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Initial observations from Colorado’s 38-31 overtime win against Baylor in the Buffs’ return to Big 12 play at Folsom Field: The Sanders Show: Baylor entered this game with the No. 1 passing defense (by yards allowed per game) in the nation, but the Bears had also faced an FCS team, Air Force and half of a game against Utah’s backup quarterback.

FORT COLLINS — The Rams held on for dear life in their get-right, gimmie game on Saturday. After getting roughed up by rival CU last week, and with the schedule stiffening with Oregon State and conference play in October, CSU picked up a harder-than-it-should’ve-been win over UTEP at Canvas Stadium. In the 27-17 victory, the Rams’ well-oiled running game paved the way.

BOULDER — The road runs through Ralphie. Deion Sanders’ Buffs get Kansas State at home in three weeks. Over a 15-day span in late November, they’ll host Utah and Oklahoma State. The Big 12’s path to the College Football Playoff turns left off the turnpike and right into the sure hands of Travis Hunter. “The good news for CU is, you do have the power brokers largely at home,” Fox Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard told me before the Buffs kicked off with Baylor in a homecoming tussle at Folsom Field on Saturday night.

The Colorado School of Mines football team continues to live dangerously on the road. For the second week in a row, the Orediggers held off a fourth-quarter rally as Devyn Lauer-Duarte’s interception sealed a 13-12 win over Chadron State in both teams’ RMAC opener Saturday in Chadron, Neb. Chadron State got a pair of field goals in the final frame to pull within a point with 5:19 to go, but the fourth-ranked Orediggers (3-0, 1-0 RMAC) ground out a 10-play, 44-yard drive that chewed up 4 minutes, 56 seconds of clock.

It’s probably not hyperbole to say that Alexandar Georgiev reached a crossroads in his Colorado Avalanche tenure during those 48 hours between the end of Game 1 and the start of Game 2 of an opening-round series in Winnipeg last spring. Georgiev, fresh off an undesirable finish to an up-and-down season, allowed seven goals on 23 shots in a wild 7-6 loss at Canada Life Centre.