Comment on Rockies get new gear for Players Weekend

It’s been official for months. But on Saturday night inside a sold-out Magness Arena, the University of Denver hockey team put it in the rafters. The Pioneers celebrated their “Tenver” title one last time, raising their NCAA record 10th national championship banner prior to the last of two home games against 19th-ranked Northeastern on opening weekend. Then the top-ranked Pioneers (4-0) took the ice to make sure it isn’t the last, taking down Northeastern, 5-2, to stay unbeaten to start the season. Senior forward Carter King, one of a handful of returners from last year’s title team, scored two goals and dished an assist in the win.

TUCSON, Ariz. — On a day when Stanley Burrell turned up to hang with Deion Sanders, the Buffs were the ones who put the (MC) Hammer down. “CU has a real shot in the Big 12 (title race),” Erik Garcia told me, gushing, as we stood outside the Buffs’ locker room at Arizona Stadium early Saturday night. Garcia believes, baby. Did we mention that Erik is an Arizona fan? Yep.

The Colorado School of Mines football team is done playing nip-and-tuck games away from Golden — at least for now. The Orediggers submitted their strongest offensive performance of the season Saturday in Alamosa, piling up a season-high 638 yards in a 56-14 rout of Adams State in RMAC play. Quarterback Evan Foster did it all, completing 25 of 31 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns, running for 57 yards on four carries, and even reeling in a 17-yard scoring pass from Landon Walker on a trick play. The 12th-ranked Orediggers (6-1, 4-1 RMAC) rumbled for 288 yards on the ground against out-manned Adams State (0-7, 0-5 RMAC), which lost starting quarterback Chase Nelson in the first half and never recovered.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Fueled by pride, passion and pageantry, rivalries have long put the pizzazz in college football. But as conference realignment continues to reshape the landscape, rivalries are an endangered species. That’s likely the case for the decades-old Colorado State-Air Force showdown. The two teams met for the 62nd time Saturday night at Falcon Stadium where the Rams had not won since 2022.

Initial observations from the CU Buffs’ 34-7 win over the Arizona Wildcats in Big 12 play at Arizona Stadium. Paging Sean Payton: An onside kick attempt to start the game? Did Arizona head coach Brent Brennan consult the Broncos’ Sean Payton earlier this week? Bold move, to say the least — if not a very bright one.

Forecasting the Rockies’ offseason is like forecasting Colorado’s weather. It’s an inexact science. But there are trends to watch and indications of what’s likely to come. The most important and obvious trend is the Rockies’ ongoing youth movement. If the talent blossoms, as general manager Bill Schmidt and manager Bud Black believe it will, a turnaround could happen, if not in 2025, then in ’26. The Rockies’ “construction project,” as they prefer to call it, will continue during the offseason and into spring training. Following is my offseason forecast: • Colorado’s payroll will take a dip in 2025, multiple sources confirmed. That’s because the team’s spending is closely tied to its TV revenue and that revenue has fallen.