With the Air Force idle this week, Colorado and Colorado State play schools from the power conferences, each seeking their third win of the season at Northwestern and nationally ranked BYU, respectively.

In the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, nationally ranked Colorado State Pueblo and Western Colorado play on the road against opponents that were listed among the top five teams in the preseason polls.

Here are previews of this week’s games for Centennial State schools.

South Dakota Mines at Adams State

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 12 p.m. MT
• Location: Rex Field, Alamosa, CO
• Broadcast: RMAC Network
• Adams State: In the midst of a 31-game victory drought, the Grizzlies (0-3, 0-1 RMAC) have faced a rough start to 2026, dropping high-scoring affairs to Western New Mexico (62-45), Sul Ross State (52-26), and Black Hills State (44-8)
• South Dakota Mines: The Hardrockers (2-1, 0-1 RMAC) opened their campaign with a thrilling 38-35 victory over Division I FCS opponent Drake, followed by a  38-17 win over Southwest Baptist.  Last week, SDM dropped a 30-24 decision in overtime to visiting Colorado Mesa.
• Two of the top three rushers in the RMAC will be featured in the contest. Adams State’s Andre Branch is the league’s top rusher (369 yards, 7.4 average, 4 TDs), and Dawson Dunbar for the ‘Rockers is No. 3 (309 yards, 5.8 average, 4 TDs). Dunbar has also caught eight passes for 120 yards and one score.
• South Dakota Mines leads the series 7-2, with five straight wins, highlighted by a 45-21 victory last November in Rapid City in the season finale for both schools.

Fort Lewis at Colorado Mines

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 12 p.m. MT
• Location: Marv Kay Stadium at Alumni Field, Golden, CO
• Broadcast: RMAC Network
• Fort Lewis: The Skyhawks are off to an encouraging 2-0 start, securing non-conference and conference momentum with a 27-9 win over Arizona Christian and a dramatic 31-28 overtime thriller against New Mexico Highlands.
• Colorado Mines: The Orediggers have experienced a unique start, dropping a tight 22-20 decision to Western Oregon, playing Washburn to a 16-16 tie, and losing 45-17 at two-time defending RMAC champion CSU Pueblo.
• With both schools ranked eighth (Mines, 315.3 yards per game) and ninth (Fort Lewis, 296.0) in total offense in the RMAC, the game on paper looks like a defensive struggle.  However, Mines has the league’s top pass catcher, Pierce Richards (31 receptions, 283 yards and two TDs).  Lucas Schmitten ranks second in the RMAC in field goals made with five, highlighted by last week’s 37-yarder that won the game in overtime for the Skyhawks.
• Colorado Mines has dominated this conference matchup by winning the last 18 games to take a 36-27 lead in the series.  The last Skyhawk win was 41-34 in Golden on October 21, 2006.  In the 2025 finale, Mines topped Fort Lewis 55-21 in Durango.

CSU Pueblo at Chadron State

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. MT
• Location: Don Beebe Stadium at Elliot Field, Chadron, NE
• Broadcast: RMAC Network
• CSU Pueblo: Ranked among the nation’s elite, the ThunderWolves (3-0, 1-0) notched statement wins over Central Missouri (44-25), Fort Hays State (35-17), and Colorado School of Mines (45-17) in their RMAC opener.
• Chadron State: The Eagles (1-2, 0-1) are looking to bounce back from a 30-9 opening loss at Western Colorado last weekend in Gunnison.  The Eagles lost 42-17 to Northern State and defeated Nebraska Kearney 24-21 in non-league play.
• Key stats show CSU Pueblo leads the RMAC in scoring (41.3 points per game), total offense (524 yards per game), and passing (343.7 yards per game).  Chadron State is last in scoring (16.7 points per game) and total offense (281.0 yards per contest).
• The Pack’s Dedrek Taylor-Akins and Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr., have combined to catch 35 passes for 659 yards and seven touchdowns in the first three games.  Chadron State’s offense has gained 843 yards in three games with only five touchdowns.
• The ThunderWolves have won the last 16 meetings, highlighted by last season’s 30-27 double-overtime win over Chadron State in the regular-season finale at Pueblo.  The Eagles shut out CSUP 32-0 in the first meeting on September 20, 2008, in Pueblo, but the Pack has not been held under 27 points in the next 16 games.

Colorado at Northwestern

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. MT
• Location: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium / Evanston, IL
• Broadcast: FOX / FS1
• Colorado: The Buffaloes are 2-0 heading into their final non-league game, as CU has won at Georgia Tech 14-13 and at home 52-21 versus Weber State.
• Northwestern: The Wildcats are 1-0 after defeating South Dakota State 34-18 on September 5.  Following the Buffs, Northwestern hosts reigning national champion Indiana in the first game at the refurbished Ryan Field.
• The Buff defense has stood out in the first two games allowing only 330 yards per game and three offensive touchdowns.  Julien Lewis has passed for 490 yards and five touchdowns, with Micah Welch leading the CU ground game with 164 yards and two scores.
• It has been 48 seasons since the two teams met in Boulder on September 30, 1978, when the Buffs posted a 55-7 win.  Before that, Northwestern defeated CU 35-14 on September 29, 1951, in Evanston.

BYU at Colorado State

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. MT
• Location: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO
• Broadcast: CBS
• BYU: The Cougars (2-0, 1-0 Big XII) are ranked 11th and 13th in the polls after routing Utah Tech 63-7 and defeating league rival Arizona 28-17 with both games in Provo.
• Colorado State: The Rams (2-0) have enjoyed a successful start at Canvas Stadium, highlighted by a 35-13 “Border War” victory over Wyoming and a dominant 58-24 rout of Southern Utah.
• With Hauss Hejny pacing the Ram attack with 539 passing yards and nine touchdowns, the BYU defense has allowed only 365 yards passing and one aerial score.
• Once one of the West’s historic regional rivalries. BYU holds a 39-27-3 all-time edge over the Rams, with the last meeting on November 13, 2010, at Hughes Stadium, with the Cougars winning 49-10.

Western Colorado at Colorado Mesa

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. MT
• Location: Stocker Stadium, Grand Junction, CO
• Broadcast: RMAC Network
• Western Colorado: The Mountaineers (3-0, 1-0) have posted wins over West Texas A&M (52-21), Angelo State (23-21), and Chadron State (30-9).
• Colorado Mesa: The Mavericks (2-1, 1-0) have won their last two games at Eastern New Mexico 42-23 and South Dakota Mines 30-24 in overtime after dropping their opening at home to nationally-ranked Minnesota State 38-14.
• Western Colorado has the RMAC’s top defense by giving up only 17 points and 295.7 yards per game.  Mountaineer kicker JT Miller is the RMAC top scorer as he has 33 points highlighted by a 7-for-7 field goal effort.  Western punter Zac Grable is averaging 45.9 yards per kick.
• The series is tied 25-25 after Western Colorado posted a 42-28 win over the Mavericks last season in Gunnison.  With the Mountaineers winning the last six meetings, Colorado Mesa’s last win in the series was 24-20 on September 15, 2018, in Gunnison.

Northeastern State at Northern Colorado

• Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. MT
• Location: Nottingham Field, Greeley
• Broadcast: ESPN+
• Northeastern State: The RiverHawks (3-0) of the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association have beaten Delta State (52-0), Missouri S&T (27-7), and Truman State (31-24 in overtime).
• Northern Colorado: The Bears are searching for their first win of 2026 after losses to Weber State (30-29), South Dakota (38-23), and Wyoming (21-13).
• Northeastern is allowing only 81.6 passing yards per game and has allowed only one passing TD.  UNC is averaging 234.7 yards passing a contest with four TD passes.
• This is the first meeting between the two schools.

WEEKLY STATISTICS through September 12

• LEADERS – PDF  
• COMBINED – PDF

FBS

• Air Force (1-1)
• Colorado (2-0)
• Colorado State (2-0)

FCS

•   Northern Colorado (0-3)

DIVISION II

•  Adams State (0-3)
• Colorado Mesa (2-1)
• Colorado Mines (0-2-1)
• CSU Pueblo (3-0)
• Fort Lewis (2-0)
• Western Colorado (3-0)