Aug. 25, 2008

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This Sunday, Steve Fairchild makes his debut as a head coach, leading the Rams into a new era. The last time CSU faced Colorado with Fairchild was Sept. 2, 2000, a 28-24 Rams triumph in the last college game played at Mile High Stadium. The venue was demolished following that year to make room for Invesco Field.

Fairchild's only lifetime meetings with the Buffs have been as a CSU assistant coach under Sonny Lubick. He did not see them as an assistant at any of his previous stops, or as a CSU quarterback.

A heated rivalry

In the 80th installment of their series, the Buffs and Rams renew one of the nation's most closely contested rivalries of late. The Buffs have won four of the last six years, but all six of those games have been decided by seven points or less, and by a combined 25 points, including CU's 31-28 overtime win at Invesco last September. Five points or less has been the difference in five of those battles. And, since 2000 when Steve Fairchild last squared off against CU -- a 28-24 Rams win at the late Mile High Stadium, a touchdown or less has separated the schools on seven occasions.

National attention

This week's showdown is the only game -- college or NFL -- on the national docket Sunday night, it will be televised to a national cable audience on Fox Sports Net. In late April, the institutions opted to move the annual Qwest Rocky Mountain Showdown back one day, to both accommodate a national television audience and provide some relief for emergency service personnel working the Democratic National Convention.

Though a game time had not been set, had it been played on Saturday, with upwards of 40,000 visitors expected in Denver for the DNC exiting the city and surrounding areas, moving the game back a day will provide additional time to help the security force and police and fire departments recover from a pressure-packed week.

New QB

CSU quarterback Billy Farris will become the first Rams field general to make his starting debut since true freshman Caleb Hanie led the team to a 30-7 triumph over Wyoming in Fort Collins, Oct. 22, 2004.

While Farris has played in just nine games and thrown only 39 passes, the Rams will surrounded him with one of the deepest backfields in the nation, led by seniors Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell, and one of the conference's most experienced lines. Farris also has a dangerous target in tight end Kory Sperry, who recently joined the John Mackey Award watch list. Sperry caught three TDs against CU in 2007.