ine games are on top this Saturday for Centennial State collegiate football schools as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference slate features league openers highlighted by Colorado School of Mines meeting preseason favorite Colorado State Pueblo at the ThunderBowl in the Steel City.

The Centennial State’s three Football Bowl Subdivision schools are at home this Saturday, with each looking for their second win of the season after posting wins this past weekend. And Northern Colorado from the Football Championship Subdivision plays at Wyoming in Laramie.

NCAA Division II – RMAC Openers

Colorado Mines (0-1-1) at CSU Pueblo (2-0)

• Time/Location: 2 p.m. at the ThunderBowl

• Broadcast: RMACNet/Rev. 89.5

• The Matchup: The marquee game of the opening RMAC weekend brings together two heavyweights right out of the gate. CSU Pueblo enters with a 2-0 record after defeating Central Missouri (44-35) and Fort Hays State (35-17) from the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association.  Mines is 0-1-1 after losing 22-20 to nationally ranked Western Oregon in Golden before tying Washburn 16-16 in Topeka last week, with the contest being stopped due to the heat index.  With a 25-game RMAC winning streak after capturing the last two league titles, CSU Pueblo is averaging nearly 500 yards a game on offense as quarterback Navi Bruzon has passed for 601 yards and seven touchdowns, with four scoring passes to Dedrek Taylor-Akins.  In the 10-school RMAC, Mines has the second-best defense statistically (345.5 yards allowed per game), but the second-lowest offense (317.0 yards, two total touchdowns). CSU Pueblo has won the last two games in the series, giving the Pack a 21-15 edge in the meetings dating back to 1964.  The 2025 game in Golden was an overtime affair. CSU Pueblo rallied from a 34-20 deficit in the final 10 minutes to win 41-34 to clinch a share of the RMAC title that the Pack won outright the next week with a 30-27 overtime win over Chadron State in Pueblo

Colorado Mesa (1-1) at South Dakota Mines (2-0)

• Time/Location: 1:00 p.m. at O’Harra Stadium, Rapid City

• Broadcast: RMACNet

• The Matchup: It is another 600-mile, 9-hour road trip for Colorado Mesa as the Mavericks look for Win No. 2 after posting a 42-23 win last Saturday over Eastern New Mexico in Portales. The Mavericks are looking to improve their offense numbers after averaging only 351 total yards in the first two games.  South Dakota Mines has opened the season with two wins highlighted by a 38-35 upset victory at FCS opponent Drake.  Dawson Dunbar is the RMAC’s No. 2 rusher with 258 yards (7.6 average, four TDs).  Mesa leads the series between the two schools 7-3 after posting a 35-12 win over the Hardrockers in Grand Junction.

Adams State (0-2) at Black Hills State (2-0)

• Time/Location: 1 p.m. at Lyle Hare Stadium, Spearfish, S. D.

• Broadcast: RMACNet

• The Matchup: Adams State takes to the road for another 600-mile, nine-hour trip as the Grizzlies look to snap a 30-game losing streak after losing their first two games to Lone Star Conference foes Western New Mexico and Sul Ross State.  ASU’s Andre Branch ranks among the nation’s top rushers with 360 yards (10.3 average per carry with four TDs), but the Grizzlies have yielded 62 and 53 points in their first two games and an average of 616 yards to opposing offenses. Black Hills State has the RMAC’s top rush defense, as the YellowJackets have only yielded 109 on the ground in their first two wins this season.  The series between the two schools is tied 7-7, but Black Hills State has won the last five games by a combined score of 228-86, highlighted by a 59-0 win last season in Alamosa.

Chadron State (1-1) at Western Colorado (2-0)

• Time/Location: 6 p.m. at Mountaineer Bowl, Gunnison

• Broadcast: RMACNet

• The Matchup: Western Colorado puts its unblemished 2-0 record on the line under the lights in Gunnison. The Mountaineers looked sharp in the opener at West Texas A&M with 447 total yards and scoring on eight of 11 drives, but the Mountaineers’ offense slowed in Gunnison with only 324 total yards and scoring touchdowns on only two of 10 drives.  Josiah Roy and Aidan Thompson are experienced quarterbacks.   Roy has passed for 390 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers.  Thompson is a dual threat for Chadron with 355 yards passing and 62 yards rushing, with only two total TDs responsible for.  Chadron State leads the series 18-6, but Western Colorado has won five of the last six meetings.  The Eagles snapped a five-game WCU winning streak in the series by winning 27-24 in overtime last season to spoil the Mountaineers’ RMAC title bid.

New Mexico Highlands (2-0) at Fort Lewis (1-0)

• Time/Location: 6 p.m. at Dennison Memorial Stadium, Durango, Colo.

• Broadcast: RMACNet

• The Matchup: After only playing 11 minutes in their season opener at Williams Jewell due to a medical situation, Fort Lewis returned home last Saturday to post a 27-9 win over Arizona Christian despite only 218 total yards on offense.  Jacob Morris passed for 167 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Skyhawks in the opener.,  Highlands has the RMAC’s top offense – scoring (45 points a game), total yards (495 yards per contest), and rushing (345 yards a game).  The Cowboys have two of the RMAC’s top rushers in Jaden Montalvo and Matthew McGuiggan, as the pair has combined for 358 yards (12.3-yard average per rush). Highlands leads the series 23-13 after posting a 31-14 win over the Skyhawks in Las Vegas last season.

NCAA Division I FBS & FCS

Weber State (1-1) at Colorado (1-0)

• Time/Location: 1:30 p.m. at Folsom Field (Boulder, CO)

• Broadcast: ESPN+/CU Football Network with 850 AM KOA Denver flagship; SiriusXM 263 (App 972)
  

• The Matchup: Fresh off a hard-fought 14-13 road victory over Georgia Tech to open the season, the Buffaloes return to Boulder for their home opener. Weber State makes its second trip to the Centennial State this season, having posted a 30-29 win at Northern Colorado at the end of August.  This is the first meeting between the two schools, as Weber State has played at Air Force once and Colorado State three times.  Colorado has lost two games to FCS opponents this century, including a 19-10 decision to Montana State in 2006 and a 30-28 loss to Sacramento State in 2012.

Northern Colorado (0-2) at Wyoming (0-1)

• Time/Location: 2 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium (Laramie, WY)

• Broadcast: MW+; 93.5 FM; pirateradio935.com

• The Matchup: The Bears make the short trip north across the border for a regional showdown in Laramie. It will be the 28th meeting between the two schools and only the third since 1949.  The Cowboys have won nine straight games in the series, including a 33-10 victory over the Bears in Laramie on September 10, 2022.

Southern Utah (1-1) at Colorado State (1-0)

• Time/Location: 5 p.m. at Canvas Stadium (Fort Collins, CO)

• Broadcast: CBSSN/RADIO: Colorado State Sports Network: KUAD 99.1 FM; Sirius XM 292; Varsity Network App

• The Matchup: With three home games to start the season, Colorado State hosts FCS foe Southern Utah in game No. 2 in Fort Collins for the first meeting between the two schools.  The Jim Mora Era at CSU started with a 35-13 rivalry win over Wyoming.  Ram quarterback Hauss Hejny connected on five scoring tosses, including three to Reginald Vick Jr., in his first game with CSU.  Hejny completed 23 of 33 passes for 214 yards and rushed for 39.  CSU has dropped five games to FCS opponents – Idaho 37-34 in 1992; North Dakota State 22-7 in 2012; Illinois State 35-10 in 2018; South Dakota State 42-23 in 2021; and Sacramento State 41-10 in 2022.

North Dakota State (2-0) at Air Force (1-0)

• Time/Location: 8 p.m. at Falcon Stadium (U.S. Air Force Academy, CO)

• Broadcast: FS1/KVOR AM 740, Colorado Springs; SIRIUS 267 (APP 976)

• The Matchup: It is the Mountain West Conference opener, especially for North Dakota State, as the Bisons transition from the FCS to the FBS to meet Air Force for the first time.  Air Force welcomes powerhouse North Dakota State to Falcon Stadium. The Falcons sit at 1-0 and will need every bit of their trademark triple-option discipline (431 yards rushing in the opener) and defensive resilience (107 yards yielded) to handle the former perennial FCS powerhouse Bison in prime time.