaloes, a storied tradition and one of college football’s most iconic. The running of the buffalo has been a must-glimpse event at the school for the past 58 years.
The 1-year-old bison steps in for Ralphie VI, who went into retirement before the start of season after showing little enthusiasm toward making the gallop around the field.
“We’re excited to be adding a new Ralphie to the lineage of incredible buffalo that have represented the University of Colorado and have elevated the fans’ passion for our student-athletes,” said Taylor Stratton, the director of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program.
A version of Ralphie has been missing from action the past two home games. Ralphie VI — nicknamed Ember — showed a reluctance to make the trip around Folsom Field to the roar of the fans. The plan for Ember will be to join Ralphie V — known as Blackout — on the ranch and do one of her favorite things — take it easy.
The newest member of Sanders’ squad is “definitely not indifferent to running,” the release from the school said.
Ralphie VII was a gift from the Beauprez Family, supporters of the university and owners of Eagle’s Wing Ranch located near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
“Ralphie’s run is iconic and our fans, students, faculty, staff, and alumni take an incredible amount of pride in this tradition which transcends sports,” Stratton said.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Even through a rough start to the 1990 season and the highly debated “fifth-down” controversy, there the Colorado Buffaloes were in the closing seconds of the Orange Bowl, one stop away from a potential national title.
Defensive back Deon Figures intercepted a Notre Dame pass and ran around long enough for the clock to hit zero. His teammates piled on to celebrate, crushing his ribs with their weight. He could barely breathe and thought he might pass out.
A fond memory for sure, he said, because it paved the way to the Buffaloes’ one and only national football title. Painful for a reason beyond his bruised ribs: They had to split that 1990 national title with Georgia Tech.
“We wanted it all,” Figures recalled. “We wanted to sit at the top of the mountain — by ourselves.”
Ray Fairall/AP
FILE – Colorado coach Bill McCartney, left, is escorted off the field after the Buffaloes defeated Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl college football game on Jan. 1, 1991, in Miami. (AP Photo/Ray Fairall, File)
On Friday night, the Yellow Jackets and Buffaloes will meet for the first time ever on the football field. It’s a chance for bragging rights nearly 35 years after the programs became forever linked in the days when split titles were possible, long before major college football shifted to a tournament.
“It is exciting,” said Charles Johnson, a quarterback on that 1990 Colorado team. ”But it’s kind of like two great fighters in their prime and it was a great debate about who was the greatest and then years later, when they’re both kind of not in that spotlight, they finally match up. It’s like, ‘Oh, we finally get the great fight.’ The thrill of what that debate was 35 years ago, it’s hard to carry much of that over today.”
Back then, there was no College Football Playoff. Instead, it came down to votes, with the Buffaloes (11-1-1) crowned as champions in The Associated Press poll and Yellow Jackets (11-0-1) winding up on top in the coaches’ poll.
They’ve would’ve preferred to settle things on the field.
“Hopefully the kids that are playing now will understand the ramifications behind (this game) a little bit more,” former Buffaloes receiver Mike Pritchard said. “Just have it have a degree of importance.”
It’s there, all right.
“We’re excited to go play Colorado. An opportunity to settle the 1990 national championship,” said Georgia Tech coach Brent Key, whose team is favored and was 12 at the time of that split title.
The title
Glance around Folsom Field and there it is between suite levels on the east side of the stadium, in bold lettering: “1990 National Champions.”
“Wow,” tackle Jordan Seaton said of learning the Buffaloes split it with the Yellow Jackets. “I’m very eager to play them.”
Before the CFP, co-champions happened, if rarely, with nearly a dozen since the early 1950s and the last coming in 2003 (LSU and USC). The split titles spurred arguments and eventually led to postseason changes in determining a true national champion. The College Football Playoff, which has expanded to a 12-team bracket, began with the 2014-15 season.
The Buffaloes sure wish that format would’ve existed 35 years ago.
“I guarantee you we would’ve whooped them,” said Figures, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class. “I would’ve bet the house on it.”
The Buffaloes received 39 of 60 first place votes in the AP poll (the Yellow Jackets had 20). Georgia Tech topped the UPI/Coaches poll with 30 of 59 first-place votes (Colorado had 27), which ultimately gave the Yellow Jackets a 847-846 point advantage.
Each squad beat coach Tom Osborne and the Nebraska Cornhuskers — the Buffaloes by a 27-12 score in Lincoln and the Yellow Jackets winning 45-21 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“Both Colorado and Georgia Tech had fine teams that year and we lost to both of them,” Osborne wrote in an email. “Georgia Tech beat us more soundly than Colorado, but both teams were talented. Colorado won a controversial game in which they were given 5 downs at the goal line.”
After a liver transplant in 2023, Figures will be watching Friday night’s game on television. He will be thinking of his coach, too: Bill McCartney died in January at 84. McCartney assembled a star-studded group featuring names such as Darian Hagan, Johnson, Eric Bieniemy, Pritchard, Figures, Chad Brown, Alfred Williams and Kanavis McGhee.
“Coach Mac would have loved this game,” Figures said. “I can hear him now with that rah-rah speech.”
The Georgia Tech path
The Yellow Jackets were coached by Bobby Ross and featured a group of players such as William Bell, Shawn Jones, Ken Swilling, Marco Coleman, Scott Sisson, Willie Clay, Greg Lester, Mike Mooney and Coleman Rudolph. Their only bump in the road was a tie at North Carolina. Two weeks later, they beat No. 1 Virginia on Sisson’s field goal with seconds remaining.
“They believed in themselves; they believed in what they were doing,” Ross said in the fall 2021 issue of Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. “They were just that type of team. They had confidence and a little bit of a swagger, and that was good.”
The Colorado path
It was a rocky start for the Buffaloes, who tied with Tennessee, beat Stanford and lost at Illinois. They dropped from preseason No. 5 to No. 20 in the AP poll. They would win out, including the controversial “fifth-down” victory at Missouri. There was an error when the chain crew didn’t flip the down marker. It set up an extra down and the Buffaloes capitalized as Johnson scored the winning TD on a keeper as time expired.
“There’s so much back-story behind the down thing,” Pritchard said. “We obviously would have executed differently. We were going by what the officials were telling everybody.”
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Walker set to lead Colorado defense as Buffs open season vs. Georgia Tech
The Buffaloes caught another fortunate break in the Orange Bowl when a clipping call negated a late punt return for a score by Notre Dame’s Raghib Ismail. The Buffaloes held on for a 10-9 win.
“It was amazing how that season unfolded,” recalled Johnson, whose team lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl the season before to finish 11-1. “I mean, just about every oddity or wrinkle that you could imagine would take place, took place.”
The Buffaloes of the past are anxious for this week’s game..
“I’m definitely going to be out there on that field in spirit,” Figures said.
College Sports
Buffs to open 2025 season with new-look roster in third year under Coach Prime
BOULDER — Colorado opens the season Friday night at Folsom Field with a new-look roster and growing expectations in the third year under head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders.
Senior Kaidon Salter has been named the starting quarterback and will lead a reshaped Buffs offense against a fast, physical Georgia Tech team.
“Kaidon has a ton of experience; he’s a dual and can throw the heck out of the ball, as well,” Coach Prime said. “He’s the guy at this point. We’re hoping that you can see some JuJu Lewis periodically through the game, as well. We would like to get him some reps.”
College Sports
Deion Sanders picks experience over youth at QB for Colorado’s season opener
Pat Graham, AP Sports Writer
Colorado plans to run the ball more and spread the workload. Sophomore receiver Dre’lon Miller has even taken snaps at running back.
“He just told me, ‘Be ready,’” Miller said. “Wherever he puts me, I’m ready to roll with it.”
Miller praised Salter’s presence and communication.
“He’s just a great leader,” he said. “He’s really blunt as a quarterback. He lets us know, like, ‘Get open, I’m coming to you on this play.’ And that’s what I love about him.”
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The Buffs’ defense faces a major early test from Georgia Tech, led by quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes.
“As long as the ball is in his (King’s) hands, they have a chance,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to do everything we can, all hands on deck, to prevent him from being successful.”
Still, Coach Prime believes this is the strongest Colorado team yet.
“We don’t think we lost, we think we gained,” he said. “Sure, there’s a couple athletes that were phenomenal, but I’ve been saying this, we have a better team.”
Kickoff is 6 p.m. Friday at Folsom Field, as Colorado looks to make a statement in its season opener.
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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders threw for 250 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and Colorado’s defense shut down Arizona in a 34-7 win.
The Buffaloes scored two early touchdowns and swarmed the Wildcats all afternoon to bounce back from last week’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State.
Sanders threw for two touchdowns with two interceptions on 23-of-33 passing and ran for another score. Colorado converted 8 of 11 third downs while building a 21-point halftime lead and its defense held the Wildcats to 245 total yards.
Arizona gave up seven sacks after allowing six combined the first six games.
A light week in the Big 12 is highlighted by No. 18 Kansas State and Colorado renewing their rivalry. The teams were both members of the Big 12 until Colorado left for the Pac-12 in 2010. Now the Buffaloes are back in the Big 12 and both teams are near the top of the conference standings. Kansas State had a bye after beating up on Oklahoma State and Colorado is on a three-game winning streak. No. 16 Utah also plays at surprising Arizona State, with six teams having a bye.
Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest Headlines | October 10, 6am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns to help Colorado match its victory total for all of last season with a 48-21 rout of UCF.
Two-way star Travis Hunter had a TD catch and interception for the Buffaloes, who have won three straight games following a lopsided road loss to Nebraska. Hunter scored on a 23-yard reception in the first quarter, struck a Heisman pose after his second-half inteception, and finished with nine catches on nine targets for 89 yards.
Sanders also had TD throws of 47 yards to Will Sheppard and 10 yards to LaJohntay Wester on the way to completing 28 of 35 passes with one interception.
Colorado’s improved defense forced four turnovers.
UNLV and Air Force have decided to remain in the Mountain West as the conference thwarted off attempts at further poaching by the Pac-12 and American Athletic Conference by offering financial incentives to its most prominent remaining members to stay, a person with knowledge of the decisions told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the schools had not made their intentions public. The Mountain West declined to comment on its internal discussions.
The Action Network first reported UNLV and Air Force had decided to stay in the Mountain West.
College Sports
Pac-12 to add Colorado State and others in 2026, poaching Mountain West
Utah State’s departure came as Commissioner Gloria Nevarez was trying to convince her remaining members to agree to a multiple-year grant of rights that would bind schools together and to the conference through media rights.
That gave the other seven schools a chance to reconsider, but ultimately it appears Nevarez will be able to keep the Mountain West alive with the help of about $100 million dollars in exit fees expected to come the conference’s way from the departing schools.
The Pac-12 is suing the Mountain West over another $55 million in poaching penalties that were part of a football scheduling agreement Oregon State and Washington State entered into with the conference for this season.
The person said UNLV and Air Force have been offered signing bonuses of more than $20 million to stay put, and that was more than other conferences were willing to spend to lure them away.
UNLV had been targeted by the Pac-12 to become its eighth member. Mountain West schools Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State agreed two weeks ago to join Oregon State and Boise State in the relaunched Pac-12 in 2026.
Air Force was being courted by the AAC to join fellow service academies Army and Navy in a conference for the first time.
College Sports
Pac-12 files a federal lawsuit against Mountain West over $43M in penalties
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
The other remaining Mountain West schools are San Jose State, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Hawaii, which is a football-only member. That leaves the Mountain West, like the Pac-12, still in need of at least one more member to be a recognized conference by the NCAA and College Football Playoff.
Phase two of the Pac-12’s expansion has not gone as smoothly as the the first. The conference had targeted AAC schools in the Central tme zone, including Memphis and Tulane, in an attempt to extend the league’s footprint and gather the top remaining non-Power Four football programs under one roof.
The Pac-12 also has had discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference, but that would still leave the league one football school short of the minimum.
Texas State of the Sun Belt could be next up for the Pac-12.
The Mountain West could find another member in Northern California, with Sacramento State leaders considering a move up from the Big Sky to Division I football’s top tier.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Two-way standout Travis Hunter caught two of Shedeur Sanders’ four touchdown passes and also had an interception as Colorado cruised to a 28-9 win over Colorado State Saturday night.
Sanders finished 36 of 49 for 310 yards in the first Rocky Mountain Showdown held in Fort Collins since 1996. Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a pair of scores and connected with Hunter 13 times for 100 yards.
This was the seventh straight win by Colorado (2-1) over Colorado State (1-2).
The Rams will have to wait a while to break the skid, with the in-state rivalry not on the schedule again until 2029.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dylan Raiola passed for 185 yards and a touchdown, Nebraska turned a dominating defensive performance into a big early lead, and the Cornhuskers went on to beat Colorado 28-10 in a game that turned into a slog in the second half.
The Huskers sacked Shedeur Sanders five times and pressured him throughout while winning the final meeting of a four-game home-and-home series.
The Buffs didn’t record a first down until their fifth possession, netted minus-2 yards in the first quarter and finished with 260. Tommie Hill had a pick-6 for Nebraska and Dante Dowdell ran for two TDs.
Sanders was benched with three minutes to play after throwing for 244 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception that was returned for a score. His counterpart – Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola – completed 23 of 30 passes for 185 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.
The Cornhuskers led 28-0 at halftime.
The box score officially credits Nebraska with six sacks on the evening (one of Ryan Staub, who replaced Sanders at quarterback for Colorado at the end of the game) as Nebraska’s defensive front consistently found its way into the Colorado backfield. Sanders officially finished with eight carries for minus-30 yards.
Colorado standout Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 110 yards in an otherwise uninspiring offensive effort for the Buffs.
The Colorado coach commended his rival days before the Buffaloes travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the final meeting between the storied programs for the foreseeable future.
Colorado and Nebraska were longtime rivals when both were in some version of the Big 12. The Cornhuskers moved to the Big Ten in 2011 and the Buffaloes to the Pac-12. But Colorado returned to the Big 12 this season.
The looming athlete pay system that will upend the traditional college sports model and still-to-be-determined details about how millions of dollars will be distributed are certain to bring questions about gender equity.
Of special interest will be whether schools must comply with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any school or education program that receives federal funds.
There are many questions to be addressed should a $2.77 billion settlement of House vs. NCAA end up being approved by a federal judge in the months ahead after a key step forward by the NCAA and major conferences Thursday night. Among other things, the settlement is expected to allow the nation’s wealthiest schools to spend approximately $20 million each year on their own athletes, beginning as soon as next year.
Michael LeRoy, a University of Illinois labor and sports law professor, and Iliana Konidaris, a New York civil rights attorney, said Title IX rules will apply if the schools are tasked with directing payments to athletes.
Konidaris said it will be critical for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to provide guidance on how revenue sharing and name, image and likeness compensation should be paid to keep schools in Title IX compliance.
“If the universities are going to end up exerting control over the revenue sharing,” Konidaris said, “you’re going to need to address pay equity very head-on.”
Another New York civil rights attorney, Christina Stylianou, said her first instinct is that Title IX would not apply because athletes would be essentially selling their media rights to their school. That said, Stylianou expects the Title IX question to be heavily litigated.
WHAT IS TITLE IX? The landmark 1972 law is intended to ensure equity between men and women in education. It applies to the classroom, sexual assault and violence on campus, employment, discrimination, admissions, financial assistance with tuition and of course athletics.
Women’s and men’s teams are to be treated equally under the law, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that each sport will have exactly the same budget for equipment, facilities, travel or meals. Athletic departments work under what is known as “equal in effect,” meaning a benefit for a men’s or women’s team in one area can be offset in another area as long as “the overall effects of any differences is negligible.”
LeRoy said he understands the rationale for arguing that football and men’s basketball players should receive larger portions of the upcoming revenue because their sports account for nearly all the conference and NCAA broadcast rights fees.
If market value is heavily weighed when determining pay, he said, it would be a stretch to believe there would be a 50-50 split between male and female athletes. But, he said, there need to be provisions for women.
“I’m not making the argument it should be divided up equally,” LeRoy said. “By bringing it inside the athletic department, I don’t expect the distribution to be equal. But there is an inherent contradiction or problem if women get short-changed.”
US WOMEN’S SOCCER PRECEDENT LeRoy said the situation is reminiscent of the legal action taken by the U.S. women’s soccer national team for unequal pay compared with the U.S. men’s team. The women’s team prevailed in a settlement after initially claiming the U.S. Soccer Federation violated the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
Though college athletes are not yet considered employees, LeRoy and Konidaris said a legal argument could be made that direct school-to-athlete payments push athletes to the brink of being employees and that Title VII could apply.
“They’re going to have in the settlement the idea (that) this isn’t employment,” LeRoy said. “Then what you’re doing is saying a multibillion-dollar industry called NCAA Athletics is going to be treated differently than any other business in America. You cannot have separate pay.”
If the schools opt to not handle payments in-house and leave athlete compensation to booster-backed collectives eager to connect athletes and sponsorship money, that could be a way to get around Title IX regulations.
OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN
Hours after the NCAA settlement was announced, Oklahoma softball player Tiare Jennings was asked about the importance of the step. She pointed to post-college security for athletes.“I think what they get when they leave college, just to have a foundation, have something for their future families, for themselves, just to have some security blanket when you leave college,” she said. “Knowing that you can go invest or start a business, stuff like that, to just kickstart your life.”
Konidaris said schools that take care of their female athletes monetarily could develop stronger women’s sports programs.
“The universities that really double down on equity in college sports will be rewarded by better programs for female athletes that I think in the coming 10 years are going to be revenue generating, just based on public interest and momentum for women’s sport,” Konidaris said.
The recent surge in women’s sports popularity, spawned by the star power of basketball players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and others, could not have been better timed, Kondaris said. Female athletes, she said, should view the moment as “an opportunity to be aggressive, to negotiate as hard as they possibly can to litigate and go after fairness and equity in pay.”
LeRoy agreed it is a pivotal moment for women’s sports.
“The question,” he said, “is whether they’re going to be stuck with a compensation model for the next 10 years that reflects the past, not the future?”
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado football coach Deion Sanders and his quarterback son, Shedeur, have taken to social media in response to a transfer being critical of how players were treated at the school.
Former Colorado defensive back Xavier Smith said in a recent article published in the Athletic that Deion Sanders “never even tried to get to know me,” and that he “was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves.” Shedeur Sanders responded on X by saying he didn’t remember Smith.
Smith was hampered by injuries for the Buffaloes. He earned freshman All-America honors at FCS Austin Peay in 2023 and has since followed coach Scotty Walden to UTEP.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The rain and the cold couldn’t dampen the demeanor of Deion Sanders. The cowboy hat-wearing coach of the Colorado Buffaloes was in a feel-good after the spring game Saturday at Folsom Field. Before the game, he awarded a scholarship to a hard-working running back. Before kickoff, he pledged a bowl game to a 99-year-old super-fan in the stands. And before the rain subsided, he watched some new transfer-portal additions step up and saw a receiver-cornerback-turned-tailback shine. On top of it all, his QB son, Shedeur, looked sharp in front of a respectable crowd given the weather.
Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest Headlines | April 29, 6am
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has brought in Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp as a graduate assistant to work with the Colorado Buffaloes.
The grad assistant position paves the way for the 51-year-old Sapp to work more closely on the field with the team.
Sapp introduced himself to the team as the senior quality control analyst, but that role would limit his involvement on the field.
The University of Miami standout spent 13 seasons in the NFL with Tampa Bay and the Oakland Raiders. Sapp was the 1999 AP defensive player of the year. He won a Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers following the 2002 season.
