As the college football season hits its stride in October, this week’s schedule for Centennial State schools features two games where Air Force and Northern Colorado are on the road.  The other eight schools are taking the weekend off before resuming play on October 15 and 17.

Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington

• Time / TV: 5 PM, ESPN+ | 93.5 FM | pirateradio935.com

• Records: Northern Colorado (2-4 overall, 1-2 Big Sky) at Eastern Washington (1-5 overall, 0-3 Big Sky)

• Series: With the first game played in 2006, Eastern Washington has a 15-0 record against the Bears, including a 27-7 setback last November 15 in Cheney.  EWU is 8-0 at home against UNC.

• The Outlook: The Bears head to Cheney, Washington, looking to secure a crucial conference win in Big Sky play and post their first-ever win over the Eagles. Northern Colorado sits at 1-2 in the conference and aims to exploit an Eastern Washington squad still finding its footing after an opening stretch marked by tight losses and defensive struggles. Expect a hard-fought, high-stakes battle as both FCS programs look to climb the conference ladder.

Air Force at Northern Illinois

• Time / TV: 7:30 PM, CBSSN | KVOR AM 740

• Records: Air Force (3-1 overall, 1-1 Mountain West) at Northern Illinois (0-4 overall, 0-0 MWC)

• Series: This is the first meeting between the two schools, as Northern Illinois will play its first-ever MWC game.  Air Force was also North Dakota State’s first MWC opponent as the Bisons posted a 38-32 win over the Falcons last month at the Academy.

• The Outlook: The Falcons hit the road to DeKalb, Illinois, for a prime-time national television broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Air Force’s trademark option attack looks to exploit a Northern Illinois defense that is hungry for its first win of the season. With conference positioning on the line, the Falcons will lean heavily on discipline, clock control, and efficient ground execution to silence the Huskie Stadium crowd.

Quiet Saturday: The Bye Week Slate

A staggering number of Colorado’s college football teams will enjoy a well-timed rest this week, with eight programs sitting out on October 10:

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS):

• Colorado (2-3 overall, 0-2 Big XII)
• Colorado State (2-3 overall, 0-1 Pac-12)

NCAA Division II (RMAC & Independent):

• Adams State (0-6 overall, 0-4 RMAC)
• Colorado Mesa (3-3 overall, 2-2 RMAC)
• Colorado Mines (3-2-1 overall, 3-1 RMAC)
• CSU Pueblo (6-0 overall, 4-0 RMAC) — riding high on an undefeated start
• Fort Lewis (2-3 overall, 1-4 RMAC)
• Western Colorado (6-0 overall, 4-0 RMAC) — sharing the spotless 6-0 spotlight in the RMAC